For those that aren’t familiar with the Atlas Obscura It’s a database, app, website, and book. According to their site, they are described as “At Atlas Obscura, our mission is to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share.” It’s an amalgamation of all the best places to visit.
The Wisconsin portion of the Driftless area has several mentions in the Atlas, and all are worth your time. Some of them are Dickyville Grotto, Man Mound in Baraboo, The Painted Forest in Wonewoc, Bathtub spring, and the Forevertron.
Here is what the Atlas has to say about Forevertron: “World’s largest scrap metal sculpture” stands in an outdoor sculpture garden in the middle of Wisconsin.”
Even though it gets much publicity in small circles, I find many locals aren’t aware of it, it hides in plain sight.
On a recent visit with friends, one friend kept remarking “I have never seen this before.” Yet, he lived only a few miles away. My first experience was seeing it on T.V., on an unusual show called Beyond Bizarre. The most recent popular show to feature it is The American Pickers. It should be listed as the most famous sculpture you haven’t heard of.
The Forevertron has so many facets to it there is no easy way to define it. It truly is je ne sais quoi. When friends come to visit, I like to take them there. When they ask what they are going to see, I say, well it’s… Umm, it’s ummm. It’s hard to describe. After many attempts, I have concluded this may be the best description. It’s like Pink Floyd meets Dr. Seuss with hardy undertones of Steampunk.
I was fortunate enough to see the sculpture in person when it was rather new. I remember thinking to myself, what is this? Who built it? Your first visit will spike your curiosity and fan the flames of amazement. You can study the sculptor for hours and keep seeing new things. I remember that day my ADHD was red lining. It was a solid 9.9 on the curiosity meter. Just the name Forevertron is interesting. It challenges your imagination to try to grasp that. Forever is a testament to one person’s vision.
The Forevertron results from the creative mind of Tom Every. Like many great minds, he had a pseudonym that he worked under. It’s a very fitting name, Dr. Evermore. Like many creative types, the line between mad scientist and creative visionary is often blurred. Tom had these creative ambitions most of his life. One of the first places he got to explore them was when he partnered with Alex Jordan, owner of the House on the Rock. One visit there and it’s easy to see how he could use his creativity.
Who was Dr. Evermore? He referred to himself as a time binder. He built the Forevertron to take him back to heaven on a magnetic lightning beam in a glass ball on a copper egg. Talk about looking forward. I usually only have enough vision to see the weekend! The grand Idea behind the Forevertron is that he will use it to travel to the great beyond.
Inspiration for Tom came in an unlikely place, salvage work. From his years of tearing things apart, he saw a certain classical beauty in the way Victorian era items were constructed. They were functional yet had art infused into them. I met the great Dr. about a dozen years ago. He said if there is a cap that goes on the end of a large pipe, it will be simple. In the past it would have lines and scroll work added. Then he showed me that very thing. He felt we were doing a great disservice putting it in a landfill.
Located about 45 minutes north of Madison on Hwy 12 between Sauk City and Baraboo. The Forevertron is nestled up to the edge of the scenic Baraboo Range. You may not realize it but, the Baraboo Range is an ancient mountain range that once formed the ridge of a large inland lake. The sculpture garden is on the back lot of Delaney’s Surplus. There is a rather small inconspicuous sign out by the road announcing the Forevertron, along with a few sculptures. This is where the parking lot is. I think it needs a 50’s era vacation billboard with a young boy with wide glazed eyes, mouth agape, and a jutting index finger! The top of the billboard needs big bold letters and an arrow saying See the World’s only Forevertron! The sculpture garden is on the back lot of Delaney’s Surplus, it’s a short stroll from the parking lot on the left side of the store.
The first thing you will see is the Forevertron in all its grandeur. Even though I’ve seen it many times, I still get excited to see it, as I always discover something new. The Forevertron is the flagship piece in this eye grabbing sculpture garden. It sits front and center with its massive size over 50 feet tall and 160 feet in length. It was steampunk, before steampunk was steampunk!
When you first see it, you will just stop and stare. It’s a lot to take in. For in that conglomeration of random “Scrap” metal is a portal to that part of yourself where childlike innocence lives. You will put aside all your adult concerns and tap into that 8-year-old child filled with wonder and curiosity as you stroll around the park. For the Dr. it was about traveling into the future. For the visitor, it’s a trip to your past.
As amazement wanes, other sculptures will eventually come into your awareness. The next standout piece for me is the Epicurean. It started out as a BBQ grill. As all things the great Dr. made, it was over the top! It looks like it’s off the set of a Willy Wonka or Monty Python movie. The grill is huge, it’s on wheels and has a huge fireplace bellows at one end and is adorned with barrels, brass, and copper. They recently used it at the anniversary celebration at a local winery. A few other stand out pieces are as intriguing as their names. The Celestial Listening Ears, it may not be straight outta Compton, but it could be straight outta Seuss! The bird band with the giant conductor never ceases to elicit a smile.
On my visit, I met with Tya, the daughter of the great Dr. She graciously showed me around and told me the backstory about many of these pieces and the materials used to build Forevertron. They have taken to putting QR codes on some pieces that tell more of the history of the sculptures. Among the many peculiarities that make up the Forevertron, the two stand out pieces for me were the two Thomas Edison dynamos and a piece of space-age history, a decontamination chamber from the Apollo spacecraft. That’s when you really start to think, how does all that stuff end up in a field in Wisconsin, and become part of an incredible art installation?
In my opinion, a name change is necessary as scrap metal sculpture fails to capture its true essence. It is Art! To me, scrap leaves a negative connotation. If tomorrow we discovered that the Mona Lisa was painted on a canvas made from scrap materials, would we start referring to it as a scrap painting? Perhaps repurposed art would be a more fitting title.
The sculpture park hours and information can be found on their website. It makes a great day trip. Hard to imagine how an experience there could be improved upon, but there are a few times a year they light it up. It’s stunning and a bit surreal. It’s listed on their site as Foreverfest. I’d recommend seeing it in the daylight, then be sure to see it at night for a unique sensory experience. On top of that, how often do you get to see something that is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records?
After your visit, be sure to check out Delany’s. That store on its own is worth a look around. They have many odd things for sale, some of which are rather bizarre. A person could write an interesting blog on items they sell there. I think they should market it as a curiosity shop. These are actual things I have seen for sale there. A military display casket, unused of course, an alien autopsy toy, and (drum roll) a home braces kit. It had some wire, instructions, and pliers like tool-yikes! On my last visit, I saw eyeliner and mascara right across the shelf from a frog dissection kit. If you have that hard to shop for person on your list, this is your place. It truly is one stop shopping!
If you are looking to be amazed and see a one-of-a-kind sculpture garden, I can’t recommend a visit to the Forevertron enough. When it’s open, the Doctor’s wife, Lady Eleanor and daughter Tya are onsite, and they will happily answer questions. They also sell some cool souvenirs. Who doesn’t want some cool Forevertron swag! To get a deep understanding of the park, I’d recommend their book. A mythic Obsession: The world of Dr. Evermore. The park is free and only runs on the generosity and donations of visitors. They are currently working to raise money to purchase the land the park is on. Their goal is to keep and maintain the park where it is at. You will find information on their website along with the Go Fund Me page if you wish to support their mission. I hope they can meet their goal to keep it there FOREVER! Long live Dr. Evermore!
Writing and Photos By: Vince Aiello
