Guide to Art
This guide will help you dive deeper into history of each art object at the Hartman Rock Garden. It is organized into five sections; Near the Pond, Back of the Garden, In the Yard, Near the House, and The Other Side of the World.
Near the Pond
Fishing Pond
Concrete and Grey Dolostone / Pink Granite Trim
The concrete pond was the first project Ben took on after being laid off in 1932. He had always been an avid fisherman and decided to build his very own fishing hole that he stocked with goldfish and water lilies. He included a cement bird bath with a circular house-like trunk in the center of the pond, which he decorated with handmade figurines, including the Three Little Pigs and a miniature North Pole. On the east side, Ben constructed a Dutch windmill.
Lighthouse and Lady Justice Donation Box
Concrete, Dolostone, and Mixed Stone / Metal Mailbox
On the northwest side of the pond sits the lighthouse. On top, Ben placed a Lady Justice figurine holding a carpenter’s square, which seems to stand guard over the small repurposed mailbox donation bin that sits at her feet. Ben was hinting that he wanted a “square deal” from visitors – enjoy the garden and donate what you can.
Rose Basket
Concrete and Pink Granite / Chert and Mixed Stone Handle
This rose basket flower bed was home to several of Ben’s handcrafted figurines. He used the basket to set the scene for several children’s stories and nursery rhymes, including the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, and Jack and Jill. Ben enjoyed showing the garden to children – including his children’s friends – and added elements they would recognize and find appealing.
Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
This figure depicts the popular nursery rhyme: “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do; She gave them some broth without any bread; Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.”
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
This object portrays the popular nursery rhyme: “Peter, Peter pumpkin eater, Had a wife but couldn’t keep her; He put her in a pumpkin shell, And there he kept her very well. Peter, Peter pumpkin eater, Had another and didn’t love her; Peter learned to read and spell, And then he loved her very well.”
Jack and Jill
This object portrays the popular nursery rhyme of unknown origin: “Jack and Jill went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after. Up Jack got, and home did trot, As fast as he could caper, To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob, With vinegar and brown paper.”
Village and Farm House
Concrete, Earth, and Mixed Stone
The miniature village was a favorite of Ben’s daughters, Martha and Ruth. To give the village’s farm house a more realistic feel, Ben planted small vines and placed small stones painted like watermelons and cantaloupe outside. Mary proudly displayed her many Community Beautification Awards next to the village and often sat on the connected bench, taking a break after a tour.
Reco Sporting Goods
Concrete and Broken Red Brick
Ben built several structures depicting his adopted hometown of Springfield. This one is the Reco Sporting Goods store, where he frequently bought fishing equipment.
Back of the Garden
Basket and Stone Wall
Concrete and Mixed Stone
This basket and the stone wall extending behind were the first small stone objects Ben constructed in the garden.
Cathedral
Concrete, Dolostone, and Chert / Granite Arches
Ben’s fourteen foot tall Cathedral is the largest structure in the garden. It is also one of the most remarkable. It is modeled after medieval cathedrals in Italy and contains a series of niches and arches that hold several religious figures and scenes, including a version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and a number of Madonna figurines.
Mount Vernon
Concrete and Dolostone / Red Granite Chimney
This replica of George Washington’s home in Virginia includes a miniature figurine of America’s first president on horseback, as well as a replica of the slave kitchen to the left of the main structure. Ben loved American history and dedicated several objects to important historical places and events.
Washington at Valley Forge
Concrete and Dolostone / Metal and Wood Cannon
This is a re-creation of Valley Forge, where Washington quartered his army in December 1777, during the American Revolution. Note the miniature metal icicles hanging from the cabin roofs.
Fort Dearborn
Concrete and Stream Gravel
To the left of the castle, Ben built an interpretation of Fort Dearborn. The original fort was located next to the Chicago River in what is now Chicago, Illinois.
Battle of Little Bighorn
Grey Dolostone / Metal Figurines
Underneath Fort Dearborn, Ben placed a replica of the famous Battle of Little Bighorn, popularly known as Custer’s Last Stand.
Castle
Concrete and Grey Dolostone / Mixed Stone
The garden’s iconic castle stands about twelve feet tall and is made up of what Ben claimed to be around 100,000 stones. It includes a drawbridge, moat, and about 107 windows. According to Ben, the castle took about 14 days to build. It is believed that he based the structure’s design on a castle in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, that was featured on a postcard Mary received from a friend.
Pathways
Concrete with Inlaid Stone and Glass
Ben personalized the cement pathways that wind through the garden with his own words of wisdom. Made of bits of stone, tile, and glass embedded in concrete, Ben wrote phrases like, “Seek the good in life,” “Let us smile,” “Lead kindly light,” and “Baby your mother.” Ben also embedded the names of immediate family members throughout the garden.
La Rábida Monastery
Concrete
This structure, a re-creation of the monastery where Christopher Columbus consulted with the Franciscans about his voyage to the “New World”, often includes a bust of Columbus and representations of his three ships: the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.
Red House
Concrete and Broken Red Brick
John Brown’s Fort
Concrete and Broken Red Brick
This structure is in reference to the famous 1859 armory raid led by radical abolitionist John Brown at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Noah’s Ark
Concrete and Stream Gravel / Metal Figurines
This tiny version of Noah’s Ark contains fourteen miniature pairs of animals marching up the walkway, as well as several sets of birds perching on its roof.
Death Valley
Concrete with Chert and Skeletal Quartz Crystal Border
This sandy plot, often filled with different types of cacti, represents California’s Death Valley. In it, a twenty-mule team pulls two wagons, made famous by Borax commercials that aired during Death Valley Days, one of Ben’s favorite radio programs.
Hoover Dam
Concrete and Mixed Stone
Hoover Dam, a concrete dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression. A marvel of engineering at the time, its construction captured the attention of many Americans, including Ben, who created this miniature version around the same time.
Oregon Trail and Cactus Garden
Earth with Mixed Stone Border / Concrete Figurines
This section contains many varieties of cacti and often holds Ben’s collection of Native American figurines.
Heart Man
Concrete and Granite / Mirrored Glass
Ben used this design, the word “MAN” encircled by a heart, as his personal emblem. Today this symbol is used as the logo for the Hartman Rock Garden.
The Little Church Around the Corner
Concrete and Mixed Stone
This mid-size structure was the first building Ben built. The church was modeled after the well-known Church of the Transfiguration in New York City, where many prominent couples of the era were married. Ben included furniture and carpeting in the interior, stained glass windows on each side, and a tiny bride and groom that he placed at the entrance.
The White House
Concrete and Granite
Independence Hall
Concrete and Broken Red Brick
First Public High School
Concrete and Grey Dolostone
On the garden’s back stone wall, Ben placed this relief of a building, which he referred to as the country’s first public high school.
In the Yard
Tree of Life
Concrete and Stream Gravel / Red Granite and Mixed Stone
The Tree of Life is one of the more impressive structures Ben built. It was also one of his favorites. The tree symbolizes the three things Ben felt were most important in life: country, school, and church. All three themes are repeated throughout the garden. The tree stands about seven feet tall and is in the shape of a cactus. One arm holds a school house while the other holds a small church. At the top, an eagle perches on a globe that reads U.S., and below, Ben placed a shield decorated like an American flag. Two cement doves rest on one arm, representing purity. Ben claimed that he used approximately 20,000 stones in its construction.
Maxwell Coffee Cup and Saucer
Concrete and Stream Gravel / Mixed Stone Handle
This oversized cup and saucer in one of the center flower beds is a less than subtle monument to Ben’s love of coffee. Mary was quoted as saying, “He always liked coffee – Maxwell House Coffee – and always had me have a pot brewing when he was working.”
Bird Bath
Concrete and Mixed Granite
Ben often placed a figurine of a child holding a fleeing duck in this bird bath and, in the surrounding grass, placed his popular Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs figurines.
Cactus and Dove
Concrete and Stream Gravel
Ben built the four circular stone flower beds in the mid-1920s, years before his work on the rock garden began. He later placed objects in three of the beds, including this cactus and dove.
Picket Fence
Concrete
Though it may seem like an ordinary white picket fence, closer inspection reveals that it is made entirely of concrete. Ben constructed the fence himself, 410 pickets in all, using a wooden picket as the mold. It is believed to be the only concrete picket fence in the country. Of all the impressive structures Ben built, he claimed that this fence proved to be the most difficult.
Tecumseh and Christopher Columbus
Concrete
Ben placed these busts of Tecumseh and Christopher Columbus atop the posts at the opening in his fence. They are symbols of America’s early inhabitants, both Native and European.
Schoenbrunn Village
Concrete
Founded by the Moravian church in 1772, Schoenbrunn, near New Philadelphia, Ohio, was an early mission to the Delaware Indians. The Hartmans visited the reconstructed settlement around 1940 and Ben was inspired to build these models for his garden. They are possibly the last objects he constructed before his death.
Near the House
Lincoln’s Cabin
Concrete and Cobble Stone
On the east side of the garden stands a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. Ben visited the site on one of his few trips outside of Springfield and wanted to include it in his unique account of American history. In front, Ben used stone embedded in concrete to write “America Needs More Log Cabin Honest Abe.”
Lincoln’s Tomb
Concrete and Mixed Stone
Betsy Ross House
Concrete, Quartzite, Granite, and Mixed Stone / Colored Tile
The home of Betsy Ross, the woman widely credited for sewing the first American flag, is located next to Lincoln’s tomb. Ben included a tiny store-bought flag that flies from one of the windows and an image of Betsy Ross sewing the flag in the main window. Ben used stone embedded in concrete to write “Let it Wave in Peace” and “War is Hell,” a comment that illustrates Ben’s pacifist nature.
Rock of Ages
Concrete and Grey Dolostone
Ben built this stone cross as a tribute to the popular church hymn “Rock of Ages.” The hymn reads in part, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” In the arches, Ben placed copies of popular “Rock of Ages” paintings behind glass.
Stone Planter
Concrete, Cobble Stone, and Mixed Stone
This stone structure was one of the first objects Ben built in the garden, likely around 1932. He included figurines to tell the biblical stories of Daniel in the Lion’s Den and the Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace.
God’s Gift to the World
Concrete and Mixed Stone
These structures, which Mary called “God’s Gift to the World”, depict notable events in Jesus’ life. The objects from left to right are: the nativity representing his birth, tiered temple representing his teachings, Calvary Hill representing his crucifixion, and the empty tomb representing his resurrection. These four objects are an excellent example of Ben’s strong Christian faith.
The Liberty Bell and Flanders Field
Concrete and Mixed Stone
Ben’s sense of patriotism was embodied in many of his structures, including this replica of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, easily identified by its famous crack. The bell sits over a miniature representation of World War I’s Flanders Field, complete with tiny crosses and figures of fighting and fallen soldiers. Ben included a small label that reads, “The Sad Part of War.”
The Loving Cup
Concrete, Granite, and Mixed Stone
Wishing Well
Concrete, Dolostone, Granite, and Mixed Stone
This wishing well holds an almost life-sized bucket referred to as the “old oaken bucket”, a reference to a popular poem that Ben enjoyed.
School House
Concrete and Mixed Stone
This replica of a one room school house is the second building Ben constructed. Labeled “Good Old School Days”, it includes a small bell tower and miniature desks on the interior. Ben had originally placed handmade Native American figures next to the school, an allusion to a popular children’s rhyme that contained the line, “Where we go to school each day, Indian children used to play.”
Canoe
Concrete, Stream Gravel, and Mixed Stone
Ben’s canoe planter was often filled with multi-colored pansies and included a sign with the “Paddle Your Own Canoe” idiom, encouraging guests to act independently and decide their own fate.
Springfield Central Fire Station
Concrete, Broken Red Brick, Dolostone, and Stream Gravel
Next to the house, Ben placed this replica of downtown Springfield’s old Central Fire Station. It originally had a miniature fire chief figurine outside standing watch with the fire house dog.
Ginnie Wade House
Concrete and Broken Red Brick
Ginnie Wade was the only Gettysburg woman killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, the house where she was shot became a popular tourist attraction and later a museum.
Barbara Fritchie House
Concrete and Mixed Stone / Metal Figurines
Ben enjoyed telling the story of Civil War folk hero Barbara Fritchie, an elderly woman who was said to have waved her American flag at Stonewall Jackson and his approaching Confederate army proclaiming:
“Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country’s flag,” she said.
A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;
The nobler nature within him stirred
To life at that woman’s deed and word;
“Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on!” he said…..
Ben included a tiny figure of Fritchie in the attic window. He often hung a small flag from this window.
The Other Side of the World (or House)
Cherub Gateway
Concrete, Granite, and Mixed Stone / Concrete Figurines
The Cherub Gateway is popularly believed to be Ben’s interpretation of the gateway to heaven and was one of the last things he constructed before his death. Ben filled the gateway’s many nooks with religious figurines, including several Madonna statuettes, and capped the opening with two large cherubs.
The Beginning of the Swiss Alps
Earth
In the late 1930s, Ben began an area in the southeast section of the property that he referred to as “The Other Side of the World”. In this section, he planned on expanding his garden to include portrayals of landmarks from around the world, but his ailing health kept him from finishing. Before his death, Ben began shaping the earth in this section to create a miniature version of the Swiss Alps. These were never finished and today form slight undulations on the ground.