Oliver Nestus Freeman's Dinosaur

Wilson, North Carolina, United States

Animals and creatures

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A 7-foot stone-and-concrete dinosaur made by Wilson mason Oliver Nestus Freeman (1882 to 1955) stands on the grounds of the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum, near the corner of Nash and Hines streets in Wilson, North Carolina.

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Oliver Nestus Freeman's Dinosaur

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Site-level location · 35.7169° N, 77.8992° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

The 7-foot stone-and-concrete dinosaur at the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum in Wilson is one of the garden sculptures made by the mason the museum honours. It stands beside the stone Round House he built in the 1940s, now a museum of African American history.

Freeman was born on 22 February 1882 in Wilson County and educated at the Tuskegee Normal School, where, according to North Carolina State University Libraries, he majored in industrial arts. He settled in Wilson about 1910 and became the town's leading brick and stonemason, known for rough stonework on foundations, chimneys and columns. NC State's architects database says his best-known works were those he built for himself: a brick cottage turned into a stone bungalow in the 1920s, a rental dwelling, and the Freeman Round House of the 1940s, a stone house with a circular plan divided into wedge-shaped rooms. Over the years he added stone and concrete garden sculptures to his property, including the dinosaur. He died on 28 September 1955.

The Round House was built to rent to veterans returning from the Second World War. By the 1990s it had fallen into disrepair and local citizens chose it to become a museum; it was moved to its present site at Nash and Hines streets, which DigitalNC dates to 2001. NC State's database notes that some sculptures from Freeman's residence were given by his family and relocated to this property. ABC11 reported in 2021 that a new building beside the Round House had been added to the museum.

The Carolinian reported in February 2026 that the dinosaur remains one of the property's most memorable features. Check with the museum for opening days before travelling.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

A stone dinosaur on the grounds of a small African American history museum, beside the stone Round House Freeman built. ABC11 reported in 2021 that the museum is open to the public and has a newer building next to the Round House; confirm opening days with the museum.

ACCESS

Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum, at the intersection of Nash and Hines streets near downtown Wilson, North Carolina (per DigitalNC and NC State Libraries). The sculpture is on the museum grounds; confirm visiting days.

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