We first heard about Eddie Martin and his folk art palace from some of our older relatives in Columbus, Georgia. Their recollections were vague but suitably alluring:
"That fellow, 'Pasquale'(sic) they called him, used to come into town dressed like a wizard."
"They say he danced naked on top of the Empire State Building."
"He trained snakes to guard his home."
"He let his mule starve to death, because the mule wouldn't go into the barn with all the crazy mirrors and wild colors."
Eddie Owens Martin, AKA St. EOM, was the creator of Pasaquan ("Pasaquan"= Pasa, Spanish for "past" or "to pass," Quanian, Indian for" bringing the past into the future."). Pasaquan is in a quiet backwoods area of western Georgia, near Fort Benning. The site is sprawling, four acres, bigger than Prairie Moon, the Orange Show, other folk art environments.
There are dozens of carved walls, pillars and African-style head sculptures, all brightly decorated with Sherwin Williams house paint. The imagery is exclusively pagan -- mystic hex symbols, male and female torsos and genitalia -- and rendered with a discernible sense of humor.
The home and buildings are open to inspection, exhibiting EOM's paintings and sculptures, bead necklaces and headdresses. When we first arrive, the place seems deserted. We assume Eddie won't be around -- he shot himself in 1986. But the "Bodacious Mystic Badass of Buena Vista" has left plenty behind for us to interpret. After a few minutes, site supervisor Gwen Martin appears in the door with her German Shepherd; she lives in one of the unfinished buildings, and is a member of the Pasaquan Preservation Society.
Born in 1909, EOM moved as a teen to New York City, and worked as a waiter, bartender, then "studied dance, was a male prostitute, got into the drag queen scene," according to Gwen. "Later he was a pimp and ran a successful gambling house in New York." He also traveled as a merchant seaman to distant ports-of-call. Eddie came home to Georgia each harvest season to help his family, who started out as sharecroppers. His parents passed away, and in 1957 he returned for good -- a voice in his head told him to.
Eddie started to build Pasaquan. He didn't know anything about construction, so the cement he favored is deteriorating rapidly today. He used hubcaps and Tupperware as molds for the stucco insets in brick and cement walls. He became a local legend, appearing in nearby towns as wizard, fortune teller and mystic. People lined up on Sunday at Pasaquan when he'd be telling fortunes.
Eddie was an imposing figure, 6'2", always accompanied by his large, nasty German Shepherds. When he wasn't donning a turban or an Indian headdress, Eddie's hair might be styled in a vertical nest, acting as a "spiritual antenna." He had many offbeat theories; one room at Pasaquan features Eddie's vision of antigravity levitation suits people of the future would wear.
St. EOM was diagnosed with cancer in the early 80s, and became too weak to continue his artistic labors, and ultimately committed suicide. He left his property to the Marion County Historical Society. The preservationists have repaired areas damaged by neglect and weather, and plan more improvements to keep Eddie's vision in good shape. St. EOM's July 4th birthday was celebrated by fans every year at the compound until recently. Gwen notes: "Too many people were passing out from heat exhaustion."
Visitors will enjoy the weird energy still present, though it's a fraction of what the live Eddie experience probably generated. The eyes on the sculptures and walls seem to follow wherever you walk.
Gwen says Pasaquan gets about 3,000 visitors a year, mostly on weekends. The highway department takes down their signs, so it's all word of mouth. Word of mouth with rumors about strange UFO lights at night, that naked Empire State episode, that starved mule. Seems appropriate.
July 2008: Eddie's 100 birthday is planned as a modest outdoor celebration on July 4th, the public invited to bring chairs, picnic baskets or buy food on sale. Pasaquan-related activities include a snake-calling contest, a Pasaquan costume parade and competition, and a St. EOM birthday cake contest. More info is available at www.pasaquan.com.
