Artist, Populist Politician
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor served in the Civil War. He was a Union Private in the 116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. When the war was over, he returned to his home in Ohio. S.P. joined a Masonic Lodge there. In the late 1860s, S.P. moved to Illinois where he was a school teacher. While living there, he met and married Frances Bartow Journey who was a widowed mother of two children. S.P. and Frances had five children together. The Dinsmoors moved to Russell County, Kansas near Lucas in 1888. S.P. began farming near Lucas. Frances died in 1917. In 1924, at the age of 81, S.P. married his 20-year-old housekeeper (a Czechoslovakian woman named Emilie Brozek). They had two children together. Eventually S.P. retired and moved into the town of Lucas and built a house there. This was a unique house, built in a different manner than houses of the time. He used postrock limestone cut and laid like a log cabin. There were no two windows or doors the same size in his house. In addition to the cabin he began working on 'The Garden of Eden.' S.P. charged admission which provided income for his family. He led tours of the site while the work was in progress. The stone log cabin home and a mausoleum where S.P. Dinsmoor and his first wife are buried are part of The Garden. The yard has over 150 cement sculptures representing Biblical figures, a concrete United States flag, an Indian shooting an arrow at a dog that is chasing a fox up a tree, a Civil War soldier, a woman and a black man pointing at the Goddess of Liberty demanding the right to vote, and others. S.P. spent 22 years and used 113 tons of cement and limestone in building his sculpture garden. In addition to the Garden and stone log house, S.P. was well known for his eccentric behavior. He dug up his first wife from a Lucas cemetery and re-buried her in his homemade mausoleum (located in The Garden of Eden). The Garden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has about 10,000 annual visitors. Dinsmoor is interred in a glass-top coffin in the self-built mausoleum.
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor served in the Civil War. He was a Union Private in the 116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. When the war was over, he returned to his home in Ohio. S.P. joined a Masonic Lodge there. In the late 1860s, S.P. moved to Illinois where he was a school teacher. While living there, he met and married Frances Bartow Journey who was a widowed mother of two children. S.P. and Frances had five children together. The Dinsmoors moved to Russell County, Kansas near Lucas in 1888. S.P. began farming near Lucas. Frances died in 1917. In 1924, at the age of 81, S.P. married his 20-year-old housekeeper (a Czechoslovakian woman named Emilie Brozek). They had two children together. Eventually S.P. retired and moved into the town of Lucas and built a house there. This was a unique house, built in a different manner than houses of the time. He used postrock limestone cut and laid like a log cabin. There were no two windows or doors the same size in his house. In addition to the cabin he began working on 'The Garden of Eden.' S.P. charged admission which provided income for his family. He led tours of the site while the work was in progress. The stone log cabin home and a mausoleum where S.P. Dinsmoor and his first wife are buried are part of The Garden. The yard has over 150 cement sculptures representing Biblical figures, a concrete United States flag, an Indian shooting an arrow at a dog that is chasing a fox up a tree, a Civil War soldier, a woman and a black man pointing at the Goddess of Liberty demanding the right to vote, and others. S.P. spent 22 years and used 113 tons of cement and limestone in building his sculpture garden. In addition to the Garden and stone log house, S.P. was well known for his eccentric behavior. He dug up his first wife from a Lucas cemetery and re-buried her in his homemade mausoleum (located in The Garden of Eden). The Garden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has about 10,000 annual visitors. Dinsmoor is interred in a glass-top coffin in the self-built mausoleum.
Artist, Populist Politician
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor served in the Civil War. He was a Union Private in the 116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. When the war was over, he returned to his home in Ohio. S.P. joined a Masonic Lodge there. In the late 1860s, S.P. moved to Illinois where he was a school teacher. While living there, he met and married Frances Bartow Journey who was a widowed mother of two children. S.P. and Frances had five children together. The Dinsmoors moved to Russell County, Kansas near Lucas in 1888. S.P. began farming near Lucas. Frances died in 1917. In 1924, at the age of 81, S.P. married his 20-year-old housekeeper (a Czechoslovakian woman named Emilie Brozek). They had two children together. Eventually S.P. retired and moved into the town of Lucas and built a house there. This was a unique house, built in a different manner than houses of the time. He used postrock limestone cut and laid like a log cabin. There were no two windows or doors the same size in his house. In addition to the cabin he began working on 'The Garden of Eden.' S.P. charged admission which provided income for his family. He led tours of the site while the work was in progress. The stone log cabin home and a mausoleum where S.P. Dinsmoor and his first wife are buried are part of The Garden. The yard has over 150 cement sculptures representing Biblical figures, a concrete United States flag, an Indian shooting an arrow at a dog that is chasing a fox up a tree, a Civil War soldier, a woman and a black man pointing at the Goddess of Liberty demanding the right to vote, and others. S.P. spent 22 years and used 113 tons of cement and limestone in building his sculpture garden. In addition to the Garden and stone log house, S.P. was well known for his eccentric behavior. He dug up his first wife from a Lucas cemetery and re-buried her in his homemade mausoleum (located in The Garden of Eden). The Garden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has about 10,000 annual visitors. Dinsmoor is interred in a glass-top coffin in the self-built mausoleum.
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor served in the Civil War. He was a Union Private in the 116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. When the war was over, he returned to his home in Ohio. S.P. joined a Masonic Lodge there. In the late 1860s, S.P. moved to Illinois where he was a school teacher. While living there, he met and married Frances Bartow Journey who was a widowed mother of two children. S.P. and Frances had five children together. The Dinsmoors moved to Russell County, Kansas near Lucas in 1888. S.P. began farming near Lucas. Frances died in 1917. In 1924, at the age of 81, S.P. married his 20-year-old housekeeper (a Czechoslovakian woman named Emilie Brozek). They had two children together. Eventually S.P. retired and moved into the town of Lucas and built a house there. This was a unique house, built in a different manner than houses of the time. He used postrock limestone cut and laid like a log cabin. There were no two windows or doors the same size in his house. In addition to the cabin he began working on 'The Garden of Eden.' S.P. charged admission which provided income for his family. He led tours of the site while the work was in progress. The stone log cabin home and a mausoleum where S.P. Dinsmoor and his first wife are buried are part of The Garden. The yard has over 150 cement sculptures representing Biblical figures, a concrete United States flag, an Indian shooting an arrow at a dog that is chasing a fox up a tree, a Civil War soldier, a woman and a black man pointing at the Goddess of Liberty demanding the right to vote, and others. S.P. spent 22 years and used 113 tons of cement and limestone in building his sculpture garden. In addition to the Garden and stone log house, S.P. was well known for his eccentric behavior. He dug up his first wife from a Lucas cemetery and re-buried her in his homemade mausoleum (located in The Garden of Eden). The Garden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has about 10,000 annual visitors. Dinsmoor is interred in a glass-top coffin in the self-built mausoleum.
