Ark Encounter Life-Size Noah's Ark Replica Takes Shape in Kentucky
The Ark Encounter project, aiming to build a life-size replica of the biblical Noah's Ark in Williamstown, Kentucky, revealed in its latest update that workers have started pouring concrete at the site.
The group posted a photo on Facebook showing trucks pouring concrete on Friday, as the much-anticipated project takes the next step.
Creation Museum CEO and President Ken Ham has also been making updates on the project, and earlier in January posted a short video showing how the construction site looks.
"Yesterday I spent a couple of hours at the Ark construction site — amazing to see how much progress has been made. It's virtually impossible for anyone to grasp the enormity of this project unless you can be there and walk around it all," Ham said.
"If you look carefully you can see many vehicles in the distance. There are workers installing sewer lines, water, electricity, and pouring concrete for foundations for the three towers that will anchor the structure and house elevators and restrooms, etc.," Ham describes.
The Ark Encounter Facebook page features a few other photos of the construction site, while its official website offers more details behind the vision and aim of the project. The website also invites people interested in helping out to donate money to help build the Ark, with over $18.1 million collected out of a 29.5 million goal.
In one of its recent articles, the Ark Encounter project noted that there've been several expeditions carried out to look for the real Noah's Ark, but many of them have turned out to be a hoax.
The group highlighted one case, when in April 2010 a team of evangelical explorers claimed they found evidence for the Ark on Mount Ararat, and revealed that they found a number of wooden compartments seemingly belonging to the giant vessel.
The Ark Encounter said that the discovery was a hoax, however, and that the evangelical team, part of the Hong-Kong based The Media Evangelism, was victim to a fraud.
"While Noah's Ark may not ever be found in our day, the Ark Encounter, which is being built in Williamstown, Kentucky, will show the feasibility of the biblical account and point people to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ," the group wrote.
The Ark Encounter has put up a number of prominent advertisements about its project, including a digital billboard at New York's Time Square during the Christmas holidays. It hopes that the full-scale ark will open to the public by the summer of 2016.