Special Collections

May Natural History Museum

Special Collections visits the May Natural History Museum near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The May Museum is composed of the following: insects, insects, insects, and more insects.  How many insects?  Over 100,000 all together, almost all of them meticulously collected by a passionate, skilled amateur entomologist who is the great-grandfather of the museum’s current owner and guide.  The insects range from 22-inch long stick-like bugs, to ones that could fit on the head of a pin.  Their variety and interest is immense and we’ll share some of that insecty amazingness with you in this interview. Website: www.coloradospringsbugmuseum.com

Umbrella Cover Museum

Our next museum is located all the way across the country from Colorado in Peaks Island, Maine — the Umbrella Cover Museum.  So why does anyone collect 1300 examples (a Guinness World’s Record) of those little tube-like fabric things that go over your umbrella?  Mostly because they happen to belong to Nancy 3. Hoffman, one of the funniest, most energetic, most quirky, most likeable women on the planet.  And when you learn about this museum, what you quickly learn is that as weird and fun as these umbrella covers are, it’s really the stories behind them that matter.  And Nancy 3. Hoffman (yep, she changed her middle name to a number) is the consummate story-teller.  And hey, she sings an umbrella song while playing the accordion for us at the end. Website: www.facebook.com/UmbrellaCoverMuseum

Motown

This episode of Special Collections begins with a visit to the Motown Museum in Detroit, Michigan.  Detroit was the epicenter beginning in the 1950s of an explosion of African-American pop music.  It was begun by the famous record producer Barry Gordy and the Motown Museum is now housed in what used to be Gordy’s house.  Over 110 number-one hits were recorded in what was once Gordy’s living room before it was converted into one of the most iconic recording studios in the world.  So find out where Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and many other recording artists first got their start and found their groove. Website: www.motownmuseum.org

The Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia

The next museum we’ll visit on this show is the Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia.  Do you know those plastic PEZ heads that spit out those little rectangles of candy when you tilted their heads back?  Well, they are hot collectors’ items these days, and we’ll talk to the one of the few people who have collected them all (almost) and displayed them in a museum. Website: www.burlingamepezmuseum.com

The Mark Twain House and Museum

Beloved American writer Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens) and his family spent their time at their lavish home in Hartford, Connecticut when they weren't traveling the world doing book tours. Jennifer LaRue, Director of Marketing & Public Relations for the Mark Twain House and Museum tells us about the history of the house and its influence on Twain's works.  Website: www.marktwainhouse.org/

Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum

In San Antonio, Texas, nonagenarian Barney Smith has been making art from objects ranging from wasps to trading cards. The constant variable in all his art: toilet seats. Listen as Barney tells us how his museum got started and how his toilet seat art has evolved throughout the years. Website: www.facebook.com/SATXTSAM

National Music Museum

The first half of this episode features the National Music Museum on the campus of the University of South Dakota, in Vermillion, South Dakota. The museum houses one of the world's finest collections of musical instruments, containing 15,000 historic instruments. You can see the oldest-known playable harpsichord (from the year 1530), and Stradivari instruments, including a violon, a cello, a mandolin and a guitar. The museum is an important stop for many musical instrument researchers. Website: www.nmmusd.org

 A Christmas Story House and Museum

The film, A Christmas Story, is an American classic. It has often been aired throughout Christmas day on one or two television networks in North America. The house that is primarily featured in the film is now the site of a museum that pays homage to the film. We take you on a virtual visit of the Cleveland, Ohio site, that is known as "Ralphie's house." Website: www.achristmasstoryhouse.com

Salem Witch Museum

Take a step back in time as we talk with Stacy Tilney, Director of Communications for this Salem, Massachusetts museum, about how mass hysteria swept through the religious town of Salem in the late 17th Century. Museum website: www.salemwitchmuseum.com

Meguro Parasitological Museum

Special Collections takes a trip around the world to Tokyo, Japan to speak with Kazuo Ogawa, the director of the Meguro Parasitological Museum about the creepy-crawly parasites that live among us every day. Museum website: www.kiseichu.org

Bran Castle

Perched high on the hill of Bran Gorge in Bran, Romania, this spooky castle is said to be the inspiration behind the fortress of the blood-sucking royalty, Count Dracula. Join us as we discuss the fact vs. the fiction of this historic place with a museum director, Matei Simion Petrisor. Website: www.bran-castle.com 

Castle Halloween Museum  

A magical Halloween world filled with thousands of spooky artifacts, the Castle Halloween Museum preserves the true spirit of this October holiday through it's themed rooms and the Halloween Queen herself, Museum Owner and Curator Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell. Explore with us as Pamela takes us on a haunted ride through the history and the impact of Halloween. Website: www.castlehalloween.com

Forks Timber Museum

The tiny town of Forks, Washington, is best known nowadays for its connection to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. However, before vampires took over the town, Forks was known as the "Logging Capital of the World." Today, Linda Offutt, museum manager, and Tom Rosmond, board president, join us to talk about how the timber industry transformed the Pacific Northwest. Website: www.forkstimbermuseum.org

New England Maple Museum

It's the end of winter, and you're driving through the backwoods of Vermont. As you round a corner, you see clouds of steam pouring out of a small barn. What lies behind those barn doors is one of the sweetest, most iconic northern substances: maple syrup. Laura Goodrich, General Manager of the New England Maple Museum and Gift Shop, lets us in on the history of sugaring in the northeast and tells us the secrets of how America's favorite condiment gets made. Website: www.maplemuseum.com

Graceland

Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee was home to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. With it’s green carpeted ceilings in the Jungle Room, three TVs in the den, and general Elvis personality, it has become a must-see house and museum for Elvis fans worldwide. It has since expanded from just the house to two shopping centers and a hotel around the circumference of the Graceland property. Today Angie Marchese, Director of Archives, joins us to share interesting stories that made Elvis the cultural icon that he was. Website: http://www.graceland.com

Museum of Broken Relationships

From a wrapped carnival gingerbread cookie to a black stiletto, the Museum of Broken Relationships in Los Angeles, California is home to all sorts of trinkets and keepsakes from failed relationships. These items are donated by the ex-lovers themselves as a way to preserve their past loves and move on to new experiences. Museum Director Alexis Hyde shares her insights on the value of sharing these items as a way to learn and heal. Website: http://www.brokenships.la

Newseum

We talk with Scott Williams, Chief Operating Officer of the Newseum in Washington D.C., about the exciting interactive exhibits at the museum and the importance of media literacy that they advocate. Join us as we learn about the freedoms of the 1st Amendment, the emergence of "fake news," and the impact of journalism on the world. Website: www.newseum.org

Hall of Flame

Peter Molloy, Executive Director of the Hall of Flame in Phoenix, Arizona, joins us to discuss the history of firefighting and the evolution of firefighting apparatus. There is more to it than just water and a big shiny truck! Website: www.hallofflame.org

National Great Blacks In Wax Museum

Founded with the objective to inspire and educate all through the history of the African American experience, the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is the only museum in the world to feature wax figurines of primarily famous African American historic figures. Owner and Curator Dr. Joanne Martin joins us to share the inspiration behind the museum and the impact it has had thus far. The museum features many notable historical figures, including Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Joe Louis and George Washington Carver. Website: www.greatblacksinwax.org

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Boyhood home and neighborhood of the influential civil rights leader, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site retraces the footsteps and experiences that led King to become the equality activist that made such an impact during the 50's and 60's. Rebecca Karcher, representative of the National Parks Service, shares her insights about this important historic site. Listen to the audio on demand now, on Special Collections...the museum radio show. Website: www.nps.gov/malu