|
STORY BY YANCEY BRILEY
Talk, tales and urban legends about
real Haunted Museums are nothing
new. But is it the actual buildings
location that is haunted? Or the
many treasured items and attractions
that are really possessed by ghosts
and spirits?
Strange museums are nothing new,
witchcraft museums, UFO's, and the
down right weird and strange. Many
will chill you to the bone others
leave you with more questions then
when you went in to explore.
Haunted America Tours actually
features it's ever expanding Haunted
Virtual Museum on line. It features
Ghost Photos haunted works of Art,
Strange places and Cryptids from
around the world, And Some Photos
of Very Haunted Dolls. It also features
a haunted Museum online store.
~The
Online Haunted Museum ~
Can inanimate real objects such
as paintings, a doll or a pile of
bones be really haunted? Strange
images appear in haunted paintings,
Skulls are said to scream and strange
looking items disturb us. Some spend
the day browsing through but would
you spend the Night at the Museum?
www.hauntedamericatours.com/museum/hauntedmuseum.htm
ALSO SEE: HAUNTED AMERICA TOURS
~~ GHOST
PHOTO GALLERY
ENTER HERE, HAUNTED
ART GALLERY
ENTER HERE,
HAUNTED
DOLLS GALLERY
ENTER HERE,
HAUNTED MUSEUM GALLERY OF ODDITIES
ENTER HERE,
And The
Haunted Museum Store Please
Visit it Here.
Troy
Taylor's- Ghosts of the Prairie
- Welcomes you to the Haunted Museum
- Ghosts of the Prairie's Chronicle
of Ghost Research, from the Heyday
of Spiritualism to the Modern Era.
www.prairieghosts.com/museum.html
Museums around the world have
always collected and cared for objects
of scientific, artistic, or historical
importance and make them available
for public viewing through exhibits
that may be permanent or temporary.
Large museums are located in major
cities throughout the world and
more local ones exist in small cities.
And sometimes many items are reputed
to be cursed or haunted. And yes
Ghosts travel with their exhibits
or that is what many in the paranormal
field believe.
We all know Museums can contain
ghosts and cursed items. Just consider
the Hope Diamond as one point of
reference housed at the Smithsonian.
Also the the Mutter Museum is a
weird view into a world rarely seen
by those outside the medical profession.
It is truly an incredible collection
of medical displays, recording the
ravages of various diseases and
malformed humanity. There is a thorough
study of diseases, particularly
plagues and epidemics, as well as
disturbing harbingers of potential
diseases of the future. In other
words... it has lots of freaks in
jars and body parts on display.
The Voodoo Museum www.voodoomuseum.com
in New Orleans is said to house
many haunted and cursed items dating
back to the legendary Marie Laveau.
The Voodoo Museum is filled with
Voodoo dolls, Curio's, and an actual
haunted painting of Marie Laveau.
Some locals tell of it's Founders
ghost, Charles Gandolfo, haunting
the building. The New Orleans Historic
Voodoo Museum is believed to be
the only museum in the world dedicated
to Real Voodoo.
There are very many types of normal
and reported haunted or just plain
weird museums, from very large collections
in major cities, covering many of
the categories below, to very small
museums covering either a particular
location in a general way, or a
particular subject, such an individual
notable person. Categories include:
haunted fine arts, applied arts,
craft, archaeology, anthropology
and ethnology, history, cultural
history, military history, science,
technology, children's museums,
natural history, numismatics, botanical
and zoological gardens and philately.
The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle,
Cornwall,
81.144.190.71/about_mow.php
houses the world's largest collection
of witchcraft related artifacts
and regalia. Also the Salem Witch
Museum /www.salemwitchmuseum.com-
Salem, Massachusetts tells the tale
of the famous witch trials of the
1600's.
The Museum in Hólmavík,
In Hólmavík, the largest
town in Strandir, the history of
the witch-hunting's in 17th century
Iceland is presented as well as
various aspects of magic from younger
sources. The exhibition deals with
the people involved, who they were
and what were they accused of, and
what were the punishments. On display
are also examples of grimoires,
some from the period of burnings
and others copied as late as the
early twentieth century, and some
of the feats sorcerers were supposed
to accomplish according to folklore.
Each of the four exhibitions in
Strandir region will present different
aspects of 17th century history
and why the people of Strandir have
long been regarded as more knowledgeable
in the occult than other Icelanders.
www.vestfirdir.is/galdrasyning/exhibition.php
Even the Roswell
UfO Museum comes to mind.
Since the opening, the UFO Museum
has outgrown two downtown locations
landing it in the old Plains Theater
on North Main in Roswell. The number
of visitors continues to be the
envy of many other tourist attractions
in the state and requires continued
growth.
www.roswellufomuseum.com
A museum is a "permanent institution
in the service of society and of
its development, open to the public,
which acquires, conserves, researches,
communicates and exhibits, for purposes
of study, education, enjoyment,
the tangible and intangible evidence
of people and their environment".
But Many Haunted and strange or
weird museums just fill peoples
curiosity for the morbid, The unknown
and the just plain strange. And
others walk away from their visit
with a new open mind.
The Louvre Museum www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en
in Paris, one of the largest and
most famous museums in the world.
Many Say the Ghosts of the old masters
often walk the dark halls at night.
Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg,
home of the Hermitage Museum www.hermitagemuseum.org,
from the Palace Square. Is said
to be haunted by ghost included
in the many items in their vast
collections.
The Ghosts of The Tower of London
www.toweroflondontour.com,
a museum of sorts holds many secrets
and phantoms of a few famous ghosts,
ranging from Thomas à Becket
and King Edward V, to Tudor Queen
Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.
A ghostly rifleman and even a bear
have also been spotted. The Tower
of London historical site is one
of Britain's most popular travel
destinations.
The English "museum"
comes from the Latin word, and is
pluralized as "museums"
(or, rarely, "musea").
It is originally from the Greek
mouseion, which denotes a place
or temple dedicated to the Muses
(the patron divinities in Greek
mythology of the arts), and hence
a building set apart for study and
the arts, especially the institute
for philosophy and research at the
Library established at Alexandria
by Ptolemy I Soter c280 BCE This
was considered by many to be the
first museum/library.
History museums cover the knowledge
of history and its relevance to
the present and future. Some cover
specialized curatorial aspects of
history or a particular locality;
others are more general. Such museums
contain a wide range of objects,
including documents, artifacts of
all kinds, art, archaeological objects.
Antiquities museums specialize in
more archaeological findings. And
whose to say these items are not
haunted. A few well Known Paranormal
Investigators believe it is the
actual spirits or ghosts that lead
people to their many haunted archaeological
finds.
A common type of history museum
is a historic haunted house and
usually they are very haunted by
previous owners and servants. A
historic house may be a building
of special architectural interest,
the birthplace or home of a famous
person, or a house with an interesting
history. Historic sites can also
become museums, particularly those
that mark public crimes, such as
Tuol Sleng or Robben Island. Another
type of history museum is a living
museum. Consider Hull House and
the tales of the Devil Baby. And
Many of the haunted Battl field
Museums across the many States of
America.
A living museum is where people
recreate a time period to the fullest
extent, including buildings, clothes
and language. It is similar to historical
reenactment. And as reported ghost
sightings are more then just common
place.
Many Paranormal Investigators usually
over time set up their own personal
collections of reported haunted
items to investigate. Such was the
case of the famous Warrens. It began
with
Annabelle:
The Haunted
Doll and progressed to
extensive collection of possessed
and haunted items.. Annabelle: The
Haunted Doll In the 1970's a mother
strolling along the street walked
into a hobby store, and purchased
a large Raggedy-Anne doll as a present
for her daughter's birthday. Thus
begins one of the most unusual cases
of a possessed object on record.
Annabelle's antics were so bad,
she is now locked inside a protective
glass case in an occult museum to
keep her at bay.
Also See: HAUNTED
POSSESSIONS MANY BELIEVE
THEIR HOUSES ARE HAUNTED, AND THE
GHOST FROM THAT HOUSE FOLLOW THEM
WHERE EVER THEY MOVE! BUT WHAT IF
IT'S NOT THE HOUSE AND IT'S YOUR
FURNITURE OR THE ITEMS YOU LIVE
WITH DAY TO DAY?
America's Real
Haunted, Strange and Weird Museums
Ripley's Believe It or Not! www.ripleys.com
is a franchise which deals
in bizarre events and items so strange
and unusual that readers might question
the claims.
The Believe It or Not franchise
started in 1918 as a newspaper cartoon
panel featuring unusual and startling
facts from around the world.
Conceived and drawn by Robert Ripley,
the panel proved popular and was
later adapted into a wide variety
of formats, including radio, television,
a chain of museums, a book series
and a pinball game (produced by
Stern Pinball, Inc.).
The Ripley collection includes
20,000 photographs, 20,000 artifacts
and more than 130,000 cartoon panels.
With 50-plus attractions, the Orlando-based
Ripley Entertainment, Inc., a division
of the Jim Pattison Group, is a
global company with an annual attendance
of more than 12 million guests.
Ripley Entertainment's publishing
and broadcast divisions oversee
numerous projects, including the
syndicated TV series, the newspaper
cartoon panel, books, posters, games
and mobile phone content. H.P.I
and Haunted America Tours Own Ghost
Writer Paul Dale Roberts was featured
in A ripley's article once for his
disco dancing skills. See:
20 QUESTIONS
WITH Paul Dale Roberts
When Ripley first displayed his
collection to the public at the
Chicago World's Fair in 1933, it
was labeled Ripley’s Odditorium
and attracted over two million visitors
during the run of the fair. That
successful exhibition led to trailer
shows across the country during
the 1930s, and Ripley's collections
were exhibited at many major fairs
and expositions, including San Francisco,
San Diego, Dallas and Cleveland.
In New York, the famed Times Square
exhibit opened in 1939 on Broadway.
In 1950, a year after Ripley's death,
the first permanent Odditorium opened
in St. Augustine, Florida.
As of August 2006, there are 29
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums
around the world. Odditoriums, in
the spirit of Believe It or Not!,
are often more than simple museums
cluttered with curiosities. Some
include theaters and arcades, such
as the one in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Others are constructed oddly, such
as the Orlando, Florida Odditorium
which is built off-level as if the
building is sinking. The first one
was opened in Chicago in 1933, where,
in an apparent promotional gimmick,
beds were provided in the Odditorium
for people who "fainted"
daily.
California
Hollywood, California OdditoriumSan
Francisco - There is a Ripley's
Museum located near Fisherman's
Wharf, San Francisco.
Buena Park, California - This Ripley's
Odditorium is located in Buena Park's
E-Zone district on Beach Boulevard.
It is within close distance of Knott's
Berry Farm as well as the now-closed
Movieland Wax Museum.
Hollywood - There is a Ripley's
Museum on Hollywood Boulevard in
Hollywood, California.
Florida
Orlando, Florida Odditorium St.
Augustine - Ripley's oldest Odditorium,
located in the Castle Warden, was
purchased shortly after his death
in 1949 and opened in 1950. Prior
to becoming home to Ripley's vast
collections from his many travels,
"The Castle" as it is
known, was once a hotel which played
host to many famous guests, including
Ripley himself and author/owner
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. "The
Castle" was originally a Moorish
Revival style mansion, built in
1887 by millionaire William Warden
as a winter home. The popularity
and success of this museum led Ripley's
associates to open new establishments
throughout the United States and
the world. But "The Castle"
remains the permanent home of Ripley's
personal collections and is the
flagship of the Odditoriums. Perhaps
not surprisingly, it is also rumored
to be haunted. Segments of the most
recent Ripley's TV series were filmed
here, including the opening credits.
Among the attractions here are a
mummified cat, a 1/12 scale model
of the original Ferris wheel made
out of Erector sets, life and death
masks of famous celebrities (including
Abe Lincoln), and shamanistic apparatus
from cultures around the world.
It is at this museum where the ghost
of Sanz McGillinz can be found drinking
powerade.
Panama City - Opened in 2006, this
Ripley's Odditorium is on Thomas
Street at Panama City Beach and
is designed to look like a 1950s
luxury cruise liner that has run
aground on the beach. In Panama
City Ripley's Believe It or Not
has a Moving 4-D Theater that is
located on Thomas Street Panama
City.
Orlando - This Odditorium is located
on the busy International Drive
tourist corridor.
Key West - The Ripley's Museum is
located on the famous Duval Street.
Maryland
Ripley's shark being producedOcean
City - The Ripley's Museum in Ocean
City, Maryland is located on the
boardwalk at Wicomico Street. It
is a popular destination for tourists
and it sits at the entrance to Jolly
Roger's Pier Amusement Park. It
features a large model of a shark
that appears as if it has crashed
through the museum.
Missouri
Branson - The Branson, Missouri
museum looks like a stone edifice
that was cracked by an earthquake.
It was at this museum where Ripley's
Believe it or Not filmed the "Halo"
episode. Matthew Owen played Halo
non-stop for 56 hours, breaking
the old record by one hour and 22
minutes.
New Jersey
Atlantic City - The Ripley's Museum
in Atlantic City, New Jersey is
located on the boardwalk between
New York Avenue and St. James Place.
It is a popular destination for
tourists. It is at this museum where
Steven Sindad broke the World Record
for most ranch dressing consumed
in one sitting. He consumed 14 gallons,
equal to about 50 bottles of ranch
dressing.
New York
New York City - This museum opened
on 42nd Street in July of 2007.
Oregon
Newport - The Ripley's Museum in
Newport, Oregon is at the Historic
Bayfront. One of three amusements
known as Mariner Square. The other
two are the Wax Works and the Undersea
Gardens.
South Carolina
Odditorium in Myrtle BeachMyrtle
Beach - The Myrtle Beach, S.C. museum
looks like a building cracked by
a hurricane. It is at the corner
of 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard,
across from the famed pavilion.
Ripley's has three other attractions
in Myrtle Beach besides the museum:
an aquarium, a moving-theater attraction
and a haunted house. This museum
is wrapped in controversy as Patrick
Mackay used the grounds before the
museum was built as a graveyard
for all of his victims.
Tennessee
Gatlinburg - The original Gatlinburg,
Tennessee museum, built in 1970
by Jason Santuccio, was destroyed
by a massive fire caused by a faulty
light fixture in a neighboring shop
on July 14, 1992. The museum had
to be completely rebuilt. Some of
Ripley's most prized and unique
possessions were consumed by the
blaze. The current museum opened
in 1995, with a tribute to the city's
firefighters included among the
collections. Artifacts salvaged
from the blaze sport "I Survived
The Fire" decals. The new building
also has nearly twice the amount
of exhibit space as the original.
As with some other Ripley museums,
this building has a theme. The museum
looks as if it has survived a major
earthquake. The interior and exterior
of the building feature cracks throughout,
adhering to the theme. The original
museum featured the same theme.
The Ripley's Company has since opened
several other attractions in the
area, including a "four-dimensional"
theater, a state-of-the-art aquarium,
a haunted mansion, several arcades
and two miniature golf attractions,
all of which carry the Ripley's
brand name and signature logo.
Texas
Grand Prairie - Ripley’s Museum
is located on 601 East Safari Parkway
in Grand Prairie, Texas. It's just
west of downtown Dallas, Texas on
I-30 Highway, and it is on the northwest
intersection of Belt Line Road &
I-30, approximately 5 miles East
of Six Flags.
San Antonio - The Ripley's Museum
is located across from the historic
Alamo. Just a short walk down the
road is Ripley's Haunted Adventure.
Virginia
Williamsburg - This Ripley's Museum
in Williamsburg opened in 2006.
It has 11 galleries and over 300
exhibits. Along with the museum
there is also a 4-D theater.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Dells - In the family
resort town of Wisconsin Dells,
Wisconsin.
Wyoming
Jackson Hole - There is a Ripley's
Museum in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Canada
Niagara Falls, Ontario - The museum
in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
is shaped like the Empire State
Building fallen over, with King
Kong standing on top of it. In 2008,
Ripley's will open an aquarium in
Niagara Falls.
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
- Canada's only other Ripley's is
located in Cavendish, Prince Edward
Island. The museum is relatively
close to Green Gables National Park.
A lighthouse (the top broken) features
the Ripley's sign. The museum is
adjoined to a wax museum. It also
features a mini-golf section.
England
Blackpool - The only Ripley's Believe
It or Not! museum located in the
UK is based in the popular holiday
destination of Blackpool.
Great Yarmouth (closed) - There
was an Odditorium in Great Yarmouth
on the east coast of England. It
opened 1993 and shut its doors early
1997. It closed because the owner
said "People wanted something
new"[1].
Asia
Pattaya, Thailand - The Ripley's
Museum is in Royal Garden Plaza
in Pattaya.
Genting Highlands, Malaysia - The
Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum
is located inside the First World
Hotel in Genting Highlands, Malaysia.
Metro Manila, Philippines (closed)
- In the Shangri-La Mall in Ortigas,
there had been an Odditorium, though
it shut down in early 2002, likely
due to the relatively-high price
of admission which costs too much
for average Filipinos to afford.
The museum had long held sagging
visitor rates while located in a
large portion of an upper floor
of the premier mall.
Hong Kong, China (closed) - There
was an Odditorium in The Peak, Hong
Kong. It opened early 1998.
Kuwait City, Kuwait - The Ripley's
museum is located in the Hadiqat
Al Sheaab Amusement Park.
Gold Coast, Australia - There is
a Ripley's Museum located at the
popular tourist destination Surfers
Paradise.
Mexico City, Mexico - Opened in
1992, the Mexico City's Ripley's
Museum is shaped like a Medieval
castle and has 14 exhibitions halls
within it. It was the first of several
Ripley's museums to open in Latin
America.
Copenhagen, Denmark - A smaller
museum located close to the city
hall of Copenhagen, next to a the
museum of H. C. Andersen.
Lizzie Borden www.lizzie-borden.com
Fall River Historical Society
Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
Fall River, Mass.
"Lizzie Borden grabbed an
axe, and gave her father 40 whacks"
More than 100 years later, Lizzie
Borden has become a source of pride,
and tourist dollars, for Fall River.
The Fall River Historical Society
offers an excellent Lizzie Borden
presentation and exhibit. In addition
to learning the facts of the case
you'll see such goodies as a bed
spread and pillow shams spotted
with drops of blood, locks of the
victims' hair, two paper tags neatly
labeled "Mr. Borden's stomach"
and "Mrs. Borden's stomach,"
a bloodstained camisole, and crime
scene photos of Mrs. Borden sprawled
dead behind the bed and Mr. Borden
sprawled dead on the couch. Even
more gruesome photos are on display,
as well as "hairs taken from
the hatchet," and a handleless
hatchet, purported to be the weapon
itself.
If you still haven't had enough
of Lizzie, you can visit the scene
of the crime, in fact you can even
stay there—the home is now
the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
(restored to the "original
look at the time of the murders").
You can stay in the Andrew and Abbey
Borden Suite, or in the room where
Abbey was actually killed.
Mutter Museum
/www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp
Philadelphia, Pa.
The Mütter Museum is a medical
museum located in the Center City
area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
USA. It contains a collection of
medical oddities, anatomical and
pathological specimens, wax models,
and antique medical equipment. The
museum is located at the College
of Physicians of Philadelphia The
original purpose of the collection,
donated by doctor Thomas Dent Mutter
in 1858, was medical research and
education.
The museum is best known for its
large collection of skulls and anatomical
specimens including a wax model
of a woman with a human horn growing
out of her forehead, the tallest
skeleton on display in North America,
a 5'-long human colon that contained
over 40 pounds of fecal matter,
and the petrified body of the mysterious
Soap Lady, whose corpse was turned
into a soapy substance called adipocere.
Many wax models from the early 19th
century are on display as are numerous
preserved organs and body parts.
The museum also hosts a collection
of teratological specimens (preserved
human fetal specimens), a malignant
tumor removed from President Grover
Cleveland's hard palate, the conjoined
liver from Siamese twins Chang and
Eng Bunker, and a growth removed
from President Lincoln's assassin,
John Wilkes Booth.
According to a special that aired
on TLC, this place is listed as
#7 in the Top Ten Most Creepiest
Destinations on Earth.
International UFO Museum &
Research Center www.roswellufomuseum.com
Roswell, N.M.
The International UFO Museum &
Research Center was founded by participants
in the infamous Roswell Incident.
The exhibits include a "Roswell
Incident Timeline", a worldwide
sightings map, "Ancient Cultures
and their Connections to Extraterrestrial
Life Forms", astronomy, and
a children's area. The museum endeavors
to present facts and be taken seriously.
Alas this mission is undermined
by the circus atmosphere that pervades
Roswell, and it's hard to take anything
seriously when confronted by an
alien version of Rodin's Thinker
called "Me Thinks Me Thinking"
. . . which may be better off in
another musuem already discussed.
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
www.voodoomuseum.com
New Orleans
Located in the historic French
Quarter at 724 Rue Dumaine. This
is the real thing, so if you're
interested in finding out more about
this religion or if you're just
curious check it out. The New Orleans
Historic Voodoo Museum provides
a wide range of Spiritual services
from custom Gris-Gris bags to spells.
Owner, curator, and creator, Charles
M. Gandolfo's Ghost, is now adays
called upon for the specific performance
of Private Voodoo Rituals.
The New Orleans Historic Voodoo
Museum is believed to be the only
museum in the world dedicated to
Voodoo.
The primary purpose of this museum
is to represent the traditional
practices of the Voodoo religion
in New Orleans. The New Orleans
Historic Voodoo Museum brings together
ancient and modern day Voodoo practices.
While you are visiting the Museum,
you may wish to have one of our
practitioners prepare a special
Gris-Gris bag just for you or someone
you may know. Visiting the New Orleans
Historic Voodoo Museum is an interesting
and educational experience for followers
and skeptics alik
The Museum houses artifacts of
the Great Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau.
Hours of operation are from 10 a.
m. until dusk. Open daily.
Admission & Directions:
General Admission is 6.00 with special
rates for students, senior citizens,
military, and young children. Under
5 admitted free. For information
on group rates, please call.
Located on rue Dumaine between
Royal and Bourbon Streets.
Killville Historical Museum of
the Strange www.getangry.com/museum/index.htm
Established in 1894 by Dr. Maurice
A. Dalton upon his return from the
World's Columbian Exposition in
Chicago. He realized that people
would pay to see anything and he
wanted a piece of the action. Killville
Massachusetts and the surrounding
area supplied him with all the freaks
of flora and fauna that he needed
and the museum opened to great fanfare
in the fall of 1894 attracting thousands
of visitors from around the world.
But by 1908 the museum had fallen
on hard times. The good doctors
affinity for the ponies, the bourbon
and the ladies depleted his fortunes
and the Killville Museum of the
Strange closed it's doors in October
of that year. The property was seized
by the Commonwealth for back taxes
and much of the collection was either
sold at auction or donated to local
universities. Dalton spent the rest
of his days mostly drunk and died
under mysterious circumstances in
1923.
In 1983 the Killville Historical
Society embarked on the monumental
task of retrieving what they could
of the museum's collection and reopened
the museum on it's one hundredth
anniversary. In 2002 a suspicious
fire ravaged the old Manhan Rendering
Facility where the museum had found
a home and much of the collection
was lost.
After four years in limbo the museum
has finally found a new home. It
will soon be reopening as part of
"Angry Johnny's Creepy Little
Gallery" in nearby Easthampton
Massachusetts. Many of the specimens
have been painstakingly restored
by our team of experts and new oddities
continue to be found.
|
