Paradise in the middle of Kansas - Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden - Samuel Perry (S.P.) Dinsmoor
Concrete environment | Restored/preserved -- Open to the public
This jaw-dropper is the oldest complete folk art environment in the United States, creating a creative epicenter in this rural Kansas town. OK, it's not exactly the exact Garden in the Bible, but Samuel P. Dinsmoor began pouring forth his vision in 1907 when, at the age of 64, he completed his Log Cabin Home, built from native limestone. Then, using the newest building compound of its day -- concrete -- he spent the next 18 years surrounding his house with a narrative sculpture garden.
Civil War veteran and one of those Kansas populists who liked to ruffle the status quo. Dinsmoor also just happened to have an amazing eye for sculpting.
Serpents, soldiers, Adam, Eve, the crucifixion of labor by societal forces . . . it's all up there, enduring harsh Midwestern heat and cold, while Dinsmoor himself lays on display in his coffin in a mausoleum out back. Populists believed that humor could help get people's attention, and the sheer audacity of the Garden, must have brought a lot of grins.
The garden also the first place in town to have its own electric generator to power the lights. The night train running from Kansas City to Denver, seeing the glow on the horizon, would stop, letting passengers off for a while to marvel at the site and get a good dose of Kansas populist preaching.
But the town wasn't always crazy about it. At one point, there was serious talk of bulldozing the Garden down. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed. The fine folks from Kohler (yep, that Kohler) came down and restored the Garden to Dinsmoor's vision.
305 E 2nd St
Lucas, KS
785-525-6395
http://www.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com
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