This display outside woodcarver Rocky Wade’s shop pays tribute to the legend of St. EOM of Pasaquan. Pasaquan is a whimsical folk art farm located in Marion County and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. St. EOM was Eddie Owens Martin (1908 – 1986). Born to a family of poor sharecroppers, Martin eventually ran away from home and wound up in New York City, where he was deeply involved in the Greenwich Village bohemian art scene until the 1950s. Upon returning to Marion County, he began work on Pasaquan in 1957. Never quite fitting in with overall-wearing locals, Eddie, who by this time had dubbed himself St. EOM, was known for his flamboyant dress and jewelry. He committed suicide in 1986 and willed his property to the Marion County Historical Society.
