Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. (1888-1963) was the creator of Gilgal Garden. Starting in 1945, at the age of fifty-seven, he began working on Gilgal Garden with the help of few people. Using stone from all over Utah, he built twelve sculptures and over seventy engraved stones. Through his dedication to the church, Gilgal Garden came to show important themes including the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood that allowed worthy men to baptize and bestow the Holy Ghost, the great Mormon migration West from Nauvoo to escape persectution, and the deep connection between the ancient Israelites and the LDS forefathers.
Up until his death in 1963, Child's worked devotedly on Gilgal Garden. After his death, the Grant Fetzer family bought the garden and maintained it until 2000 when they attempted to sell it. Through the dedication by
Gilgal Garden, spanning half an acre, offers many tourist and locals an interesting view of Child's creativity and devotion. Using a variety of stones from around Utah, Child created a tranquil space filled with many Mormon tributes like the sphinx with Joseph Smith Jr.'s face and other biblical allusions like Nebuchadnezzar's Dream from the Book of Daniel. Besides themes of Mormonism, Child has included an altar to his wife and a statue of himself with brick pants, often mentioned as a key point in Gilgal Garden. Child also carved a thirty foot rock in relief with a heavenly messenger with an unsheathed sword. Through exploration of the garden, many can find hidden sculptural treasures that reveal the beauty and eccentricities of Child's garden.
The Thomas Battersby Child Audio-Visual Collection details Thomas B. Child's life through a tour of Gilgal Garden and his funeral. There is also a video of his son and nephew giving a walking tour of the garden with details on the garden's and Child's history and importance. This collection is digitized.
Materials are arranged as provided by the donor.
Audio-visual materials can be fragile and require specialized equipment to play back. For this reason, access to audio-visual materials is provided through digital copies, and it might take longer to provide access to items that are not yet digitized. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Thomas Battersby Child Audio-Visual Collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Multimedia Archivist.
Donated by Hortense H. Child Smith in 2003.
Processed by Braden J McKenna in 2013.
See also the Friends of Gilgal Garden audio-visual collection (A0008).
Thomas B. Child conducts a tour of Gilgal garden while explaining the importance of his work in connection to the Mormon faith. Hymns are also sung.
Same program as 1 but from a different cassette master.
A short excerpt of people singing and talking about Child at his funeral.
Recording contains the majority of Child's funeral service.
A walking tour of Gilgal Garden by Child's son, Arthur Child, and Child's nephew, Franklin L. Child. The history and meaning of the sculptures are given descriptive explanations. Some Child family history is also included.