EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE 
We here at VFH Central
know where you can find a 1922 Stanley Steamer, a car nicknamed the “flying
teapot”, sitting next to weathered and creepy statues of ALL 7 of the Disney’s Snow-White
Dwarves. This odd juxtaposition of history and Hollywood is not far from a
gigantic 20 foot tall Gumby, which just happens to be near an equally massive stiletto
heel shoe, which just happens to be near the world’s largest castle made entirely
from popsicle sticks. That’s a fact Jack… it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The American Treasure
Tour Museum has so many odd things on display one can say it’s reminiscent of
your crazy uncle’s attic. There are classic cars, bumper cars, animatronic babies,
animatronic Christmas holiday characters, animatronic circus figures, movie
memorabilia and telephones ranging from antiques to kitschy models fashioned to
look like cartoon characters…or lips….
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| Stanley Steamer & friends |
But that’s not all! This private
collection that is open to the public has so many “weird and wacky” things (the
museum describes itself as such) stuffed onto the second floor of a repurposed
factory in Oaks, Pennsylvania, that your head will spin along with the helter-skelter
approach to the displays.
NO RHYME OR REASON
Advertisement signs, show
icons, like the Simpsons, circus artifacts, vinyl records, and very creepy-looking
dolls are everywhere on top of each other, or “in” each other. For instance, there
is a life-sized mannequin clad in Revolution-era garb behind the wheel of a car
shaped like a bowling shoe and there is a large stuffed bear behind the wheel
of an antique tractor. And, YES, this menagerie of Americana pop culture and miscellanea
also includes a stuffed gorilla. Fake of course.
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC
The American Treasure
Tour Museum is divided into two sections. The first is the “Music Room” where there
is one of the world’s largest collections of automatic music, like player pianos,
nickelodeons, and music boxes. Stuffed among the instruments, which
periodically play melodies, is a display of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, just
normal creepy dolls, dollhouses, record albums and radio-controlled model
airplanes, and the telephone collection mentioned earlier.
A visit to the American
Treasure Tour Museum begins in the Music Room. They suggest arriving
approximately 30 minutes before a scheduled tram ride that is part of the
admission price, but given the amount of stuff in this mish-mosh of arcana and oddities
you’ll need more time. After the tram ride through the “TOY BOX” you are
invited to stroll through everything again.
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| welcome |
HOARDER HEAVEN
Most of the American
Treasure Tour Museum space is taken up by the Toy Box. In a building that was
once a tire factory the tram ride slowly inches past everything that could
possibly be collected. From matches and movie posters, to the entire Christmas village
display of the now shuttered Lit Brothers department store in Philadelphia, to
bumper cars and classic cars, motorcycles and an airplane, to circus sideshow
posters, to neon signs to advertisement signs, to a towering Gumby, to several massive
Wurlitzer band organs and Mortier dance hall organs, it truly is everything,
everywhere all at once. By the way, one of the Wurlitzers on display is the
only known surviving model, and at one point on this intrepid journey riders
are treated to a performance of a number of these once popular dance hall fixtures.
HEAD SPINNING
The American Treasure
Tour Museum in Oaks, Pennsylvania is not far from King of Prussia and Valley
Forge National Park. It’s just off Route 422. Turn at the globe that is
reminiscent of the Unisphere from the NY World’s Fair.
Admission is just
$17.50 for adults and $15.00 for seniors and military. It is open on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.
LIFE MIRRORS ART
Remember...one man's junk is another man's treasure. 
I especially enjoyed the visit because I wrote about the same scenario in my first novel: HI, HOW ARE YOU? The pseudo-sci fi black comedy was basically about collecting to extremes. You can read a blurb here, or be a pal and buy the book.
It can be repurposed to level out your wobbly kitchen table, although you may have to tear out a few pages to get it perfect.
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2023 by Gregory Dunaj
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