Wabasha, Minnesota: Joe Suilman's Museum (Gone)

Joe died a couple years ago and his heirs auctioned everything off, including items that other families had loaned to Joe. It was really sad what they did to Joe's legacy.

Joe is in his 90's. He started collecting when he was around 13 so you can imagine the size of his collection. The collection is housed in his garage -- it's wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. I swear he must have at least one of everything ever made. The best part is his wonderful little carvings steamboats, army ships, and human figures. Joe has also created many wonderful little environments in his yard from rocks and cement. The outside sculptures include a church, castle, a fort with cement tipi and plastic Indians, and a grotto with a small pond and light house.

One of my favorite places to visit is Joe Suilman's quirky museum in an old steamboat & lumber town on the Mississippi. Admission is 25 cents, if Joe's around. He'll take you on a guided tour of all the accumulated gimcracks and geegaws in his garage, complete with well-tested jokes and tour guide monologues. There are the moustache cups he likes to point out, his experiments in taxidermy (including neighborhood dogs & cats), his trick wood carvings, his collections of sand and pebbles from around the world, tributes to Abraham Lincoln. An astounding place and quite entertaining!