The Maryhill Stonehenge was the first monument in the
United States to honor the dead of World War I – specifically, soldiers from
Klickitat County, Washington, who had died in the then-ongoing war. The altar stone is placed to be aligned with
sunrise on the
summer solstice. Following the
then-prevalent interpretation of Stonehenge, Hill thought that the original monument had been used as a sacrificial site. He was a
Quaker and commissioned the replica as a reminder that humanity is still capable of being sacrificed to the god of war. The monument is located within the former site of the town of Maryhill; the town later burned down, leaving only the
concrete replica standing. The memorial overlooks the
Columbia Gorge. A second formal dedication of the monument took place on its completion on May 30, 1929. Sam Hill died in 1931, but lived long enough to see the re-installation of his Stonehenge replica completed. The dedication plaque on this Washington Stonehenge is inscribed: ==Current status==