Q: I’ve heard about a garden somewhere in north Georgia where there are small buildings made from rocks and other materials. Where is it? What can you tell me about the garden?
A: An Old Dog is behind the new construction at what's known as The Rock Garden, or also, The Garden.
Dewitt Boyd, who prefers to be called “Old Dog,” is an artist and the visionary who started building small structures made from rocks, shells, cement, wire and other materials as a place for his family to play.
That was nine years ago.
There are now dozens of sturdy stone chapels, cathedrals and castles throughout the garden, located behind the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church (1411 Rome Road, Calhoun 30701), which is about five miles from Interstate 75.
Calhoun is about 70 miles north of downtown Atlanta.
One castle is called Camelot and another building is fashioned after the Notre Dame Cathedral, complete with stained glass windows.
These creations aren’t hastily assembled.
Old Dog and his volunteers labored on the Notre Dame Cathedral for 27 months and are now working on a replica of Japan’s Himeji Castle, which he said will be large enough for kids to enter.
The garden, which also features seasonal flowers and plants, bridges and streams, is free and open daily to those who want to check out the turrets and towers, play with their kids or meditate.
Weddings have even been held there, Old Dog said.
To find out more about The Rock Garden, go to facebook.com/thegardencalhoun or exploregordoncounty.com.
Q: I see Abraham Baldwin’s name on several things around Georgia, including a college. Who was he and what was his claim to fame?
A: It would be easier to list the things Baldwin didn't accomplish during his life.
He was a minister, an attorney, served as a chaplain during the Revolutionary War, was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention — he actually signed the Constitution — before he became a Congressman who served in both houses.
When did he have time to update his Twitter account?
Oh, he also wrote the charter and was the first president of what became the University of Georgia.
And he did all this despite dying when he was 52.
Baldwin was born in Connecticut, graduated from Yale and headed south after the revolution. Georgia quickly embraced Baldwin and selected him to help create UGA, where a statue was erected of him in 2011.
Baldwin County bears his name, as does Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton.
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