The ‘return’ of Pasaquan

To be fair, Pasaquan never left. Established in the mid-1950s in Marion County, in that rural space between Butler and Columbus, Pasaquan still stands as a reminder of the glorious eccentricities that can only be produced in a place like the American South.

The brain child and (mostly) life’s work of St. EOM (pronounced Ohm), Pasaquan is described by Columbus State University as an “internationally recognized visionary art environment,” covers seven acres and includes six buildings (the oldest of which is a late-19th-century farmhouse), mandala murals and more than 900 feet of “elaborately painted masonry walls.”

Eddie Owens Martin (the man who would later change his name to St. EOM), was born in Buena Vista (just outside of Columbus) in 1908. Growing bored with his rural surroundings, a teenage Eddie left his hometown for a hitchhiking adventure that would take him to Atlanta, then Washington, D.C., before finally landing in New York City, where he immersed himself in the city’s vast art collections residing the museums and libraries throughout the Big Apple.

At some point during his time in New York City, he had a series of visions brought on by high fevers. These phantasmagoric experiences brought about two significant events in his life: the visions all included three “people of the future” from a place called Pasaquan and he began referring to himself as St. EOM after these visions came to him.

Following the death of his mother in 1957, St. EOM returned home to Marion County to become the inaugural Pasaquoyan. He would spend the better part of the next 30 years creating the aforementioned structures and more than 2,000 pieces of artwork, lavishly infusing “African, pre-Columbian Mexico and Native American cultural and religious symbols and designs, along with motifs inspired by Edward Churchward’s books.”

In the 30 years since St. EOM’s death, the Pasaquan Preservation Society (PPS) has worked tirelessly to preserve the site.

As one can imagine, a lot can happen to outdoor structures and artwork when left to the devices of one Georgia summer, let alone half a century’s worth of bugs, humidity and heat.

Thankfully, philanthropic organization Kohler Foundation Inc., PPS and Columbus State University partnered in 2014 to bolster preservation efforts, and restore this fabulously eclectic and important site. The grand re-opening of the site happens from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 22 and features an impressive bill of musical talent, food trucks and tours of the site.

The event is free, though donations are encouraged, and is family friendly. It’s only about an hour and a half drive to this recently restored other-worldly collection of some of the most interesting folk art on the planet.

For information about Pasaquan, go to pasaquan.columbusstate.edu.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "The ‘return’ of Pasaquan."