American Dime Museum facts for kids

The American Dime Museum was a special place in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was started by artist Richard Horne and writer James Taylor on November 1, 1999. This museum brought back the fun and mystery of old-fashioned dime museums. These were popular in the 1800s and early 1900s.

The original museum closed in 2006. But don't worry! A new version, called Pexcho's American Dime Museum, is now open in Augusta, Georgia. It continues the tradition of showing amazing and unusual things.

What Was Inside the Museum?

The American Dime Museum started small, with just two rooms. These rooms were once Richard Horne's antique shop and art studio. Soon, the museum grew to fill the whole first floor of its building. It even took over part of the next building!

The museum was like a treasure chest of wonders. It had many real items and also some very clever "authentic fakes." These fakes were called "gaffs" by show people. They were artworks designed to look like strange, real things. Richard Horne was very good at making these.

Amazing Exhibits and Clever Fakes

One famous gaff was the Samoan Sea Wurm. It looked like a mummified sea serpent! It even had a bit of fur from a cat it supposedly ate. These kinds of exhibits made people wonder what was real and what was a trick.

The museum also had funny signs and a huge collection of unusual items. Even though it didn't have space for live shows inside, it held exciting performances nearby.

A Popular Place

The American Dime Museum became very famous. Many big newspapers wrote about it, like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Travel magazines, including National Geographic Traveler, also featured it.

It appeared on TV and radio shows too. For example, it was on National Public Radio and an episode of National Geographic Channel's Mummy Roadshow. This episode showed off the museum's giant mummy! The museum was also a filming spot for documentaries about sideshows and strange entertainment.

The Museum's First Closing

Richard Horne and James Taylor, the museum's founders, went their separate ways in November 2003. Richard Horne kept the museum running until it officially closed in late 2006. He then sold his part of the collection in February 2007.

After leaving the partnership, James Taylor started a new museum. It was called the Palace of Wonders and opened in Washington, D.C. in June 2006. This new museum also had regular stage performances, which was a classic feature of old dime museums.

A New Chapter: Pexcho's American Dime Museum

In 2002, an artist named Peter Excho, also known as Pexcho, visited the American Dime Museum in Baltimore. He was fascinated by it and soon became a volunteer. He learned a lot from Richard Horne about the old art of preserving sideshow history, like what P.T. Barnum did long ago.

After the Baltimore museum's collection was sold in 2007, Pexcho moved back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, he reopened his coffee and art shop. He started collecting his own unique wonders and oddities, some from Horne's collection.

A Museum Reborn

With Richard Horne's blessing, Pexcho began building a new American Dime Museum inside his shop in Baton Rouge. This new museum had both living and preserved specimens from the natural and unusual world. It featured a collection of infant animals from North America and many other curiosities.

What began as "Curiosity Cabinets" in wealthy homes centuries ago has now become a living story. Pexcho's American Dime Museum keeps the spirit of these old museums alive. It shows amazing, rare, and fantastic things that still exist today.

Peter Excho is now the caretaker of this special legacy. He gives visitors a chance to experience an authentic Victorian-era American Dime Museum in our modern world.

As of June 8, 2019, Pexcho moved his American Dime Museum to Augusta, Georgia. It is now open there, ready to amaze a new generation!