Dime Museum
Dedicated to the strange & unusual, Dime Museums were created as non-touring sideshows along the coast of the New Jersey shore. Though they were considered the lowest rungs of the showbiz ladder, they were filled with “Living Curiosities, Illusions, Mechanical Novelties, Marvels & Freaks” - and it was not uncommon for proprietors to often embellish some [or all] of their exhibits. Admission only cost a dime, but in the end, neither the entertainment, nor dimes, were enough to keep these boardwalk attractions thriving into the 21st century.
DINOSAUR FOOTPRINT
These footprints were displayed as a means to interpret and visualize the size and shape of dinosaurs long before text books and historical museums became destination exhibits.
THREE-LEGGED FROG
Were these mythical frogs real or fake? A tour of a dime museum may have shown you a three legged frog, but was it the Feng Shui origin or did it really exist? Some say these three legged beings came from the moon, others say this was punishment to a greedy spouse of a legendary figure. Either way, a dime got you a close up look.
Mariner’s Pipe
Edward Teach, famously known as Blackbeard, was a pirate who often pillaged and plundered any ship to cross his path, and everyone claimed to have an artifact of this legend. Dime museums were the perfect way to showcase fake memorabilia to attract visitors as validation of exhibits were also as novelty as the items in them.
KNOBBED WhELK (PREDATORY SEA SNAIL)
Tales of these large snails included swallowing young children who played in the sea, as well as large marine animals. Some say these were once as big as the pirate ships around them. Put one up to your ear and you may hear some screams along with the ocean breeze.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
HARVEY THE 106 YEAR OLD LOBSTER
Harvey lived a glorious life in Dime Museums. Having been passed down from previous generations, deemed to big to release, and too magnificent to feast, Harvey became his own attraction. The sheer size of this behemoth was worth the price of admission alone, weighing close to 50lbs.
SHARK TOOTH
Let’s face it, we’ve always been enamored with the sheer size of sharks, including their razor sharp teeth. Dime museums were host to magnificent displays of the jaws and teeth of many marine life, but none as fascinating as the shark tooth.
Mariner’s HOOK
Pirates would often steal goods coming from other countries, including bags of coffee and grain. The best way to maneuver these were with mariner’s hooks, even used into the 20th century at docks and piers across the globe. But every time pirate would board a ship there would be battle. Losing an arm would be commonplace for a pirate, and once the tourniquet was applied and the wound was sealed shut, the mariner’s hook became a pirates new appendage.
the door to the gates of hell
You don’t want to go near one of these at a dime museum. Often placed in a corner, with minimal signage or attraction, you’d just want to keep walking past. Don’t make eye contact as you might summon the demon.
cat mummy
Cats played an important role in the culture of Ancient Egypt. Viewed as both gods and goddesses, cats were given the same ritual burials and mummification of their human counterparts, and would often be rumored to be heard meowing through their mummified bodies at dime museums.