Ben Hartman, a molder at the Springfield Machine Tool Company, was laid off in 1932 but he wasn’t content to sit around and began building a cement pond behind his house. Before long his backyard was filled with fanciful concrete and stone creations. Ben died 12 years later and his wife Mary took over the care of the garden until her death in 1997. The garden is now cared for by the Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden. Every spring they weed and plant new flowers. We visiting in early spring so everything was still a little shaggy.
The garden is not accessible due to steps at the front entrance and very narrow walkways through the garden. The gates in the fence are locked and not used as entrances. The actual entrance is on the left side of the house and is easy to miss.
Parking is on the street with plenty of room for RVs on McCain Ave. Garden
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