Burlingame, Kansas: Easter Island Heads - Gone

Butch Mauer made the fiberglass heads after being inspired by a book about Easter Island he received from his wife Melissa. It's true the heads are now gone in Burlingame, but he may have them at his house or his place of business in Lyndon, Kansas [Phil Pasquini, 05/18/2006]

I found no sign of these between Burlingame and Osage City. I stopped at a convenience store and asked. The clerk and a customer both told me that they had been removed. They had no idea why. [Craig S. Thom, 01/26/2001]

Exotic elements of the South Pacific in Kansas?

On a hill on the south side of US-56 highway between Burlingame and Osage City, Kansas, stand seven huge eye-catching re-creations of the unique statues of Easter Island.

The works are the creation of Butch Mauer, an auto mechanic who runs Salt Creek Restoration in Lyndon, Kansas. The statues were placed on the highest hill in Osage County, which is owned by Bill Sperry. The site is in full view of the highway.

Mauer himself created molds of fiberglass with wood backing to produce the Easter Island heads (called moais). He isn't particularly interested in Easter Island lore and culture; he was just searching for a creative outlet.

No similarities exist between the Kansas site and the Easter Island site, other than a noticeable lack of trees. The Island is 2,340 miles west of Chile and approximately 900 statues are featured on the oceanside site. The Kansas site sports primarily prairie grass. [RD Wallace-Anson, 12/02/2000]