Remember Max Nordeen

Woodhull, Illinois

We were saddened to hear the news in December, 2004 of the death of Max Nordeen, the colorful owner and curator of the Wheels Museum, Woodhull, Illinois. We felt compelled to do something in memory of a guy who struggled to convince his town and the public that his museum contained really interesting stuff.

If we don't remember Max, who else will? So we dug into our old video tapes.

The Petrified Leech Something about Max's Petrified Leech seemed to embody the spirit of his museum, and the spirit of Roadside America. As Max would say "It's something you've never seen before, and something you'll never see again." So we've tried to preserve this curly relic of a bygone era in our own way.

From a 1998 visit:

The Broom Corn Capital of the World

Max tells a story about why no one will care about the Wheels Museum once he is dead. (3 mb Quicktime .mov)

 

A Zeppelin Visits Davenport

Max performs a short reenactment of the Graf Zeppelin's historic visit to Davenport, Iowa. (953k Quicktime. mov)

 

The Mystery of the Naked Lady

Max recounts how the identity of an antique naked lady photo in his collection was revealed after 35 years. (7.8 mb Quicktime. mov)

Max, was an early (and rare living) inductee into roadsideamerica.com's Hall of Immortals. He is now an official greeter in the Hall.

And more Max stories and videos from our 1991 visit and 1998 visit.

January 2005: Cathy Illman sent us a photo of Max's engraved plaque from her visit in July 2003. In those last years, Max included a trip out to the cemetery as part of his tour.