In 2007, a Georgia fatherbegan turningthe tiny villages he made with his eight children into a stone garden of more than 50 miniature castles and cathedrals, now drawing visitors

There is a miniature world of buildings and places from around the world in a garden behind a church in Calhoun, Georgia. Nestled beside a stream, the garden, also known as “The Rock Garden”, sits just behind the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church on Rome Road. The garden boasts an array of miniature structures that resemble their larger counterparts, and these include several replicas of Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, Japan’s Himeji Castle, and Rome’s Colosseum.The project was set off in 2007, when DeWitt Boyd, a church member known as “Old Dog”, started constructing the garden on the grounds of the church itself. According to Atlas Obscura, Boyd had created these villages as a game for his eight children, giving each child a porcelain figure to represent them in the imaginary settlements, until it eventually emerged as a collection of more than 50 miniature structures.Materials and construction behind the miniature buildingsThrough hits and misses, Boyd created his method of utilising cement reinforced with a long list of materials, including wire, pebbles, shells, broken glass, and ceramic tiles to make the structures. According to a Blue Ridge Country feature on the garden and its builder, the building process demanded both time and strenuous manual effort. It took over 27 months to complete the Notre Dame Cathedral decked with stained glass windows.As per a Roadtrippers report, the garden’s construction methods were passed to volunteers who helped maintain the site. One such volunteer was Brandy Long, who worked with Boyd placing stones into cement to build foundations for larger features, including pillars and bridges.The garden is also rife with a mix of secular and biblical imagery; one of its miniature settlements includes Bethlehem, while the other consists of small-sized churches, a monastery, and cathedrals. Between these small villages and structures are narrow paths made of cobblestone for people to walk on, coupled with a gazebo and various seating areas. Christian allusions also appear in inscriptions and features on walls and paths; for instance, the Ten Commandments are represented by tablets embedded in a walkway. Besides the architectural models, there are miniature porcelain figures of people and animals; towering above it all is a real-life music pavilion, apt for accommodating performances.A community-maintained attractionBeyond the aesthetic appeal, the garden served a wider purpose. According to the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church’s official history of the Rock Garden, the ground serves as a place for reflection, prayer, and engagement with nature. The property also includes landscaped grounds and a one-mile dirt and gravel trail crossing two creek bridges.Boyd’s wife, Joyce Maples, also works in the garden, primarily looking after the Memory Wall, which has clay hearts to commemorate the marriages that took place in the Garden. The Roadtrippers reported a plaque commemorating Boyd and his wife, Joyce, who had also participated in the project. The same report highlights how the community remains involved in the garden, with volunteers learning construction techniques and undertaking repairs to preserve the structures. The garden’s development has therefore involved adding new features in tandem with maintaining existing ones, as exposed stonework and bridges require attention over time.For the community, the garden stands as a vibrant gathering hub and keeps its tradition alive by hosting an annual lighting ceremony in October. During the event, volunteers illuminate the miniature buildings and pathways with candles and lanterns. After daylight hours, the site is lit up by a display in which the windows, bridges, and individual structures become visible through their lighting.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.