As we were driving up to Wilson Lake for an afternoon swim….we passed a road sign (regular green road sign..!!) that said Garden of Eden:-16. It was an odd enough thing to see that I utilised the wonders of the internet and google to find out what it might be.
A brief search told me enough to know we definitely needed to go there. It was one of the most utterly unique and distinctly strange roadside attractions we have tripped over on our travels so far.
It’s actually hard to describe……and very hard to represent with photographs…but I will do my best to do it justice.
The whole phenomenon that is the Garden of Eden was created by one SP Dinsmore. Dinsmore was a nurse in the American Civil War…..and though he must have been quite a character even before that…the experience brought out a creative expressive artist.
He built a ‘log cabin’ with the local limestone ‘logs’ that are so unique to this area. He built the house himself.
Dinsmore created sculptures and functional buildings on his property from concrete with his bare hands…using his own secret recipe for the concrete. This next picture…he made the ‘spokes’ from beer bottles filled with concrete, then broke the glass mold away leaving the concrete bottles.
The inside of the house is an interesting journey in itself….Dinsmore built much of the furniture….his woodworking skills were not lacking…..and his artistic and quirky sense shows in everything. The eyes of the of the taxidermied animal rather followed one around the room.
His political beliefs were most certainly on full display….as the sculptures mostly depict all that he believed was wrong with the politics of the time….right from Adam and Eve at the front gate…
The journey through the (not very large) garden is incredible…
The museum has a printed guide to take you through the journey…
…and the work is extraordinary…..
In one corner is the mausoleum he built for himself and his wife.
Apparently…when his wife died he was not allowed to bury her there according to local bylaws. So after the funeral…he and a couple of buddies dug her up in the middle of the night and he put her in the mausoleum and covered her casket in concrete so they could not take her away again…!!!
She is there under his open casket where he lies on display as per his specific wishes. No photography allowed inside for obvious reasons….but you can go in and visit with him…!!!
On the property there is also a birdhouse, a petting zoo, a wash house and a covered gathering place Dinsmore built …all out of concrete….
He must truly have been an extraordinary man……in his eighties he remarried a twenty something second wife and had two more children with her…!!!
It’s an out of the way place…..but if you ever find yourself in this area……go visit The Garden of Eden and see it for yourself, we’ve seen a lot of things on our travels but nothing like this.
The town of Lucas (which is the town where this house is located) has a whole personality for folk art and whimsical sculpture. The town has multiple artisan stores with some really interesting wares…..
Extra Pix
OsteoPraxis on the road 