Jeremy Rochman Memorial Park – Carbondale, Illinois - Atlas Obscura

Jeremy Rochman Memorial Park

Carbondale, Illinois

In the loving memory of a tragically deceased role-player this Illinois park is decked out with both dungeons and dragons. 

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After the tragic death of a young role-playing enthusiast, the Jeremy Rochman Memorial Park devoted itself to creating a fantasy landscape complete with wizards, orcs, warriors, castles, and even a massive sleeping dragon. 

A vocal fan of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, Jeremy “Boo” Rochman was tragically killed in a car accident at the young age of 19. To honor his memory, his father bought a parcel of land across the street from their home in order to build a memorial park. His late son’s passion was for the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, so his father decided to turn the park into a fantasy land that his son would have been proud of.

Enlisting artists and students from the community, the elder Rochman created a park full of the kind of fantasy wonders that his son might have dreamt of in his games. The crown jewel (pun intended) of the park is the wood and steel castle in the center, which features fearsome orcs, hidden wizards, and brave knights adorning every nook and crevice of the fortress. In the surrounding park there are statues of dueling wizards, and the faces of nymphs peek out from tree trunks. The other major feature is the huge sleeping dragon that can be clambered over or imaginarily vanquished.

 Many other smaller and more innocuous features can be found hiding in Boo’s park, but possibly the finest aspect is the celebration of imagination.        

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