Samuel P. Dinsmoor

Samuel Perry Dinsmoor (1843-1932) was an United States teacher and eccentric sculptor from Lucas, Kansas. Dinsmoor served in the Civil War and then taught school in Kansas. When he retired in 1905 he began a second career as a sculptor.

Dinsmoor first built and moved into "log cabin" on the lot he named the Garden of Eden. The cabin is a ten room house and the logs are sculptured and painted limestone. He then designed his landscape and spent the rest of his life creating the garden which contains over 200 concrete sculptures. The sculptures and design of the house reflect Dinsmoor's belief in the Populist movement and his religious convictions.

The final resting place for Dinsmoor and his wife are inside the mausoleum in one corner of the lot. As part of the tour you are allowed to view Dinsmoor in his concrete coffin sealed behind a glass wall. Inside the mausoleum is also a clever double exposed photo of a live Dinsmoor viewing his deceased body inside the coffin.

The garden is open to the public and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

See also

*Ferdinand Cheval
*Enoch Tanner Wickham
*Howard Finster
*Simon Rodia

External link

* [http://www.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com/index.html Garden of Eden]