Highlight Tour with Visual Descriptions

This version of our Highlight Tour includes detailed visual descriptions for visitors who are blind or have low vision. It examines the Hartman Rock Garden through ten representative objects. This tour can be enjoyed either using a screen reader or with the assistance of a friend or colleague.

The Hartman Rock Garden is a visionary art environment created by self-taught artist Ben Hartman between 1932 and 1944. Ben drew inspiration from family and friends, as well as from magazines, books, radio, and film. This was a deeply personal space, meant to promote his ideals and values to the larger world. He constructed every object by hand using concrete, stone, metal, glass, wood, and whatever else he could find. This tour examines his work through ten key objects.

The first stop is near the back corner of the house.

First Stop: School House (Created in 1932)

This is a miniature version of the one-room schoolhouse that Ben Hartman briefly attended as a child. It is one of the earliest objects in the garden. The school is 32 inches wide, 47 inches deep, and 36 inches tall and is composed of small grey, white, and brown stones with concrete mortar. The gabled roof is solid concrete. A small stone tower extends above the roof, which includes a handmade concrete bell and a 22-inch metal flag pole flying a small store-bought American flag. At the back, a small chimney, composed of pieces of red granite, extends a couple of inches from the peak of the roof. Inside the school, Ben placed two rows of miniature desks. Each row has five desks. The desks are constructed out of wood and painted red. Out front, Ben used mirrored glass in concrete to write “Good Old School Days”. Those days were limited in Ben’s own childhood, as his family pulled him from school after the first grade. His lack of formal schooling led him to promote the importance of education as an adult. Ben later placed small Native American figures next to the school. These painted concrete figurines reference a line from a popular children’s poem by Annette Wynne, “Where we walk to school each day, Indian children used to play.” This concrete tableau contains four cast iron figurines outside of a teepee made of rolled brown sheet metal. Two cast iron pine trees, painted green, stand at the rear of the scene.

Now continue along the sidewalk, moving toward the front fence.

Second Stop: God’s Gift (Created in 1932)

These four connected structures, which Mary Hartman called God’s Gift to the World, illustrate key moments in the biblical story of Jesus. The scene of the birth of Jesus, on the left, is constructed of concrete and stone and measures 18 inches tall, 18 inches wide, by 26 inches deep. Under an arched opening on the front, the small structure holds metal figurines representing the traditional Christian nativity scene: baby Jesus in a cradle, Mary and Joseph, three wisemen bearing gifts, two shepherds, as well as pairs of donkeys, sheep, and chickens. Each figure is made of cast iron and stands between 2 and 5 inches in height. Ben likely made these figurines at the foundry where he worked. The larger tiered temple sits to the right. It stands 63 inches from the ground. Ben constructed the temple using pieces of dolostone set in concrete. Dolostone is a smooth grey stone that forms the streambeds of many nearby waterways. Pieces break during Ohio’s freeze-thaw cycles and are carried downstream during storms. Ben collected these pieces, then used a hammer to break the stone into even smaller pieces, which he cemented together with a homemade concrete mix. The temple has four rectangular tiers, with arched openings on each side. The tiers get progressively smaller as the structure rises. The bottom tier is 32 by 28 inches and the top tier is 13 by 15 inches. A small concrete cross extends from the top. In the top three tiers, Ben placed images in the arched openings, behind glass, to illustrate Jesus’ teachings. These images were originally pulled from period publications. The middle pane has been restored to its original 1932 appearance with a 7 inch by 10-inch copy of a 16th Century painting of the Last Supper by Juan de Juanes. This painting, like the more famous one by Leonardo, shows Jesus at the center of a long table, surrounded by his twelve disciples. It is unknown what images Ben originally placed in the top and bottom panes, so we rotate between period images from Christian publications. To the right of the temple, Ben represented the crucifixion of Jesus with the three crosses at Calvary Hill. Each cross is constructed of concrete and stands 6 inches tall. The middle cross is painted gold and the outside crosses are silver. In front, Ben built a small tomb with slabs of grey dolostone. The tomb is 20 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 13 inches tall. It is empty, representing the resurrection of Jesus. God’s Gift is an excellent example of Ben’s strong Christian beliefs, a theme that is repeated throughout the garden.

Continue moving in this same direction – toward the fence.

Third Stop: Betsy Ross House (Created in 1932)

This representation of the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia is a great example of Ben’s love for American history. It was popularly believed that Ross sewed the first American flag in 1776 for General George Washington. Ben was likely inspired by newspaper stories featuring the house as part of the 1932 bicentennial of Washington’s birth. The house is 28 inches wide, 32 inches deep, and 37 inches tall. Ben constructed the two-story house with pieces of red granite set in concrete. The front of the house has a large picture window and door on the first floor. In the picture window, Ben placed a 9 by 11-inch copy of Henry Mosler’s “Birth of the Flag” painting behind glass to create the illusion of peaking inside the home. This painting shows four young women in 18th Century dresses – one of them presumably Betsy Ross – sewing a large American flag. On the second floor, Ben included two smaller windows constructed out of wood and glass. The concrete gable-side roof has vertical lines to give the appearance of a metal roof. A small red granite chimney extends from the right side of the roof. In a concrete panel out front, Ben embedded a pacifist message to visitors: “Let it Wave in Peace – War is Hell.”

If you are comfortable in the grass, leave the sidewalk and walk to the middle circular flower bed. If you are not comfortable in the grass, return to the first stop and look into the yard at the middle flower bed.

Fourth Stop: Maxwell House Coffee Cup (Created in 1933)

This large cup and saucer are a tribute to Ben’s love of coffee. His wife Mary was quoted as saying, “He always liked coffee – Maxwell House Coffee – and always had me have a pot brewing when he was working.” The coffee cup sits on a 20-inch saucer, which sits atop a 3-foot pedestal. All three pieces are composed of smooth stream stone – each stone no wider than a nickel – set in concrete. The overall height is 46 inches. Although the stones vary in color, the overall effect is grey. The surrounding lawn is decorated with colorful concrete figurines of popular fictional characters and animals, including a bulldog, horse, deer, and characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ben created these objects by molding original chalkware figures and then casting them in concrete. Dopey Dwarf stands 13 inches tall. He has peach-colored skin with large ears and a broad smile. He wears a light blue tunic, a bright red hat, and a cream-colored scarf. His shoes are black.

Now move to the largest circular flower bed.

Fifth Stop: Tree of Life (Created in 1932)

The Tree of Life was the first abstract object that Ben created for his garden. It would become his most famous creation. Ben’s tree symbolizes the three things he felt were most important in life: religion, education, and love of country. These themes are repeated throughout the garden. The tree is 4-foot wide and stands over 7-foot tall. The central trunk tapers slightly as it rises. Branches extends from the right and left sides. A school house sits atop the left branch and a small church is on the right branch. A pair of cement doves rest in a nest made of nails on the right branch. They represent peace, although the nest of nails might be commentary on global tensions in 1933. A globe rests atop the main trunk. A bald eagle perches on the globe with its wings spread. The wingspread is 3 feet wide. The tree’s trunk and two branches are made of smooth stream stone set in concrete. Ben gathered this stone from a nearby stream. The school house is composed of red granite with a concrete roof. The church is of mixed stone with a concrete roof. Both objects are approximately the size of large shoe boxes. The globe and eagle are composed mostly of red and white granite. On the globe, Ben wrote the letters U.S. in mirrored glass. Underneath the globe is an American flag shield.

The next stop is in the back section of the garden, a short distance from the Tree of Life. It is surrounded by a cactus garden.

Sixth Stop: Heart Man (Created circa 1935)

Ben created this family emblem, a play on their last name, in 1935. The emblem is a 22-inch by 24-inch heart overtop the letters MAN. The letter M is to the left of the heart, the letter A fits snuggly inside the heart, and the letter N is on the right. Taken together they are Heart MAN or Hartman (spelled H-A-R-T-M-A-N). Ben constructed the heart and letters out of concrete and applied cut mirrored glass on the top. Each letter sits in its own recess in the stone wall. These spaces are filled with green ivy. When sunlight reflects off the mirrored glass, the M-A-N letters stand out dramatically against the foliage. The surrounding area below is filled with coarse sand and stone. Ben called this the Oregon Trail. The family originally planted exotic warm-weather cacti. After years of painfully transplanting the cacti each spring and fall, they later switched to Eastern Prickly Pear, the only cactus native to Ohio. We continue this less painful tradition today. The Oregon Trails holds a number of Ben’s handmade figurines, including an ox-driven Conestoga wagon that is 23-inches long and 16-inches long. The two ox were made using the same mold and are therefore nearly identical. Each ox is 18-inches long and 15-inches tall with 5-inch horns. They are painted tan with white horns. This area also holds a variety of Native Americans figures, including the famed Lakota leader Sitting Bull. While Ben had a genuine admiration for other cultures, he based his figurines on stereotypical characterizations of Native Americans that dominated 1930s pop culture.

The next stop focuses on the sidewalks in this back section. This area is not wheelchair accessible, but it can still be enjoyed from outside the arched entry.

Seventh Stop: Pathways (Created 1932 to 1935)

Ben personalized the sidewalks that wind through the back section of the garden by writing his own words of wisdom using broken mirrored glass, white tile, and stones embedded in concrete. This area contains 22 sections of sidewalk, most measuring around 15 by 30 inches. Phrases like “Somebody Cares for You,” “A Bend in the Road,” “Lead Kindly Light,” and “Let Us Smile” reference popular songs, poetry, and books, while “Behold Thy Mother and Don’t Forget Your Dad” reminds Ben’s children – and other young visitors – to respect their parents. In another, Ben used the shape of a heart to complete the line, “Don’t Brake Your Mother Big ♥”.

The next stop is at the back of the garden, built into the large stone wall.

Eighth Stop: Castle (Created 1933)

Ben built his iconic castle, complete with a moat and drawbridge, in just fourteen days. It stands approximately twelve feet tall and contains 107 windows. Each window is approximately 2-inches wide by 6-inches tall. With its grey stone, mix of round and square towers of varying heights, and small windows, Ben’s castle resembles those from ancient Europe. He later added an American flag extending from the central tower, likely to dispel any thoughts of European inspiration. Ben said that he was inspired by a postcard image of a large stone house in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia that Mary had received from a relative. The two structures, however, have little in common. Ben constructed his castle in 1933 using what he claimed was 10,000 stones – mostly grey dolostone and pink and red granite. Ben constructed the flag out of pieces of red, white, and blackish-blue granite.

The next stop is the largest object in the garden. It is to the left of the castle.

Ninth Stop: Cathedral (Created 1937)

At fourteen feet tall, the Cathedral is the largest and most ambitious of Ben’s creations. He designed and built the structure in 1937. It extends from his workshop shed, which was later rebuilt and is used for museum operations. The Cathedral composed entirely of gray dolostone set in concrete. Two sides face the garden proper. The main façade is 10 feet long and the sides are approximately 7 feet long. On the front facade, the bottom half has four small wood and glass windows. Two windows are on either side of a central door. The door is made with vertical planks of wood, painted black. The average visitor would need to duck to enter the door. A set of deer antlers hang from the top of the door. Above, an arched window holds a tableau of the three magi and their camels traveling to Bethlehem, which is part of the Christian nativity story. The magi and camels are cast iron, similar to those found on God’s Gift to the World. The houses of Bethlehem form the back drop. They are two dimensional and made of concrete. The tableau measures 44 inches wide by 21 inches deep. It is 8 inches at its tallest point. The other arched openings hold concrete figurines of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from Christian theology. These figurines are also placed along the Cathedral’s flat roof under springing dolostone arches. These figurines are between 12 and 16 inches tall and are painted pure white. Ben created nearly thirty concrete figurines using molds he produced from chalkware originals. In an arched window on the shorter side elevation, Ben placed a three-dimensional concrete replica of Leonardo da Vinca’s Last Supper. Like most of the Cathedral’s objects, the scene is painted white.

You can visit the last stop on your way out of the garden. It is on the other side of the house.

Final Stop: Cherub Gateway (Created 1939)

Ben’s health began to decline in the late-1930s. Although weakened from the effects of silicosis, he began working on “The Other Side of the World” in his south lawn. As the name suggests, his plan was to include landmarks from around the world. The Cherub Gateway is popularly believed to be Ben’s interpretation of the gateway to heaven. It was one of the last things he constructed before his death in 1944. The Gateway is 40 feet long and a little over 2 feet tall. It is in two sections, with an opening – the gateway – in the middle. Concrete cherubs flank each side of the entrance. A cherub is a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Ben filled the gateway’s nooks with the same religious figurines that we used on the Cathedral.