There's a headless dinosaur on this street in Florida – and it has a tragic secret

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – Drivers traveling on the back roads in Hernando County may notice this strange figure on the side of the road.

It is a large, headless sculpture of a brontosaurus, its interior exposed to the elements.

It is located on Lake Lindsey Road near US Highway 41. However, there are no signs or markers nearby to indicate why such a large decoration is just sitting there in the open.

However, Nature Coaster explains that the sculpture dates back to 1966, when artist August Herwede began construction.

Herwede's inspiration for building the dinosaur reportedly came from the Dinoland exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair. He set out to create a statue on the scale of the prehistoric Brontosaurus – that is, it would have been about 18 meters long and over 9 meters high.

According to Nature Coaster, Herwede built the beast with a wooden frame and a wire-reinforced concrete shell.

“It was to be hollow and enter through a hole in the animal's belly,” the website states. “He dug a pit as a swamp home at the bend of State Road 476 and began construction.”

But while Herwede was working on the statue in 1967, an accident occurred: he fell from the creature's shoulders, broke his neck and died.

Herwede was buried in the nearby Lake Lindsay Cemetery, and many of the other small sculptures on his property were sold. However, his family left the brontosaurus as it was to commemorate Herwede.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Today the dinosaur belongs to Steve Eaton, who lives on his 2-hectare property further up the hill.

According to Nature Coaster, Eaton's brother, Kevin Eaton, regularly decorates the statue for the holidays, adding garlands, lights and other festive decorations.

“For 50 years this dinosaur lay untouched,” he told Nature Coaster. “I thought something should be done with it. It would be nice if someone finished the front half – if they know how to do it – but I decided to decorate it.”

The statue is also reportedly equipped with a security camera, helping to protect the strange landmark from vandals and looters.

But this dinosaur statue isn't the only roadside oddity in Central Florida. Quite the opposite.

This part of the Sunshine State is home to numerous fascinating highway attractions, from a giant “moon man” to an abandoned ark to one of the most haunted roads in the country.

To learn more about these places and more, visit News 6's Florida Fables page here.

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