9/17/2019 American Museum of Magic - Wikipedia

American Museum of Magic

The Am erican Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, houses a large collection of magical paraphernalia and illusions, including an extensiv e collection of dev ices that once belonged to
famed magician Harry Blackstone, Sr., (1885–1965).
American Museum of Magic

Contents
Museum collection
Museum operation and events
Other Blackstone exhibits
See also
Notes
Further reading
External links

Museum collection
The American Museum of Magic is the largest magic museum in the United States open to the public. [1 ] The collection is extensiv e, and includes both famous and obscure magicians (for example,
it has artifacts from Clare Cummings, who was 'Milky The Twin Pines Magic Clown' and who donated most of his magic tricks to this museum). [2 ] The museum celebrates the art of magic and the
dev otion of magicians to their craft. [3 ][4 ] Founded on April 1, 197 8, the museum celebrated its 30th anniv ersary in 2008. [5 ]

As the Michigan Historical marker on the site notes: this "unique collection . . . celebrates the magician's arts of wonder and delight. Michigan's link to magic is no illusion for nearby Colon,
Michigan, a center of magic manufacturing," and Harry Blackstone's home. Registered Site L1240 Erected 1985. Indeed, the town and Mr. Blackstone are noted in another historical marker in
Colon. [6 ]

It has been described as "Smithsonian Museum of magic."[7 ] "It is this wealth of extra, unexhibited stuff that giv es this place such promise -- an estimated half-million pieces of magic memorabilia
in boxes, upstairs, in the basement, and across the parking lot in the library . The museum has thousands of files on ev ery one from Doug Henning to Donna Delberts, "the world's only lady fire
eater," who turned out to be an AWOL American GI and a man."[4 ]

Specifically , the museum includes 2,009 heralds, handbills, and window cards, 587 showbills, and ov er 5,000 programs, 10,000 books, 24,000 magazines, 46,000 photos and many letters.
Magic sets, performer’s scrapbooks, and magic show apparatus are there. This includes the “Milk Can” and "Ov erboard Box" used by Harry Houdini. [8 ] The half million (or more) objects occupy
Location of American Museum of
three floors. Memorabilia includes artifacts from thousands of conjurers, famous and obscure. (Of course, this is only a fraction of those who are attracted to the arcane arts—witness the 37 ,000
Magic
members in the International Magicians Society .) In any ev ent, it ev en has escape apparatus actually used by Harry Houdini. The archiv e includes thousands of little-known illusionists. [9 ]
Established April 1, 1978
Magician Dav id Copperfield calls it "one of my fav orite places on earth. [1 0 ]
Location Marshall, Michigan
Important exhibits include Doug Henning's "Zig Zag" illusion, and v arious apparatus used by Howard Thurston in "one of the largest illusion shows across America", which toured from 1908 until
Coordinates 42.2722°N 84.9585°W
1936. [1 1 ]
Website www
All of this was personally put together by the late Robert Lund, a Detroit-area writer and editor who was an obsessed collector of magic artifacts, with the assistance of his wife, the late Elaine Lund. .americanmuseumofmagic
It is said Mr. Lund liked the craft and skills, but decided early on that he lacked the showmanship necessary to become a world class magician. Instead Lund determined that his mark on magic .org (http://www.american
would be to become its foremost student of magic history and collect ev ery thing he could find that related to his belov ed art. Following his lifelong quest, he "ultimately gathered a collection that museumofmagic.org/)
grew to be one of the worlds largest and greatest." Lund at one time was in possession of a large cache of important books by occultist Aleister Crowley from Crowley 's own collection, which
Crowley had stored in a Detroit warehouse many y ears prev iously but had not reclaimed. [1 2 ] (Jan 2014 issue contains PDF-downloadable article on this by John Mey er).

The museum now includes apparatus, books, letters, diaries, manuscripts, memorabilia, play bills, photos, posters, scrapbooks, and a half million pieces of "ephemera."[1 1 ]

The museum is housed in a 140-y ear-old Victorian building (built in 1868) which has been a saloon, billiard parlor, clothing store, and museum. [1 3 ] It is located at 107 East Michigan Av enue, Marshall, Calhoun County , Michigan. [1 4 ] The
building has been meticulously restored by Bob and Elaine Lund. She silk screened window posters, restored floors, installed cabinets, and did major clean up. Their daughter has ably assisted. They "put their heart and souls into the
Museum."[1 1 ] The City of Marshall was sufficiently impressed that it awarded them a silv er cup. [8 ]

Museum operation and events

In 2005 the museum was taken ov er by a new Board of Directors, which has sought to rev italize it. [4 ] The American Museum of Magic, Inc. is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. [1 5 ]

Each October the Museum regularly hosts an ev ent of prestidigitation, escape, and feats that are said to be amazing. [1 6 ][1 7 ][1 8 ]

As of 2010, the Museum is open April and May , Thursday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June to August, Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. September and October, Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other times can be scheduled by
calling the museum. [1 9 ]

Magician Terry Ev answood was giv en an award by the museum.

Other Blackstone exhibits

In 1985, on the 100th anniv ersary of his father's birth, Harry Blackstone, Jr. donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. the original floating light bulb - Thomas Edison designed and built it - and the original Casadega Cabinet,
used in the "Dancing Handkerchief" illusion. This was the first ev er donation accepted by the Smithsonian in the field of magic. [2 0 ]

See also
List of magic museums

Notes
1. "American Museum of Magic" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100213221328/htt
p://absolutemichigan.com/search/?linkid=10260). Absolute Michigan. Archived
from the original (http://www.absolutemichigan.com/search/?linkid=10260) on
2010-02-13. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
2. "Clare Cummings, Milky the Twin Pines Magic Clown" (http://www.detroitkidsho
w.com/Clare_Cummings.htm).
3. Pohlen, Jerome (May 1, 2014). Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really
Strange Places (https://books.google.com/books?id=Rao2AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA
176). Chicago Review Press. pp. 176, 299. ISBN 1613748930. ISBN 978-
1613748930.
4. Roadside America. "American Museum of Magic" (http://www.roadsideamerica.
com/attract/MIMARmagic.html). RoadsideAmerica.com. Archived (https://web.a
rchive.org/web/20080309143716/http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/MIMA
Rmagic.html) from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
5. "American Museum of Magic home page" (http://www.americanmuseumofmagi
c.org/).
7. "American Museum of Magic" (https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/par
tner/american-museum-of-magic). Google Cultural Institute. Retrieved
2017-08-29.
8. "American Museum of Magic" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071011055130/htt
p://www.marshallmi.org/attractions.taf?_function=detail&id=107). Marshall area
Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original (http://www.marshallmi.org/at
tractions.taf?_function=detail&id=107) on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
9. "Marshall Michigan history, American Museum of Magic" (http://www.marshallm
ich.com/history/MuseumofMagic.shtml).
10. Moon Travel Guide, American Museum of Magic. (http://www.moon.com/destina
tions/michigan/michigan-s-heartland/marshall/sights/american-museum-magic)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120905084845/http://www.moon.com/d
estinations/michigan/michigan-s-heartland/marshall/sights/american-museum-m
agic) September 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
11. Fajurid, Gabe (1999-02-04). "Magic Museum provides mecca for experts, fans
alike" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080501123828/http://www.pub.umich.edu/
13. "American Museum of Magic" (http://www.marshallmich.com/history/Museumof
Magic.shtml). Historical Marshall. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
14. "Michigan Historical markers" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100315141338/htt
p://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm). Archived from the original (http://ww
w.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm) on 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
15. "Tax exempt world" (http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organization.asp?tn=7602
05).
16. "Bob Lund". Genii. 43 (7): 433, Cover. July 1979.(subscription required)
17. McConnell, John H. (July 1979). "The American Museum of Magic". Genii. 43
(7): 450.(subscription required)
18. "Genii Magazine on American Museum of Magic" (http://www.geniimagazine.co
m/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=159535).(subscription
required)
19. "American Museum of Magic" (http://www.michigan.org/property/american-mus
eum-magic). Pure Michigan. Retrieved 2013-06-02.

6. "Harry Blackstone and Colon, Michigan" (http://www.michmarkers.com/startup. daily/1999/feb/02-04-99/arts/arts1.html). The Michigan Daily. Archived from the
asp?startpage=L0526.htm). original (http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1999/feb/02-04-99/arts/arts1.html) on
2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
12. "The Caxton Club | Caxtonian" (http://www.caxtonclub.org/caxtonian.html).
caxtonclub.org. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
20. "Harry Blackstone Jr. donates Harry Blackstone Sr. illusions to Smithsonian" (h
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080514130532/http://www.amdest.com/stars/harry
b.html). Archived from the original (http://www.amdest.com/stars/harryb.html) on
2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-04-22.

Further reading
Waldron, Daniel (June 1991). American Museum of Magic: Its True Story (Paperback). Meyerbooks. ISBN 0-916638-76-6. ISBN 978-0-916638-76-4..

External links
American Museum of Magic home page. (http://www.americanmuseumofmagic.org/)
Fajurid, Gabe (1999-02-04). "Magic Museum provides mecca for experts, fans alike" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080501123828/http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1999/feb/02-04-99/arts/arts1.html). The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.pub.umich.edu/daily/1999/feb/02-04-99/arts/arts1.html) on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
Marshall Michigan, commentary on American Museum of Magic. (https://web.archive.org/web/20071011055130/http://www.marshallmi.org/attractions.taf?_function=detail&id=107)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Museum_of_Magic 1/2
9/17/2019 American Museum of Magic - Wikipedia
Michigan Historical markers. (https://web.archive.org/web/20100315141338/http://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm)
"American Museum of Magic" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHwHrzQ7Tgo). Under the Radar. Pure Michigan. August 7, 2014 – via YouTube.
spiritofmichigan (August 1, 2012). "SHOW 1731 American Museum of Magic - Soo Locks" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uBd9n39YBw) (Video). Michigan Magazine. Retrieved 2017-08-29 – via YouTube.
"Michigan Time Traveler, Michigan magic" (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_mhm_houdini_10-09-2002_92657_7.pdf) (PDF). Lansing State Journal. October 9, 2002. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
Waymarking, American Museum of Magic, Image Gallery. (http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/default.aspx?f=1&guid=df69ee7f-5447-42fa-9b17-3115327b681a&gid=2)

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