American Treasure Tour Museum (6/3/2022)

Friday, June 3, 2022

A GFE "field trip" sponsored by the GFE Men's Club took us to the American Treasure Tour Museum, a wonderland of American treasures in Oaks, PA. Items were collected by an anonymous person who is still adding treasures.

The Acts bus driver, Ken, brought us
right to the door of the museum

The entrance to the American Treasure Tour Museum,
which is not easy to find in the former B F Goodrich factory

Photo op with Tamiko at the elevator (KSS)

Kent with the Blues Brothers at the gift shop

Our group of ten residents started with the guided tram tour

We were greeted by this gorilla

Hershey's Tom Brady? (KSS)

The Tin Man from Oz (KSS)

One of several circus wagons containing automatons
(moving mechanical devices originally used in
department store windows to attract customers) (KSS) 

Bumper cars and a wooden roller coaster car

Curtis motorized wheelchair (c 1919,
by Levitt Luzern Custer in Dayton, OH)

1960 Cadillac and 1954 Corvette

The tram takes us through a narrow, but busy aisle

Costume masks from Collegeville, PA (KSS)

Miniature circus (KSS)

Hand chairs

Remember Erector sets? (KSS)

Giant Walkman radio (KSS)

The world's largest Slinky with automatons
and band organs (a couple in operation) along the wall

The Guinness Book of World Records
recognizes this castle as the tallest popsicle
stick structure (2009, by Stephen Guman
of CT) in the world (KSS)

A Wurlitzer band organ and clown collection (KSS)

Part of the Lit Brothers' Philadelphia department store
Christmas display (KSS)

Christmas, um, stuff! 

Giant Peeps and lots of bunnies

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the only
donation to the museum, in memory of Irene Higgins

The Simpsons (KSS)

The Cobi circle bicycle (KSS)

Motorized model airplanes, Chinese parade dragon,
illuminated company signs, etc, etc (KSS)

Papier-mâché figures from Mardi Gras floats in New Orleans

The world's largest Gumby

Wurlitzer Band Organ music:

More band organs and a glass lamp collection (KSS)

A vintage Maytag washing machine (c 1930s)
and the world's loneliest washer repairman

After the tram ride, we explored a bit more of the "Toy Box" section.

1960 Vespa 400, of a type used as a clown car

One of a long line of goat carts that were customized
to showcase various oldtime businesses

Then we returned to the gift shop, which was in the "Music Room" section.

An Arranger Piano that creates the perforated rolls
to be played in orchetration or player pianos

Link Piano Company Style 2E orchestration
piano (c 1927) used a 220' endless roll
paper system with no rewinder (KSS)

The Link company discontinued making pianos to produce
flight simulators; this is a Link Trainer (c 1943) (KSS)

 A look at the Link Trainer instrument panel (KSS)

Arburo Dance Organ (c 1930) was manufactured in Hoboken,
which is a suburb of Antwerp, Belgium!

Many of the organs and player pianos in the Music Room took turns playing tunes, so that we not only enjoyed the original sounds of these instruments, but the technology of someone who made this routine automatic.

MusiTronic Teaching Organ (c 1970)

This miniature display appeared to be in HO gauge

Star Wars miniature display

Raggedy Ann and Andy collection

The toy telephone collection was almost as large
as the real telephone collection

A flip mobile telephone and a Disney Princess plush telephone

A Slinky telephone

A Seeburg 'R' Photoplayer (c 1918) was used to provide
music accompaniment to silent movie films (KSS)

Miniature Amish schoolhouse (KSS)

After two hours, we gathered to take our bus back to the home.