The Temple of Tolerance, Wapakoneta, Ohio

As I peruse Roadside America to figure out what there is to see when we arrive in a town, I found The Temple of Tolerance. It sounded interesting, and was something I wanted to see. People noted, "it's behind the house of Jim Bowsher. It's open daily; just walk up his driveway and into his back yard." That was kind of weird and I just was not sure about just walking into someone's back yard without being invited. However, Jim Bowsher made his temple with the idea that everyone is welcome to come and enjoy it. A friend from our days at Kent State University in the early 1970s, Tim Lea, lives right here in Wapakoneta, and he came to visit today. We sat and talked for awhile and he indicated that he knew Jim Bowsher, so I suggested we go see the Temple. We must have spent a couple of hours walking through his collection. Jim was not around, but we did talk to a number of people wandering through his collection.

The Temple of Tolerance

There are hundreds of tons of stone that sit on the lawn, but the arrangement is hardly unintentional. The rocks that form the Temple of Tolerance are a tribute to acceptance to which Jim Bowsher has dedicated not only his 1-acre yard, but also his life. During his time as a creative writing teacher in the prison system, Bowsher was inspired to help find a way to keep people from ending up behind bars in the first place. He started searching for rocks in fields across the state and hauled them home to transform his yard into a haven where troubled kids could find some peace. “I knew that they were addicted to dysfunction at home,” Bowsher says. “I had to re-addict them to the peace and tranquility of my yard.”

Entrance to Temple of Tolerance

Stairs leading to the top

Tim and Jim on top of the Temple

Standing at the top of the Temple

The project began in 1981, when he began collecting a variety of items ranging from boulders to wind chimes, and was completed in 1999 when he tucked the last stone into place. The final result is a maze of rock sculptures and carvings, millstones, urns, wrought-iron fences and other offbeat treasures, including a portion of a counter that bank robber John Dillinger once hopped over during a heist.

The temple sits in the middle of the lot with the rock collection sitting around it; there are also paths all around with cairns and a pot-pourri of objects. 

Wooden Barrel

The article attached to the door of the barrel gives its history. In 1975 the barrel was 47-years old; today it is over 90 years old. It was built by Gus Koch around 1928, who was the owner of a sawmill. The barrel stands 13 feet high and 20 feet long. Gus built it as an office for himself. It had secret shelves built into the walls and also had a secret trap door as it was during prohibition and Gus held parties and poker games in his office. In the mid-thirties when times were hard, Gus let a couple and their baby live in the barrel for over a year. There were other people over the years who lived in the barrel as well, some for two years, some three. 

As we continued on our walk through the maze, there is so much to photograph, so I took pictures of just about everything, although I won't be posting everything, just the highlights, which is still quite a bit.

The Broken Winged Angel

The Broken Winged Angel is dedicated to Mother Jones (1830-1930) who in fighting against child labor, had called the children who lost limbs in greed driven factories "my wingless angels." As a union organizer, her slogan was "Pray for the dead; and fight like hell for the living." (She was highlighted during a tour we took of the No. 9 Mine in Pennsylvania.)

The Wheels of Sindustry

Jim Bowsher calls this call of cogs the "Wheels of Sindustry. (Powered by blind ambition and greed) ~ Are you a misused cog in this machine?" Kind of bizzarre.

This statute is a tribute to the American military men and women who from Ohio who died in a war from 1812 to ....... There are approximately 71,388 shell casings in the tube standing in the middle of this statute for each of the men and women.

There is a garage in his back yard with shelves filled with books, but unfortunately the garage was locked and we could not get in. I was able to take a picture through the window though. 

Scott Murray 1929-2011

Blacksmith, gunsmith, muzzleloader, marksman ... a man forged from the metal of his Scottish forefathers.

This chunk of stone reminded us of a monster or animal carving.

Tombstone

Jim and Tim Lea

As we were leaving the Temple, we stood out in front of the house for a bit talking. The house is covered with vegetation, the front porch filled with dust, debris and just general stuff.

Quote for the day: "It's not the situation, but whether we react negative or respond positive to the situation that is important." ~~ Zig Ziglar