Warren, New Hampshire: Morse Wildlife Museum (Gone)

Report on the Morse collection, before it closed in 1992 and everything was auctioned off.

I wrote a book on the founding of the Morse Museum and a biography of its former owners, Ira H. Morse and my father, Philip M. Morse. The book contains over 150 views of the inside of the museum and its contents of mounted animals shot by the Morses on various safaris from 1926 to 1953. Also shown are photos of the curios, and the famous shoe collection once housed in the museum.

Ira's first wife, Lillian Little Morse was one of the first women to travel coast to coast via auto in 1909. This story is also depicted in my book. The museum and its contents were auctioned off in 1992. More on the book at www.themorsemuseumstory.com .

As the only living [descendant] of Lillian Morse, now living far removed from Warren, NH, I was amazed and saddened to find the Morse Museum listed on the web, and that it is now an ice cream stand. As a child I spent many fun-filled hours around the museum and grounds, as I know hundreds of other children and adults did over the years. For many folks living in this remote area of the state it was indeed the only glimpse of things from over the globe, and while today I am not a hunter and do not condone trophy hunting of any sort, at one point in time it was sadly enough the norm for many. Perhaps if it had not been, many of the wild herds would still roam free. My grandmother used to tell of times when wild lions prowled the streets of Nairobi, like huge alley cats. But I am proud and glad to see that the museum will live on if even in cyberspace.

Another victory for the politically correct was won a few years ago when the contents of the Morse Museum were auctioned off. It fell victim to disinterest, and I believe the last living relative who funded its being kept open died. The Morse Museum closed its doors about 2 or 3 years ago...