Thursday, October 17, 2013

Backyard Temple that is worth a Detour

When visiting Ohio, one would not expect to see an artist-hippie enclave such as this Temple of Tolerance as it looks like something one would expect to see in places such as Arizona or New Mexico instead. The Temple of Tolerance is actually located in the backyard of Jim Bowsher, the owner of a suburban home in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

To visit this place, you just need to give a call to Jim Bowsher at 419-738-4474. Open daily, this attraction is worth a detour; just let your Ohio charter bus driver know and he can head over towards 203 S. Wood St in Wapakoneta Ohio.

Jim Bowsher, the owner of the Temple, took 18 years to build it. All the space behind Jim’s house is used up to build the Temple and all the satellite shrines around it. You may think the place is small from the driveway, but in fact, his backyard is roughly the size of two dozen standard Wapakoneta backyards as he owns the entire centre of the block.

Since Jim loves to talk and explain all about the Temple, do make sure you have a lot of time to spare in your charter bus Ohio tour. Basically, he designed this place as a retreat for young people to feel accepted where there is no bullying, no drugs, nothing that can create a wedge between people.

The Temple is a squat pile of hundreds of tons of rocks and items made from rocks placed in a circular fashion. The items made from rocks used to make the Temple are such like millstones, lintels, urns and even foundation blocks. Apparently, Jim even carried these rocks all the way back to his backyard by himself from farms nearby.

There are stones steps leading up to the Temple, with green grass and turf surrounding the steps and filling up the crevices since years ago. In addition to the Temple, there are rock megaliths surrounding it, all standing upright in a Stonehedge-like way.

The Temple of Tolerance is always open should you feel curious to visit this backyard of wonder. For those who want to experience the Jim Bowsher guided tour can call ahead to arrange a personalised walkabout. Admission is free so do take the time to explore this little artsy hideout right in the middle of Wapakoneta, Ohio – which is also the birthplace of Neil Armstrong.

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