With so many references throughout this blog to my Strange and Spooky Museum, I thought it might be a good idea to take some time to explain just what the purpose of my museum is…as well as how you just might be able to make some cash by getting rid of something that’s currently just collecting dust in your basement!
The idea behind my museum is simple: to preserve pieces and parts of Ohio’s strange and spooky history for generations to come. My hope is to one day be able to display all these items in some sort of public forum, just like a regular museum. The one exception being that the Strange and Spooky Museum will focus on the more offbeat aspects of Ohio history.
You see, there was a time when roadside oddities like Mystery Spots, Blue Holes, and just generally weird places thrived. Heck, some of us can ever remember being dragged to these places by our parents and/or grandparents. We even bought souvenirs, just to prove that we had indeed witnessed the world’s largest pile of paper clips or the two-headed cow.
Sadly, many of these locations have fallen under the Wheels of Progress and are no more. Even some more modern sites like Chippewa Lake Park and Germain Amphitheater have recently disappeared, taking a lifetime of memories with them.
But that’s where you can help! I want each and every one of you to start digging through your basements and garages and see what you’ve got lying around that you might be willing to part with. I don’t care what the condition is, either. If it’s related to something strange, spooky, or just plain weird, if I don’t already have it, I want it! So take a look around, let me know what you dig up, and let’s talk price! And if it’s too big and bulky and you just want it out of your life, I’ll even make arrangements to come haul it off!
To get you started on your treasure hunt, while I’m generally interested in anything weird that’s related to Ohio, I’m especially interested in original photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, souvenirs, and pretty much anything associated with the following:
- Ohio carnivals, festivals, fairs, and sideshows (brochures, banners, prizes, bits and pieces of rides/displays/exhibits, etc)
- Ohio spook shows (tickets, posters, photos, etc.)
- Ohio amusement parks, especially defunct ones like Chippewa Lake Park, Geneva-On-The-Lake, and Idora Park (souvenirs, brochures, postcards, etc)
- Ohio asylums, especially the Athens Mental Asylum (“The Ridges”)
- Ohio cryptids (Bigfoot casts, Lake Erie Monster sightings, Loveland Frog sketches, etc.)
Also, my Museum has special sections devoted to these specific locations/individuals:
- Ghost Town (roadside attraction originally located in Findlay, Ohio)
- “Eugene” (Sabina, Ohio)
- Boy with the Boot statue (from anywhere in the world)
- World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock (Wilmot, Ohio)
- Handlebar Ranch (Colerain Township, Ohio)
- Howard Thurston (“Thurston the Magician”)
- Blue Hole (Castalia, Ohio)
If you have any materials that you wish to donate, discuss a price with, or simply abandon on my front lawn, please feel free to e-mail me at jim@strangeandspooky.com and I’ll be more than happy to chat about how I can take it off your hands and give it a happy new home in the Strange and Spooky Museum!
