Reports, news, and stories on quirky roadside attractions! Not all tips verified -- call ahead! Submit your own tip.
Results 11 to 15 of 21...[Previous 5 items] Page of 5 [Next 5 items]
- Washington, DC - Parking Deck Leg of Col. Dahlgren
An amputated leg, a grief-stricken admiral, a parking garage. Ingredients for one of the more peculiar commemorative markers in DC.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...
- Address:
- Isaac Hull Ave., Washington, DC
- Directions:
- From M St. SE turn south onto Isaac Hull Ave., which is between 5th St. SE and 7th St. SE. Enter the Washington Navy Yard (photo ID required at gate). Drive south two blocks. You'll see the NavSea parking garage on the left; the plaque is on the outside wall, next to the south entrance.
Personal collection of a local doctor fascinated by the historical progress of his profession and medical treatments. See the Scarificator and the "most kissed face of all time." Closed in 2013. May still be there, but currently not open to the public.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...
- Directions:
- At the corner of Valley St. and Reservoir Rd. Free parking in the lot behind the building.
- Hours:
- M-F 10-2, Sa-Su 10-3 (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 276-206-8691
- Status:
- Closed
Paul Bunyan "Vandal" Amputation Traced to Hapless Photo Opportunist
The waving arm of an old Paul Bunyan on Washington Street, Brainerd, Minnesota, was wrenched off as a teen posed by "leaning" on it, police authorities confirmed. Locals first suspected vandals had torn the statue's arm off, and this story was repeated in the media -- but the errant photo opportunist had promptly driven to police HQ and confessed to the mishap.
The statue, a 1930s vintage combo of concrete, wood and chicken wire, may be difficult to repair, and town officials are considering a new, safer pose for the venerable monument. Duct tape and plastic are bandaging the gaping hole in the meantime.... Update: The arm was re-attached but the structure was too crumbly to hold, so a pine tree was positioned beneath to help support it.
[08/11/2002]- Directions:
- Stood on the south side of Hwy 210/Washington St., just east of S. 6th St., next to the water tower.
- Status:
- Gone
I investigated the Country Doctor Museum today and it's worth a visit! It's a private collection, not a state run museum, so the $3 price didn't seem steep. The full tour took about an hour and was given by a volunteer retired registered nurse. The Country Doctor Museum opened in 1967 and expanded again in 1994. The instruments used in Stonewall Jackson's arm amputation were in the collection and on display, but there were other equally (or more) interesting items on exibit.
One of the items I found interesting was a genuine iron lung used to treat polio patients in the 1950s. There was also a genuine 1700s fake leg complete with knee joint. There were many early dentist instruments (looked more like torture instruments to me), a complete history of amputation instruments from steel blade and wooden handle through complete stainless steel and silver sets.
There was a portable surgery table from the Civil War. There was also a complete, original (and still running) model T once owned by a country doctor in the area.
Here's the real kicker.. they have one of the three surviving paintings (painted by a follower of Martin Luther) called "Christ, the Apothecary of the Soul" from the early 17th century. (from the back of the card I purchased about the painting) -- Early 17th Century painting depicting Christ in an allegorical pharmacy weighing the sins of mankind and dispensing Christian virtues from labeled drug containers (Righteous, Belief, Patience, Virtue, Joyful, Charitable, etc.).
If you exit the museum and go down Vance Street AWAY from Peele road and you take your first left onto 581 you'll see a "See Rock City" bird house in front of the car dealer.
[Greg Brown, 09/07/2000]Country Doctor Museum:- Address:
- 7089 Peele Rd, Bailey, NC
- Directions:
- From Raleigh take I-64 east to I-264, exit at Bailey, turn right on Hwy 581 - Oak Ave, then right on Deans St/Alt 264, at next block turn left on Peele Rd.
- Hours:
- Tu-Sa 10-3 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 252-235-4165
- Admission:
- Tour $8.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Philippi's Reenactment of first Civil War amputation; Mummies "not involved"
The First Amputation of the Civil War will be reenacted in Philippi, WV on May 31 and June 1. On June 3, 1861 Confederate J. E. Hanger was hit by a cannonball in one of the first artillery volleys of the first land battle of the War. The town commemorates the battle with a festive parade and an elaborate reenactment.
J.E.'s great-grandson Floyd Hanger, 80, reports he is invited each year as a Blue and Gray Reunion honored guest, to ride through town in the parade. Floyd's status as a bona fide descendant also guarantees him a good seat at the Hospital Tent, where the historic limb hacking is performed on Saturday afternoon, and reprised on Sunday.
The town of Philippi is also known for its Mummies of the Insane, turn-of the-century mental patients who were preserved using the Secrets of the Egyptians by a local farmer. They play no role in the reenactment or the parade.
"People stop and see them at the museum, but the mummies aren't involved," Floyd said.
After J. E. was hit by a cannonball, his leg was amputated by a Union doctor. J.E. later invented an artificial limb, and started a company which became one of the largest manufacturers of wooden legs in the world. A plaque in Philippi commemorates the fateful cannon blast.
Floyd isn't so sure that he'll make it over to the festivities from his home in Michigan this year, but he urges all with an interest in history to attend.
[04/30/1997]- Address:
- 69 Church St., Philippi, WV
- Directions:
- Downtown. Plaque is on a low monument on the north side of Church St., midway between N. Main and N. Walnut Sts, in front of Philippi Baptist Church.
[Previous 5 items] Page of 5 [Next 5 items]
The amputation tools for Stonewall Jackson complete the tour started in "A Hello to Arms."