# Are There Any Mysterious MODERN Monuments or Structures?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 30, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582 "2004-07-30T12:31:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/1 "2004-07-30T12:31:58Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268954) GQ thread, the OP asks how the purpose of ancient monuments such as the Pyramids was forgotten. The OP then goes on to ask what it would take for society to forget the purpose of _modern_ structures and/or monuments, such as Mt. Rushmore.
I’m wondering if there are any structures or monuments, less than, say, 200 years old, whose purpose, builder(s), or history remains a mystery.
In that thread, I mentioned a clock in Neosho, Missouri. It’s right there in the middle of the city’s downtown park, but no one seems to know who built it, or when or why. Trouble is, Neosho has only been settled for about 200 years or less.
Any others?
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/2 "2004-07-30T12:34:48Z")
Dick Cheyney’s basement?
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/3 "2004-07-30T13:22:24Z")
I suspect that the floral clock is not going to turn out to be that mysterious. There are dozens of them across North America and they were a moderately popular mode of “civic expression” in the first half of the 20th century. It is possibly true that the current city council (and, possibly, newspaper staff) don’t know the origins of that particular clock, but it is probably described in the morgue of the paper. (And if Neosho’s paper ever threw out its morgue, a check of the papers of surrounding communities might turn up an article on it.) Failing that, anyone with a shovel (and permission from the park district) could probably find enough ironwork in the ground to develop a good idea of who built the machinery and when.
There are a number of odd sculptures around the country, often built by closed-mouthed eccentrics who died before they explained their works. I suspect that many of those that survive might tantalize future researchers. (And, of course, with the move to non-representational art, we are creating a lot of things in stone, concrete, and iron that will probably confuse future generations nearly as much as they confuse us, today.)
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### Author:  [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/4 "2004-07-30T13:29:14Z")
what about the puzzle scuplture at the CIA?
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/5 "2004-07-30T13:30:14Z")
There’s a stone structure in Minneapolis/Roseville which is ringed by statuary straight out of Batman–huge, gothic angel figures holding great swords, standing vigilant, facing outwards from the structure.
It’s a water tower.
Didn’t know they needed holy protectors.
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### Author:  [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/6 "2004-07-30T13:44:52Z")
Isn’t there a mausoleum or some such in England with a “mysterious coded message” carved into it? I recall reading about a (husband & wife?) team of codebreakers announcing that they were working on a solution to it a few months back…
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/7 "2004-07-30T14:44:57Z")
Seattle had a mysterious monolith that appears, dissapears, and reappears periodicly. Very mysterious.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/8 "2004-07-30T14:54:46Z")
Am I the first to mention the Coral Castle of Miami, Florida?!?!!?
[http://www.coralcastle.com/home.asp](http://www.coralcastle.com/home.asp)
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### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/9 "2004-07-30T15:02:18Z")
> [@FriarTed](#):
>
> Am I the first to mention the Coral Castle of Miami, Florida?!?!!?
> [http://www.coralcastle.com/home.asp](http://www.coralcastle.com/home.asp)
This is my favorite. I was tempted to mention it earlier this morning but was too lazy to look for a link. I think it is a great mystery.
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/10 "2004-07-30T15:13:19Z")
There’s the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. We know who built it and why in the general sense, but darned if we’ll ever know what was going through her mind regarding various aspects of the design.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/11 "2004-07-30T21:02:35Z")
Centuries later, after the painted stripes wear away, will anybody figure out our giant parking structures? Especially the fancier ones with curving ramps, or the intertwined helix types.
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### Author:  [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/12 "2004-07-30T22:46:39Z")
> [@cmkeller](#):
>
> There’s the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. We know who built it and why in the general sense, but darned if we’ll ever know what was going through her mind regarding various aspects of the design.
I’d heard this on some show or another, but found another cite [here](http://www.prairieghosts.com/winchester.html):
> [@](#):
>
> Not long after Sarah returned to her family and home, another tragedy struck. William, now heir to the Winchester empire, was struck down with pulmonary tuberculosis. He died on March 7, 1881. As a result of his death, Sarah inherited over $20 million dollars, an incredible sum, especially in those days. She also received 48.9 percent of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and an income of about $1000 per day, which was not taxable until 1913.
>
> But her new-found wealth could do nothing to ease her pain. Sarah grieved deeply, not only for her husband, but also for her lost child. A short time later, a friend suggested that Sarah might speak to a Spiritualist medium about her loss. “Your husband is here,” the medium told her and then went on to provide a description of William Winchester. “He says for me to tell you that there is a curse on your family, which took the life of he and your child. It will soon take you too. It is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family. Thousands of persons have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking vengeance.”
>
> Sarah was then told that she must sell her property in New Haven and head towards the setting sun. She would be guided by her husband and when she found her new home in the west, she would recognize it. “You must start a new life,” said the medium, “and build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon too. You can never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live. Stop and you will die.”
>
> …
>
> While all of this seems like madness to us, it all made sense to Sarah. In this way, she could control the spirits who came to the house for evil purposes, or who were outlaws or vengeful people in their past life. These bad men, killed by Winchester rifles, could wreak havoc on Sarah’s life. The house had been designed into a maze to confuse and discourage the bad spirits.
So that answers the “why’s it so crazy” question, but there’s still the “what the hell was she thinking?” with regards to the actual design.
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/13 "2004-07-30T23:18:37Z")
[url=“[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_441.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_441.html)”]Oak Island buried treasure[//url]
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/14 "2004-07-30T23:52:34Z")
> [@picunurse](#):
>
> Seattle had a mysterious monolith that appears, dissapears, and reappears periodicly. Very mysterious.
Fog. Right?
:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/15 "2004-07-30T23:59:34Z")
San Francisco Water District made a couple of “Water Temples”- I am not sure if anyone really knows why, today… :eek:
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### Author:  [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/16 "2004-07-31T00:42:31Z")
Some of the World’s Fair structures are gonna look pretty weird. Weirder than they do now, that is.
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### Author:  [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/17 "2004-07-31T01:09:16Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> Fog. Right?
> :rolleyes:
Nope. Someone or several someones will erect a sculpture in a park in the middle of the night. It’s only happened a couple of times so far and no one knows who does this. The public always like the sculptures but the city always wants to remove them for “public safety.” The last one, at Magnusson Park, they let stand for a week or so before they planned on taking it down. If I remember correctly, it disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived.
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### Author:  [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/18 "2004-07-31T02:13:43Z")
My 1st year in college 1968, I was appointed to the “Campus Beautification Committee”, which had a budget of $1000. Some guy on the committee had access to a bunch of big boulders, about 4’ in diameter, and it was decided to have the boulders hauled onto campus and dumped at random locations.
Fast forward 35 years. I’m visiting my brother-in-law, who’s taking a couple of classes at that college. We’re strolling around campus when I see one of the boulders and tell him my story. He was amazed. It turns out the boulders are a big campus mystery. No one knew where they came from or why they were there.
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### Author:  [@zippyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zippyh)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/19 "2004-07-31T03:37:26Z")
> [@Tikki](#):
>
> Nope. Someone or several someones will erect a sculpture in a park in the middle of the night. It’s only happened a couple of times so far and no one knows who does this. The public always like the sculptures but the city always wants to remove them for “public safety.” The last one, at Magnusson Park, they let stand for a week or so before they planned on taking it down. If I remember correctly, it disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived.
About the man behind the monolith:
[http://www.seattlepress.com/article-8966.html](http://www.seattlepress.com/article-8966.html)
Unless there’s a different mysterious Seattle monolith you’re talking about.
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### Author:  [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-mysterious-modern-monuments-or-structures/257582/20 "2004-07-31T06:05:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> San Francisco Water District made a couple of “Water Temples”- I am not sure if anyone really knows why, today… :eek:
[link.](http://www.sunol.org/temple.html)
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