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Callaway claimed that only two rivers in the world fit this description, one in Siberia, and the Apalachicola. I doubt that Eden was in Siberia, it’s too cold there. Adding a bonus to Callaway’s theory is the Torreya tree, the only place in the world where these rare trees grow is near Bristol, Florida. And what is the Torreya tree? It’s also called the gopherwood tree, as in the kind that Noah used to build the ark. These rare trees, a conifer variety scientifically known as Torreya taxifolia, were discovered in 1834 by Hardy Croom, a local farmer and amateur botanist. When Croom could not identify the trees he contacted renowned botanist, Dr. John Torrey, of Columbia College. The Torreya is named for Dr. Torrey who officially declared the trees a newly discovered genus. These trees once grew worldwide before the last ice age, and why a small number have survived in Florida is a real mystery. In 1933, the state legislature passed a law protecting the Torreya. The only place you can see these unusual trees is the alleged site of the Garden of Eden and a few miles up the road at the Torreya State Park. The Apalachicola River has cut a wide valley through this part of the state in which grows an impressive range of botanical species that are found in no other part of Florida. Callaway, taking an extra step in his research, identified twenty-eight trees growing here that are mentioned in the Bible. Of course one might point out the absence of apple trees, and demand to know where Eve got the apple that she ate? But local advocates of the Garden of Eden theory will quickly point out that Genesis makes no mention about an apple. That’s right, Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge…and I’m sure it’s growing somewhere around Bristol. In the early 1950s, followers of Reverend Callaway erected an entrance to the Garden of Eden and made nature trails through the woods and along the bluffs overlooking the Apalachicola River. There were signs identifying various points of interest, including one that proclaimed the place to be the birthplace of Adam. Callaway’s Garden of Eden attracted so many visitors that he was approached by a promoter suggesting it be developed as a tourist attraction. In 1971, Callaway published his Eden theory in a book titled “In the Beginning.” Reverend Callaway died at the ripe age of 91, and as time went on, his Garden of Eden kinda fizzled-out…but the Garden, or at least the woods, is still there. I wanted to see this place for myself; after all, the roots of creation may have been in Liberty County. It was worthy of a quest, and perhaps I could find the Tree of Knowledge and take some fruit home. I pulled into Bristol and asked a gas station attendant who looked a little bit like Moses, for directions to the Garden of Eden. Although Genesis makes no mention of gas stations, I was surprised when I got a response without being laughed out of town. “Go back down the road and take Route 270 north a few miles,” directed the attendant. “You’ll see Garden of Eden road on your left, just take it to the end.” Obviously Bristol is used to getting curiosity seekers looking for the Garden of Eden. |
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I eventually came out to a bluff overlooking the Apalachicola about 150 feet below. Nothing about this landscape looked like Florida; actually it reminded me of a river valley I once saw in Honduras. I scooped-up a handful of reddish clay, the kind Native Americans fashioned pottery from, and figured this could have been the dust used to create Adam. I also wondered about Cain slaying his brother Abel, was Abel buried around this place? And what about Cain who was kicked out of Eden? The Bible says that after slaying his brother, Cain “dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Well they may have called it “Nod” back then, but east of the Garden of Eden today is the Liberty County Correctional Facility. I guess that would be an appropriate place for Cain. One of the reasons why the Nature Conservancy purchased the 1,300 acre Garden of Eden site for preservation is because of its diversity of plant and animal life. I can’t say for sure if Elvy Callaway’s theory was correct, but in county property records the official legal description for this property is “The Garden of Eden Tract.” Therefore, I guess it really does make it the Garden of Eden. |