Mike and Jan Miller, Caretakers for Calhoun Rock Garden
Photograph by John E. McDonald
Paris isn’t the only place to see the Notre-Dame. A little more than an hour’s drive north of Atlanta is a replica built with rocks. It’s one of 50 miniature dwellings hidden behind a Seventh-day Adventist church in Calhoun. From models of famous landmarks like France’s cathedral to castles built entirely from imagination, this community rock garden regularly attracts thousands of visitors a year.
It started as a game. Dewitt Boyd, fondly known as “Old Dog,” created villages made of stones to stay connected to his eight children (and later 26 grandchildren). He called it the “town game.” Each child was assigned a little clay figurine persona that lived in the rock structures, and was provided with some change so they could learn commerce. Old Dog rebuilt the town wherever he moved, but in 2007, seeking more space, he asked his church if he could base the town in its garden.
Over more than a decade, Old Dog and volunteers gathered thousands of stones, along with tiles, shells, and broken glass and china, then held them together with his signature sculpture material, a mix of wire and cement strong enough to endure winter. With these everyday materials, he created replicas of landmarks and religious sites such as Bethlehem—complete with royal-blue domes—as well as original castle designs. While some structures took a few months to build, others, like the Coliseum, were two-year projects. Eventually the town grew to two-thirds of an acre. Old Dog even met his wife, Joyce, while working on the garden together, and the two got married in it.
When the Boyds moved away in 2019, fellow church members Mike and Jan Miller took over caretaking. The Millers moved to Calhoun in 2013 from Florida, where Mike pastored at another Seventh-day Adventist church for nearly three decades and Jan worked as a church secretary. They settled in Calhoun to be near their six grandchildren and wanted to get involved in the community. “I am a service-oriented person and a gardener at heart, so helping with the garden was something I could do,” Mike says.
While the Millers aren’t actively architecting new buildings, they are maintaining all the structures and the garden. From mowing to weeding, upkeep is a monthly occurrence—if not weekly in the summer. Mike plants azaleas and pansies to bloom throughout the year. Jan has always loved crafts and paints the marker stones that name each building, as well as stones featuring scripture.
Naturally, an attraction made of a million little pieces needs a lot of miniscule maintenance as the weather and children blow through it. (The garden recently banned pets to keep the tiny town more pristine.) Most of the Boyds’ figurines disappeared years ago, and more than 35 windows in the “Children’s Castle” have been broken over time. The Millers refurbish what they can, but they aren’t sculptors. Like ruins of real castles across the world, some of the garden stays ramshackle, with some spires and other elements reattached instead of fully rebuilt.
Besides the castles, there is a mile-long trail that crosses two creek bridges and climbs a hill, which visitors can walk along to take in the entire grounds. Picnicking is popular on the garden’s many tables. In the spring, many members of the congregation pitch in to get the site ready for its busiest time. Flowers blossom in the warmer months; in the fall, the church hosts a candle-lighting ceremony during which the whole garden glows.
While it was never intended to be a tourist attraction, the garden has become a regular roadside stop: During the summer, up to 30 cars may be in the parking lot on weekends while their passengers explore the grounds. While visitors come from nearby areas like Rome or Chattanooga, the Millers have met travelers all the way from Germany and India. “We’re the most visited site in Gordon County—other than Buc-ee’s,” Mike says.
The church views it as an extension of its ministry and hopes visitors pray and find peace in this union of nature and art. “We’ve never promoted it,” says Jan. “But the word is out.”
Insider Tips
When to Go
Stop by in late spring or summer to see the gardens fully in bloom.
Where to Eat
Christian and Jake’s Bistro serves the town’s favorite sandwiches and homemade cream pies.
Pro Tip
Don’t skip the garden’s information center, where visitors can ask questions or leave prayer requests.
EXPLORE NEARBY
New Echota State Historic Site
Calhoun
“Our focus is the significant early-19th-century history of the Cherokee capital of New Echota. There are 12 historic and reconstructed buildings on the historic grounds (in addition to the visitor center and museum) that you can explore self-guided. But I’d really suggest planning your visit around a ranger-guided tour on the weekends. Although we are not staffed enough to offer them daily, the guided tour allows for visitors to probe deeper into the story and to see the interiors of the historic structures. Demonstrations by the rangers, such as operating our 19th-century printing press, can add tremendously to the experience.” – David Gomez, Manager
This article appears in our March 2026 issue.
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