Fred Smith’s Concrete Park

Fred Smith’s Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips is one of Wisconsin’s strangest and most remarkable works of outsider folk art. Located along State Highway 13 just south of town, the open-air park contains 237 concrete sculptures created by self-taught artist Fred Smith between 1948 and 1964. Smith, a former lumberjack, began building the sculptures at age 62 after retiring because of arthritis, transforming his Northwoods property into what he called a “historical panorama.” The life-size and larger-than-life figures depict local legends, Northwoods culture, animals, historical figures and scenes from American history, with concrete forms decorated using glass, stones, mirrors, ceramics and other found objects.

What makes the Wisconsin Concrete Park particularly fascinating is that it feels less like a conventional sculpture garden and more like an entire world built by one person. Smith worked on the site until a stroke ended his sculpting in 1964, and the park later survived major storms, including a devastating 1977 downburst that damaged sculptures and destroyed many of the surrounding trees. Today, the park is recognized as a masterwork of 20th-century self-taught art and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The park is open daily with free admission, while the historic Smith family house contains a seasonal gallery and gift shop.