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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a PYGMY HUT!   As you may know, some statues from Magic Carpet Golf moved to Valley of the Moon. We are thrilled to report the statues are on site and glad to have a safe new home!

VALLEY OF THE MOON LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

September 5, 2011 (TUCSON) - Valley of the Moon, built by hand by George Phar Legler between 1923-1932, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 2011. The designation of this important, whimsical fairy-tale-inspired landscape is the result of a cooperative project of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation and The George Phar Legler Society.

Valley of the Moon is a rare expression of post-World War I Spiritualism. Its character, form and function illustrate this mystic movement's values and is the sole known example in Arizona, said Demion Clinco, President of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, who prepared the nomination." The garden's architectural details evoke the closely-related to 'Storybook Style' popularized by Hollywood in California during the 1910s - 1920s."

As a unique expression of the early Twentieth Century Modern Spiritualism movement, "Valley of the Moon" physically manifests not only fairy-tale motifs and tropes, but also the philosophical tenets of George Phar Legler, pastor of the First Spiritualist Church of Tucson: kindness to others is the foundation of happiness. The vast array of stone buildings in various full-side and miniature scales offer the distinctive characteristics of a romantic folly, and a unparalleled example of "Storybook" garden architecture.

"The listing on the National Historic Register will help give Valley of the Moon much needed publicity and help to ensure that it will continue to thrive for another 88 years, or more," said Randy Van Nostrand, President of The George Phar Legler Society.

Valley of the Moon History

Valley of the Moon, conceived, designed and built by George Phar Legler, expresses Spiritualism's surge in popularity following World War I, which was itself augmented by the sensational news surrounding the sighting and photography of fairies in the United Kingdom, popular fairy‑tale and fable literature, and the prominence and accessibility of exotic European fantasy architecture in silent cinema in the second and third decades of the twentieth century.

In his youth, George Phar Legler, under the tutelage of a socialist shoemaker, was exposed to Spiritualism during its height at the end of the nineteenth and start of the twentieth century. Modern Spiritualism was born in the middle of the 1800s with two major surges in America, the first following the end of the Civil War and the second following World War I and the great influenza epidemic. Seances, mediums, and the ability to communicate with the dead were the principle tenets. Spirits, ghosts, elves and fairies inhabited the lives of believers.

George Phar Legler's personal tale seems derived from fairy-tales. His early childhood, as if penned by the Brothers' Grimm, involves a wicked stepmother, stowaways and an influential shoemaker. Consumed by legends, spirits and fairies, he became an inseparable part of his own mythic landscape, which he began to create at the age of 38.

A guide, narrator, self-described 'mountain gnome', and permanent resident of the enchanted garden, Legler transformed himself into one of the roles of his own fable; a cloaked figure who for years lived in underground caves on the property, surviving on nothing but milk; yet celebrated, as a folk hero in newspapers and magazines including LIFE Magazine. As the twentieth century advanced, myths and fairy-tales faded in the wake of World War II, the cultural revolution of the late 1960s and the Viet Nam War.

Almost completely forgotten, Legler, an anachronism of a bygone era, retreated into his crumbling garden. A hermit, he vanished into the overgrown grounds, unheard for a decade. In the 1970s a band of high school students, with faded memories of childhood moonlit excursions into the park, climbed the fence and found the elderly, frail Legler barely alive. The students extracted the ancient Rip Van Winkle from the deteriorating terrain and nursed him back to health. Thereafter, the students and Legler, then 90, worked together to restore the property. Upon Legler's death at almost the age of 98, the students inherited a foundation which owned Valley of the Moon to become its trusted stewards and to guard the garden in perpetuity.

Background

The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1985 dedicated to preserving Tucson's Unique Architectural Environment.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

The George Phar Legler Society was established in 1982 to protect Valley of the Moon for future generations.

Available sources include:
Demion Clinco, President, Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation
Randy Van Nostrand, President, The George Phar Legler Society

Photo opportunities and stock and historic photography are available upon request.

Valley Moon is now on facebook! Click Here To Check It Out

Valley of the Moon is an Arizona Historic District, and as a Non-profit organization our board meetings are open to the public. The next meeting of The George Phar Legler Society will be the first Saturday of each month at 12:00 NOON at Valley of the Moon, 2544 East Allen Road. Help in the planning of the restoration of Valley of the Moon.