[History related excerpts from the marker]
Side A
The Midland Hotel
in Wilson was built in 1899 as the most magnificent facility in the Midwest. Featured in the 1973 movie Paper Moon, the hotel was recently restored back to its original splendour.
Wilson is Home
to many historic limestone buildings such as the Wilson Opera House Museum.
Wilson City Jail
circa 1911 is viewable year round. It was originally used for a water tower with the jail in the bottom.
Visit the Garden of Eden in Lucas
Built in 1907 by 64 year old Samuel Perry Dinsmoor, a retired school teacher, Civil War Veteran, farmer and Populist politician. The grounds include the historic post rock farmhouse and the concrete masterpieces of Samuel Perry Dinsmoor.
Stone Cottage Farm
was built in 1895 by a Czechoslovakian immigrant from the post rock limestnoe that was quarried on the site.
Brandt's Historic Meat Market
in Lucas features an old fashioned meat counter, cash register, murals of the Czech motherland, and historic family photos.
Side B
The Post Rock Story · A Unique Feature
Along The Byway
watch for homes and farmsteads, bridge ruins, and fence posts all developed with local native post rock - a chalky limestone of uniform thickness eight to nine inches deep.
On a Treeless Plain
the idea for using stone for fence posts came from C. F. Sawyer who lived on the Saline River (now Wilson Lake) southwest of Lucas. These posts were quarried in 1878 and are still standing in the fields north of the lake.
Vonada Stone Company and Quarry
...a working post rock limestone quarry, farm, and gift shop. Tours include demonstrations of the art of quarrying the post rock limestone.
Miles of Stone Fenceposts Stand as a Testament to the Ingenuity of Early Settlers
Wilson: The Czech Capital of Kansas
Immigrants arrived from Czechoslovakia in the Wilson area in the late 1800's. They lived in dugouts until homes could be built from the post rock limestone.
The World's Largest Souvenir Travel Plate
A tribute to the Grassroots Art environments native to Lucas as well as the history and industry that have sustained the community since 1887.
Deeble Folk Art and Rock Garden
Inspired by Garden of Eden creator S.P. Dinsmoor, school teacher Florence Deeble created postcard scenes of her favorite mountain vacation spots from cement in her yard.
A Tradition of Grassroots Art
The Post Rock Courtyard...a tribute to the stone masons who worked with post rock limestone from 1870 - 1920.
The Grassroots Art Center
Artists who work outside the academic structure of fine art and beyond the cultural traditions of folk art create unique art environments from recycled materials, or garage sale finds.
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