Dime museum facts for kids
Dime museums were popular places for fun and learning in the United States during the late 1800s. They were created for everyday people, like factory workers or shopkeepers, offering cheap entertainment and lessons about right and wrong. These museums were very different from the fancy cultural events enjoyed by richer people. In big cities like New York City, where many immigrants came to live, dime museums were a popular and affordable way to spend time. They were most popular around 1890 to 1920, a time known as the Progressive Era. Even though they offered simple fun, many famous entertainers, like Harry Houdini, Lew Fields, and Joe Weber, started their careers in dime museums before becoming stars in vaudeville shows.
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What were Dime Museums?
Dime museums were like a mix of a museum, a theater, and a circus, all for a very low price – usually just a dime! They showed off all sorts of interesting things. You might see strange animals, wax figures, or even people with unusual talents. They also had shows with music, comedy, and magic tricks. These places aimed to entertain everyone and sometimes even teach them something new.
Famous Dime Museums Across America
Baltimore's Early Museums
In Baltimore, Maryland, a place called Peale's Museum was one of the first serious museums in the country. Years later, in 1999, the American Dime Museum opened in Baltimore. It tried to bring back the old dime museum feeling. It operated for eight years before closing down in 2007, selling off all its unique items.
Boston's Popular Spots
In Boston, Kimball's Museum and Austin & Stones Museum were very well-known. P. T. Barnum, a famous showman, often worked with or competed against Moses Kimball, who ran Kimball's Museum. Barnum and Kimball even shared strange exhibits, like their famous ""Fee Gee Mermaids"," which were often fake creatures made from parts of different animals.
Cincinnati's Western Museum
The Western Museum in Cincinnati was started by Dr. Daniel Drake in 1818. Famous artist John James Audubon and sculptor Hiram Powers created displays for this museum. A popular exhibit was "Satan and his Court," which featured wax figures that could move and had glowing eyes. These kinds of displays were common in dime museums.
New Orleans' Unique Shows
On Canal Street in New Orleans, "Eugene Robinson's Museum and Theater" offered shows every hour. Some of its attractions were even shown on a nearby riverboat! Many dime museums used a brass band playing loudly at their entrance to attract people. Robinson's riverboat museum was one of the first places to hire early jazz musicians, like Papa Jack Laine.
New York City's Big Attractions
P.T. Barnum bought Scudder's Dime Museum in 1841 and made it into one of the most famous cultural spots ever, called Barnum's American Museum. Barnum and Moses Kimball helped create "Edutainment," which meant learning through exciting shows. These shows included unusual performers, theater, and circus acts. Barnum's first museum burned down in 1865. He moved it to a new location, but that one also caught fire later.
For many years, Hubert's Museum was located in the basement of the Playland Arcade in Times Square in New York City. It featured acts like Lady Estelene, a sword swallower, Congo The Jungle Creep, and a flea circus. It also had magicians like Earl "Presto" Johnson. Later, another dime museum opened in Times Square. It featured Tisha Booty, known as "the Human Pin Cushion," and several magicians, including Lou Lancaster and Dorothy Dietrich.
Chicago's Kohl and Middleton Museums
In 1882, C. E. Kohl and Middleton opened their first Dime Museum in Chicago. It was located on West Madison Street. They opened a second one in 1883 on South Clark Street and a third one also on West Madison Street.
