Inspiration for the National Museum of Magic of New Zebedee, Michigan
107 East Michigan Avenue
The American Museum of Magic is the largest privately owned museum of its kind open to the public with nearly a million items from the Sixteenth Century to the present in its holdings.
The Museum celebrates magic as entertainment, not the occult, and although it’s named American, it represents magicians throughout the world, containing authentic specimens of equipment and props, advertisement, scrapbooks, films and recordings, letters, costumes, personal items, and other extensive memorabilia. Popular attractions are the original "Milk Can" and the "Overboard Box" escape equipment used by Harry Houdini. There are close to 15,000 books related to conjuring are in the Museum library, with a unique, special archive on little-known magic practitioners as well as the big-time stars.
The museum houses the collection of writer, historian, and collector Robert Lund (1925-1995), whose collection was named the “largest such collection in private hands.” A native of Saginaw, Lund worked as a reporter and editor on newspaper staffs in Detroit, Chicago, and New York and, for three decades, as part of the magazine division of the Hearst Corporation. He was honored by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians, the Historical Society of Michigan, and the Marshall Historical Society. The museum's historical marker was errected in 1985.
Robert co-founded the American Museum of Magic in Marshall with his wife Elaine (1926-2006) and opened the museum in its original location on April 1, 1978. Thanks to ongoing acquisitions, the collection expanded beyond its original size and the former Marshall Public Library purchased in 1999 for additional storage and showcases.
The Lunds were renamed Bob and Ellen Hardwick for their apperance in Brad Strickland’s The Specter of the Magician’s Museum. Following their death, both Bob and Ellen Lund were buried at Lakeside Cemetery in Colon, Michigan – the basis for Strickland’s fictitious community, Cristobal.
Source: American Museum of Magic
Lewis and Rose Rita looked into a long, narrow room, cluttered with all sorts of weird objects: mummy cases, steamer trunks with swords thrust into them, a huge galvanized steel milk canister with its lid padlocked shut, shelves full of top hats, canes, wands and handcuffs, and on every wall poster after poster advertising magicians and their shows. Lewis saw placards announcing the Great Rapiri, the Hindoo Fakir; Long Chi the Chinese Marvel; the Mystic Marquis and His Thousand Wonders; and many more [The Specter from the Magician's Museum; 17].
As featured in:
|
 |
|
