The street corner at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Lexington Avenue, in Elkhart, Indiana, is home to an unusual memorial – a concrete block full of human teeth. While the teeth aren’t visible from afar, a closer look will reveal dozens of molars, canines and incisors sticking out from almost every crack and crevice.
The strange monument was created by local dentist Dr. Joseph Stamp, who practiced for 60 years in the area before he died in 1978. He had an interesting habit of saving every single tooth he extracted, preserving them in a barrel of chemicals in his basement.
At some point during those years, Dr. Stamp lost his dog – a German Shepherd named Prince. The incident left him heartbroken, and as a tribute to his loyal friend, the doctor created the concrete block embedded with thousands of teeth from his collection.
Photo: The Elkhart Truth
Susan Howard, the eccentric doctor’s granddaughter, isn’t sure why he chose to commemorate his dog with teeth, but she suspects that he might have tried to save on concrete. “He was a very resourceful person,” she said. “If he had something on hand and he was building something, he would try and find a way to use it.”
Photo: The Elkhart Truth
Dr. Stamp first laid the block in the 1940s or 1950s, and then enlarged it periodically whenever he gained access to a fresh batch of teeth. The block soon became a landmark in the town – kids played on it, sometimes even pulling the teeth out to scare their friends with. Some people have even chipped through the concrete in search of gold teeth, but were unsuccessful.
Source: The Elkhart Truth via Amusing Planet
