WAPAKONETA, OH (WLIO) - Though he's no longer with us, Wapakoneta's Jim Bowsher leaves behind an incredible legacy that the region won't soon forget. We visited the Temple of Tolerance to learn more about the man who spent nearly two decades building a one-of-a-kind place for others to find peace.
Surrounded by family and loved ones, Jim Bowsher passed away at the age of 75 this past Wednesday. In 1994, he began work on what is now known as the Temple of Tolerance, one of Ohio's greatest hidden gems. The place is a reflection of the man himself—a scholar, historian, journalist, artist, and humanitarian.
"All you gotta do is say his name, and everybody that's met him will have a story because he would take time with everybody. He got young kids that got delinquency stuff and got them out of trouble, got them jobs, got them straightened out, and there's just hundreds; there's hundreds of them," recalled his older brother, Walter Bowsher.
Bowsher's home and temple are full of artifacts like pro-segregation propaganda, pieces of war history and memorials, and archeological finds like a dinosaur egg and a mastodon bone. He believed in preserving both the good and bad of history.
"He collected all kinds of stuff that had stories with it. Not just old stuff; it had to have a story with it, and then he would relay the story, and he was really good at it. The stuff has become just stuff now because the magic was him," Walter added.
The Temple of Tolerance was always meant to be free and open to the public year-round, whether someone just wanted to have a look, take unique family photos, or needed a peaceful place to escape their problems.
"I was here for the eclipse not too long ago, and you know, during an eclipse, you can see space and time being bent because gravitational lensing bends the light from the stars around it, and I feel like something similar has happened here," explained James Bailey II, who met Bowsher as a teen and remained friends ever since.
The future of the temple is uncertain, but those close to Jim Bowsher hope to honor his wish of keeping it open for everyone, and for now, all are still welcome.
To learn more about Jim Bowsher and his collection, you can visit his website.
