The Yankee Siege Trebuchet

I was driving through Greenfield, New Hampshire the other day and noticed a strange sight. Standing in the middle of a clearing was a sort of wagon with four 12 foot diameter steel wheels. There were lots of other large welded objects lying around the yard. Up on a small hill at the edge of the clearing was a replica of a medieval castle. What could this be?

When I returned home I searched the web. It turns out I had passed the home of the Yankee Siege trebuchet. A trebuchet is like a catapult. (You can click the thumbnail at the left to get a better view.) This one weighs close to 20 tons and can toss a 250 pound object about 300 yards. Usually it tosses lighter objects like pumpkins. At the 2004 World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest, the Yankee Siege captured the world record by tossing a pumpkin 1394 feet.

According to the Yankee Siege web site, you can see this trebuchet in action each weekend during the Fall foliage season. Apparently they toss pumpkins at the castle. I can't wait.