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Ed Gein, Liberace, Teddy R. Star In “Odd Wisconsin”

September 28, 2008

Relics related to a cannibal, an ex-President, and Mr. Showmanship are highlights of “Odd Wisconsin,” a long-term, rotating exhibit that opens on October 3 at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison. This unleashing of marvels is part of a trend that we first noticed back in 2004, in which otherwise mainstream venues dig into their archives and display treasures that otherwise don’t get seen.

Stars of the opening exhibit include a sequined tuxedo “complete with Liberace sweat stains” according to local TV station WKOW, and a drinking glass used by Teddy Roosevelt after he had been shot in the chest, according to a story on Arkansas’s KTHV. Another much-anticipated display is a poster advertising the auction of the personal property of Ed “Psycho” Gein. WKOW reports that, “More people ask for a reproduction of this poster than any other at the Historical Museum.”

The newly-recognized popularity of these kinds of wonders have even prompted some museums to put them on permanent display, even if they’re tucked around a corner somewhere.

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One Response to “Ed Gein, Liberace, Teddy R. Star In “Odd Wisconsin””

1. stuthehistoryguy Says:
   October 7th, 2008 at 8:07 am

   What about references to Dahmer? Not to mention Dustin Radke and the Grunke brothers? Wisconsin has a long necrophile tradition that begs to be addressed in this exhibit.

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