By Curt Swarm

George A. Haven, of Chatfield, Minn., was a distinct form of man, not odd, however properly educated, and a fellow who townsfolk may say, “walks his personal path.” He was president of the Root River State Financial institution, a contributor to the Root River Path, and appreciated to journey — world journey. And in 1927, just some years in need of the Nice Melancholy, anybody who made it out of Olmsted County was “uncommon.”
Not solely did George Haven wish to journey, he appreciated to gather mementos of the locations and sights he had seen. For instance, he shipped residence a stone from King Tut’s tomb, rocks from the Sea of Galilee, stones from the Nice Wall of China, and the Parthenon at Athens. (Bear in mind, this was again within the early a part of the twentieth Century when laws weren’t so strict about memento gathering.)
George Haven was additionally enthusiastic about native artifacts. He couldn’t resist a stone from the Chatfield Academy relationship again to 1858, the U.S. Land Workplace, Fort Snelling, the Sibley Home, Alexander Faribault Home, the battlefield of Gettysburg, Fort Sumter and Custer’s Final Stand.
After all, what to do along with his ever-growing assortment turned a query, and an issue. George Haven hated to confess it, however the assortment he was so pleased with regarded like every previous pile of brick and rocks.
It got here to him in a dream. He sat up in the course of the night time and mentioned, “I’ll construct a wall.”

And so George Haven started to assemble the wall in his yard. He would come residence from the financial institution and, slowly, one rock at a time, hand place every stone till darkness set in. The majority of his rock was from an area quarry, and on this he used no mortar. Mortar was solely used to safe his treasured mementos.
Why did George Haven construct a wall? He had seen the Nice Wall of China; he had learn Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall.” He didn’t wish to maintain his neighbors out or himself in. It was simply {that a} wall, particularly a stone wall, was so everlasting, when most every little thing else was fleeting, together with himself. Greater than a legacy, he didn’t need folks to overlook.
About midway by the challenge, which took 37 years, George Haven started to note a darkness. One thing was unsuitable. George Haven was going blind. Specialists on the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., informed him there was nothing they may do.
George Haven took the information with combined feelings. After a number of months of brooding, he knew what he would do. He would end the wall.
Night time after night time, stone after stone, George Haven labored on the wall. He may work till properly after darkish now, as a result of he was fully blind. Typically he would smash a finger, and it could bleed, however stone after hand-fitted stone, George Haven labored on.
Neighbors and townsfolk would cease by to see how he was. A few of them would assist George along with his wall.
After which George heard the excellent news. There was an experimental eye surgical procedure on the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and medical doctors had been on the lookout for volunteers. George instantly signed up.
The miracle occurred. George Haven’s eyesight was restored — to not 20/20, however properly sufficient to learn.
There was one factor George wished to see greater than anything. He wished to see The Wall. Upon arrival residence, he went on to his wall.
He couldn’t imagine how lovely and durable it was. He ran his palms over it, remembering each stone. The wall would final eternally!
George Haven’s wall nonetheless stands in Chatfield. It’s 245 ft lengthy, and 6 to seven ft excessive. Individuals usually convey stones collected from all over the world so as to add to George Haven’s wall. George Haven is useless, however his wall lives on.

(Native Iowan, Curt Swarm lives in Mt. Nice, IA (the place it’s all the time nice) and is initially from Monroe, Iowa.  His spouse, Ginnie, is his editor and he or she guidelines with an iron hand.  Curt has a level in English from Iowa State, and has written all his life.  His biography “Protected” is accessible on Amazon and Kindle.  He has simply completed a ebook concerning the Nationwide Guard’s deployment to Iraq, “Job Power IED.”  It’s within the publication stage.  Curt’s “Empty Nest” column is in roughly 50 newspapers, give or take, in three states. Curt will be reached  at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com.)