WATCH – ‘Strawhenge Is Done!’: Michigan Community Builds Stonehenge Replica for Celtic Festival

Amy Furr

A unique version of Stonehenge will delight crowds at a festival in Washtenaw County, Michigan, over the weekend.

The Saline Celtic Festival’s take on Stonehenge has been dubbed Strawhenge and people will be able to view it on Friday and Saturday at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, MLive.com reported Thursday.

“Strawhenge is DONE!” the festival wrote June 23 on its social media page above an image of the structure:

Strawhenge is DONE! Stay tuned for more photos and videos, but for now, here's a sneak peak of one of the photos taken…

Posted by Saline Celtic Festival on Friday, June 23, 2023

The original Stonehenge, which is located in England, is a famous archeological site. Experts believe it was built between 3000 and 1500 B.C., although many aspects of the manmade structure are still unknown.

The world heritage site of Stonehenge, England, is seen Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. It has been standing for thousands of years. (Alastair Grant/AP)

Jim Peters designed Strawhenge, which is a half-scale replica of the ancient original. Strawhenge is comprised of 336 bales of straw, provided by farmer Steve Drake, who also provided the equipment to build it, the Saline Post reported Tuesday.

Peters, an engineer, labored for approximately 40 hours in research and 80 additional hours of geometry and drafting regarding plans for the project, the Post article continued:

Then it took another 40 hours of work on-site to measure, survey and landscape paint. On top of that, eight volunteers worked eight hours each to build Strawhenge. Then there were another 80 hours, at least, running around, collecting straw, wedding bail stack supports, traveling back and forth and to the hardware store.

According to MLive, Peters came up with the idea years ago but the space was not available. However, the festival’s new location can accommodate it.

Saline Celtic Festival Secretary Katherine Downie noted, “I think we’re all still kind of in shock that we were able to pull it off, but Jim is so good at coming up with these sort of ideas and then pulling them together.”

Aerial video footage shows Strawhenge on the council grounds:

Peters, who loves history, told the Post he believes it took about 300 hours to finish the project, adding, “Not bad, considering it took 1,000 years to build the real thing.”

He is also pleased to have the opportunity to teach visitors about the original Stonehenge.

“Our ancestors were really bright, dynamic and motivated people. This is 5,000 years old and these people were building this thing with very limited resources. These guys were sharp. To do what they did with the limited resources is incredible,” he stated.

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