Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers facts for kids
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| Established | 2002 |
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| Location | 461 Brookside Village Way, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States |
The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers is a unique place in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It holds over 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers from all around the world! Imagine how many different designs that is. There's even a second museum in El Castell de Guadalest, Spain, with another 20,000 pairs. Andrea Ludden, an archaeologist from Belgium, started the museum in 2002. She wanted to show how creative people can be, turning a simple kitchen item into amazing art.
Contents
The Museum's Story
How the Collection Started
Andrea Ludden began collecting pepper mills in 1984. Soon, her focus shifted to salt and pepper shakers. Her collection grew so large that she decided to open a museum.
Opening the Museum
The first museum opened in 2002 in Cosby, Tennessee. In 2005, it moved to Winery Square in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Many people visited the museum. For example, over 20,000 visitors came in 2005 alone.
A Sister Museum in Spain
In May 2010, Andrea opened a second museum. It's called "Museo de Saleros y Pimenteros." This museum is located in El Castell de Guadalest, Spain.
What You'll See at the Museum
Amazing Collections of Shakers
The museum has many display cases. Each case shows shakers grouped into fun categories. You can find shakers shaped like Christmas items, animals, or even vegetables! There are sections for plastic, wood, glass, and metal shakers. You can also see shakers from different countries. If a set comes in many colors, they show all the options.
The History of Salt Shakers
There's a special part of the museum about the Morton Salt Company. It explains how salt shakers became popular. Morton invented a way to keep salt from clumping. Before shakers, people used salt cellars. These were open dishes for salt. You can see some old salt cellars in the museum too. The museum also has more than 1,500 pepper mills.
Why This Museum is Special
The museum is both fun and educational. Andrea Ludden wanted to show how everyday items reflect history. She said, "You see how civilization can change through the salt and pepper shakers." Art students and home-schooled children often visit. It's also a dog-friendly place!
The museum often helps answer a common question: How many holes for salt or pepper?
The Museum in the News
Featured in Media
Both museums are often talked about in the media. People are surprised that such a common item can be so artistic. The huge variety of shakers makes visitors see them in a new way.
- In 2006, the museum was on Food Network's show Unwrapped.
- Rob Wilds interviewed Andrea for the TV show Tennessee Crossroads.
- The museums are often on lists of the "strangest" or "most unusual" museums. These lists appear in magazines like Travel and Leisure and Smithsonian Magazine.
- On July 18, 2009, the museum was mentioned on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
- Andrea was interviewed on Valencian TV when the Spanish museum opened.
- In 2012, the museum was featured in the book "Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus." This book tells about Harriet Beamer's visit and her growing collection of shakers.
- Articles about the museum have appeared in many newspapers.
- There have been several radio interviews, including Australia's ABC Radio.
- An article by Caryn Rousseau from the Associated Press was published in many newspapers.
- In 2015, The Guardian newspaper also featured the museum.
