Garden of Eden

Home in Lucas, Kansas
Photograph by Tom Atwood

This home in Lucas, Kansas was built in the early twentieth century by Samuel Dinsmoor, a Civil War nurse who, after witnessing the trauma of war, looked for other ways to understand humankind. Dinsmoor became part of the free-thought movement, joining with those who believed any issue in life should be dealt with rationally, instead of resorting to emotional responses or religion. For the elaborate scene of the Garden of Eden Dinsmoor created around his home, he chose postrock limestone, the same stone used in hundreds of miles of fence posts bordering farms near Lucas, and throughout that part of Kansas along Highway 18.