I was first introduced to Gilgal in about 1975 by a good friend–we were both grad students and lived in a neighborhood close to the U. He kept our destination a secret and, as I remember, he brought us to a gate into somebody’s back yard, and opened it brazenly. […]
Gilgal Stories
16 posts
I was introduced to Gilgal Garden when I was about 11 in the early 1960’s. Our Sunday School teacher made arrangements with the owners to bring her Sunday School class to Gilgal Garden. In the Garden, some of the stories we had been told came alive through the rock sculptures.We […]
After serving as a Marine in Vietnam, I moved from Long Island, New York to teach as a full professor at Salt Lake City Community College. There, I met my beautiful wife Stephanie Packard. One of the first places we visited was Gilgal Sculpture Garden were we frolicked and climbed […]
When I read the stones at gilgal gardens I felt overwhelmed and filled with hope and the Stone that read.. young man wherever you are work for your SOULS Sake .. I cried..tears of overwhelmingly emotional Spiritually personal pain and love at the same time…it made me Young Samuel feel […]
Many years ago, when Gilgal first became a city park, it was overgrown with tall weeds and many of the sculptures were strangled with ivy. At night it was a spooky, scary place. But I never thought it was haunted. I was a board member of the Friends of Gilgal […]
It is very interesting to me how some places, things, and people recur in a persons life. Gilgal is one of those places.I first visited the garden in 1977 on the invitation of a co-worker from the University Bookstore. It was late evening and after a trip to the Sev […]
As soon as I saw Gilgal for the first time, I wanted to understand more. Though I don’t think we’ll ever really understand it completely. Our job now is to protect it and share it. I was able to share it with the top preservation official from Tennessee while he […]
In thinking about a Gilgal story—I have many, as I grew up next to the garden and was able to help build it and for many years take care of it. I grew up with Thomas B. Child’s son-in-law Bryant Higgs and his grandson Tom Higgs. I worked for Child when […]
My first memory of Gilgal Sculpture Garden was as a young professional working in historic preservation in the late 90’s. What struck me about Gilgal Garden was the “folk” nature of the artwork. I was immediately compelled by how unique the garden, sculptures, and inscribed stones are–not created for a […]