Tyrone Sunken Garden
Hidden away near Fenton, Michigan is a remarkable and very unusual destination. The Tyrone Sunken Garden is unlike any other place in Michigan. There are no signs announcing its existence and very little background information. The garden consists of stones collected from across the country and laid out in a sort of diamond pattern. The entrance is a square stone archway leading to a stone path, a center stone, another arch and more than fifty stone markers.
The stones aren’t simply scattered throughout the space. Stone
pathways divide the garden into eight segments. The outer boundary
consists of small, squared stones, mostly granite quarried from each
of the states. Each stone is engraved with the state name and in
many cases, the state flower is also engraved on the stone. In
addition to the “state” stones, there are the entrance stones, the
center stone and very distinctive accent stones at different points
around the perimeter. Some of the stones were quarried over 200
years ago.
The garden is hidden from view, tucked away in a small valley
behind the Tyrone Memory Garden Cemetery on White Lake Road near
Fenton. Even when you drive through the cemetery, unless you know
just where to look, the “Garden” will remain concealed to the casual
observer. So, here is how to find it.
Upon arriving at the cemetery make your way to the eastern end and
look for a sculpture of a figure kneeling before three large
standing stone slabs. Just beyond that figure is a simple tubular
metal gate. The gate is usually locked so you must park and walk
around it. Be prepared for possible long weeds and wet conditions. A
broad pathway, that is mowed occasionally, leads downhill past an
enormous willow tree to a small stream. The stream is often
decorated with stone cairns. There is a small bridge and if you look
to the right, you will see the eastern gate arch a short distance
away.
The Eastern Gate is composed of reddish stones forming a square doorway into the garden, The lentil piece has the following inscription carved into the face:
Youth as you enter into the Eastern Gate and on natures beauty gaze, See these radiant smiles of sunlight on the western face of heaven down in the vale by the brook. Its running waters sparkle like pearls and opals fair. Fairer than the lily wet with the morning dew. Worth more than the Indies or the riches of Peru. C.E.S - Quarried in Wisconsin
Walk through the arch to enter the garden. It is laid out as a sort of squarish diamond about the size of a football field. The main path leads to a center stone that may have once supported a sundial but is now often decorated with objects left by visitors. Beyond the center stone the path continues on to the Western Gate which has the following inscription:
Pilgrims as you enter this western gate smile, the beauties
within are yours to enjoy just as freely as the Rose of Sharon and
the sparkle of the dew drops in God's bright sunshine. Smile today,
for tomorrow we pass on like the fleeting clouds which are borne
away by the gentle breezes that blow o'er this western gate which
opens into a garden of rare beauty and fragrance. CES
There are several other stones with distinctive engravings. One is a
“distance” stone that records the distance from the Tyrone Garden to
various locations around the world. Some examples are Cairo 6138,
Paris 4100, Bombay 10069, Venice 4480 and a couple dozen others.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The Tyrone Sunken Garden was created by Charles Eugene Smith
around 1930. I haven’t found any information about how he acquired
all these stones nor how he managed to transport them to Fenton. I
haven’t been able to find his reason for choosing this location.
Many of the stones have sayings carved into them. On one of the
largest stones Smith carved the following:
"After having traveled around the world four different times and
visited parts of Europe, Asia, North America, South America, North
and South Africa, Australia and the islands of New Zealand,
Tasmania, St. Helena, Canary, Fiji, Ceylon, Iceland, Hawaii,
Philippine, Newfoundland, Faroe and many others and considering the
famous rock gardens of Iceland and the sunken gardens of London,
England, and Mexico City the most beautiful I contribute this
memorial on my memory to this small garden."