In the years that I've lived in Milwaukee, I've been of the belief that I'd never before had the pleasure of visiting the Milwaukee Public Museum. However, once I set foot inside it yesterday, I realized I'd been wrong as the memories came flooding back to me.
The T-rex taking a bite out of the triceratops. The old lady in her rocking chair on the streets of Old Milwaukee. The Indians, the animals, the hundreds and hundreds of bugs. I knew I'd seen it all before.
I'm sure I was there on a field trip back in elementary school; maybe even more than once. That was before I paid attention to the names of places, before I called any of the shots. If mom signed a permission slip and a bus showed up to take me away from school, I was there. The rest was just details.
Hmmm ... and my brother just called and he told me that mom and dad took us when we were young, too. Why don't I remember this? And yes, that wall of skulls that Dad poked his head through was indeed the one at the Public Museum.
Experiencing the museum as an adult was a completely different experience, though, so really, yesterday was still a first.
Ellen Burmeister, Marketing Director at the museum, invited Dave and me for a personal tour, and I'm so glad she did, since it was just the kick in the pants I needed to finally pay the museum a visit.
We met her there at 11 a.m. yesterday (ok, 11:15 – we were a little late) and after introductions were made, she led us up to the third level to start our tour. She said she suggests that people start up there and work their way down since there's so much to see, and many people are tired out by the time they make it to that level!
I've been struggling with how to approach this entry, since describing the things we saw could literally fill a book. So I’m going to refrain from too much detail and instead say this: you simply must go there yourself, and soon. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't yet been there as an adult, and if it weren't for this blog, who knows how long it would have taken me to get there.
Now that I'm old enough to appreciate what's inside that huge building that I drive past all the time, I'm simply in awe. A visitor can literally take a trip around the world when he or she walks into that building, and I just had no idea what I'd been missing this whole time. I get to do a lot for this blog, but this is most definitely one of the most rewarding, worthwhile excursions I've made.
Milwaukee boasts an internationally-acclaimed museum that is unrivaled by most others around the country, and the wealth of information and history inside is nearly endless.
We spent two and half hours walking the three levels of exhibits, and we just breezed past most of them. We didn't spend hardly any time reading the signs and information that accompanied the exhibits; we simply had too much ground to cover.
With most places that offer memberships, I just can't really see the appeal. If you've been somewhere once or twice, that's probably good enough, but I can certainly see it taking a year's worth of visits to really see and appreciate it all at the Public Museum.
Most of us who live in or near Milwaukee are aware of the Museum's financial problems as of late, and of course I had to ask Ellen about them. To an outsider like me who doesn't give it much thought outside of what I read in the papers, it simply appears that the Museum doesn't appeal to enough visitors and hence is going under. But it's not that simple.
On the up side, the Museum won't ever shut down – it's been open to the public since 1884, making it one of the country's oldest museums, and the building belongs to the county. It attracts plenty of visitors, especially on weekends; yesterday the building was filled with groups and families and couples, and definitely didn't show any signs of trouble. It's just that the Museum borrowed a lot of money over the years to bring in big exhibits and make improvements, and the money coming in could never quite catch up to all that borrowing.
Ellen said that people often comment, "well, I wish there was something I could do to help, but I just don't have the money to be able to make a large donation." She said that the people of Milwaukee need to understand that they can help by simply buying a ticket, making a visit or a few visits to the Museum each year – that that's the support they need.
I spent the time yesterday speaking with Ellen as we walked and walked, while Dave took the pictures.
One of the first things she explained to me was about the floors of the museum: many of the floors are made of concrete and aren't perfectly flat; it feels like you're walking outside. She said this is because most flat museum floors are hard on people's feet, thus making it more difficult for them to walk around for long periods of time. I'm a fan of hiking and of being outside, and for me, that little fact added an extra layer to the experience of walking through the museum.
We saw a ton of incredibly lifelike animals, many of which weren't behind glass but instead positioned in a diorama, which is a three-dimensional replica of the animals' natural habitat. Ellen told us that the Milwaukee Public Museum was one of the first museums to display animals and scenes in such a way, and museums around the world have followed suit.
Before it was illegal to do so, many of the animals were killed in the early to mid 1900s for the sole purpose of being put on display at the museum.
In more recent days, animals have been brought to the museum from the local zoo after they've died. The museum's lion was actually brought back from Africa in the early 1900s from an expedition by the museum. The baby lion was an orphan so the scientists brought it back to Wisconsin and raised it as their pet in the museum, which at the time was housed where the Milwaukee Public Library is today. (The museum moved to its current building in the 1960s.)
The lion had a pen on top of the library so it could get fresh air, and its favorite toy was a bowling ball. When it was about 18 months old, the museum staff took him to the vet and the vet suggested that the lion be moved to the local zoo, which is where he lived the remainder of his life, and then he returned to the museum for good after his death.
Walking through the museum, you're never quite sure what to expect when you turn another corner. Unlike, say, an art museum where room after room is going to look pretty much the same, here you're not sure what scene or mannequin or artifact is going to greet you. Every walkway is different, every exhibit features its own incredible details. It's really an overload on the senses.
I couldn't help but imagine how creepy it'd be to walk through the museum alone sometime, with its dark walkways and old, old masks and relics, and its scores of animals and people that could seemingly come to life.
Then Ellen told us that Museum does allegedly have its own ghost.
Stephen Borhegyi became director of the museum in 1959 and oversaw the museum's move into its new building. He was killed in a car crash just blocks from the museum in 1969 and died at the age of 47. Ellen has never seen him herself, but she says that a handful of security guards have reported seeing a man with a mustache roaming through the museum.
Very intriguing … but I’m glad I didn't run into him.
Last week, when I told a few folks I would be visiting the museum this weekend, each and every one said I had to be sure to find the rattlesnake button. What?
Yes, there's no sign to announce it, and I couldn’t even tell you which exhibit it was at, but there's a rattlesnake in one of the prairie scenes whose tail rattles if you find the button that controls it. Ellen showed me the way and I was instantly in the loop.
On the second floor we saw two special exhibits, one featuring Samson the gorilla who died at Milwaukee's zoo in 1981, and one called Chicano Now: American Expressions, which was a loud, colorful, totally cool exhibit that documented what it is to be of that culture in America today. That exhibit alone could have taken up hours! (it's here through the end of the summer, so perhaps I'll be able to spend some more time checking it out.)
We spent some time in a special exhibit called Temples, Tells & Tombs and the room was extraordinary. The columns were painted to replicate exactly what columns looked like in Egypt, and we saw a real live mummy who dated back to 600 B.C.
When we got to the first floor and came upon the glass displays of bugs, I couldn't stomach too much. I can barely handle Wisconsin bugs when I come upon them – but these exotic, enormous beetles and spiders? No way, man.
However, we learned yet another fascinating fact: everything we saw in the exhibits on the three floors of the museum only accounts for a mere 20% of all the items that the Museum has in its possession. The Museum building takes up another three levels, not including the basement, and those extra levels house the other 80%; in total, the Museum boasts a collection of more than five MILLION pieces.
One of the last things we did was visit the butterfly garden. It had been a temporary exhibit years ago but was so popular that the Museum made it permanent. It was hot and humid inside, with all sorts of plant life growing around us. Hundreds of species of butterflies of all different colors and sizes floated above our heads. A butterfly nursery was situated in one corner of the room; since butterflies don't live overly long, the Museum needs to be constantly harvesting them for the exhibit. The people around us seemed to be enjoying it, but this was probably my least favorite part.
The butterflies were pretty and all, but I don't like anything flying around me or touching me, pretty or not. And the bug petting zoo in the next room? Forget about it.
See now, I vowed to not go into detail and yet I've been rambling for paragraph after paragraph. I didn't mention dozens of the exhibits we saw – dinosaurs and guns and Indians and rocks and birds and an igloo and the ocean and the Streets of Old Milwaukee, which Dave said he'd love to go back and spend more time in during our next visit.
The time we spent there was just completely overwhelming and awe-inspiring. Once again, we Milwaukeans are so very lucky to have something like this in our midst, and many of us just have no idea. The Museum is amazing, plain and simple, and I honestly can't wait to go back.
I'd love to hear your opinion … what's your view of the Milwaukee Public Museum? Have you been there recently? How does it measure up to other museums in the city (MAM, Discovery World) and how does it measure up to other cities' public museums?
And if you haven't ever been there, why not?
I love the museum for what it is, actually for all the reasons you just described in the previous paragraphs. It really is a FASCINATING place with a plethora of information to learn from!! For anybody that has never been there, you certainly MUST go. It's worth every penny.
However, aside from the occasional special exhibits, the museum hasn't changed...in the slightest, since I began visiting the museum during class field trips beginning in the first grade.
Granny is STILL rocking away on her rocking chair, wearing the same tired old dress she wore 15 years ago. The minerals near the dinosaur exhibit are the exact same minerals, in the exact same glass cases and t-rex is still trying to finish off that tryceratops. There are only so many times you can go before you start thinking: "been there, done that".
I'd just like to see them do a little more updating. Add some interactive tools and update the exhibits a little bit. I realize there is historical significance to a lot of them...but you can update the old without changing their character. I feel as though in this day and age, you have to make learning more "fun"..more interactive, to keep people interested: like Discovery World, or the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago have done.
Posted by: Christi | March 25, 2007 at 08:17 PM
The Museum is indeed a gem. Back in the day, my two sisters and I would get on the Sherman Blvd bus, 10 cents apiece, and ride down to the museum on rainy saturdays and spend all day wandering the building. No parents, even though I was only 9 and they were 6 and 7. We knew every nook and cranny of that old building. Today it is neat to see how those old exhibits we knew so well were reordered and displayed in the new (1960) building. It is like meeting old friends.
Posted by: David Ernst | March 26, 2007 at 09:32 AM
My only complaint about the place is that the candy store in Old Milwaukee doesn't sell gummi cherries like they did twenty-five years ago.
Other than that, I was there awhile ago and it was pretty cool. The butterfly exhibit is really good, and there's a lot of interesting stuff if you take time to read the info signs.
Posted by: Andre Robitaille | March 26, 2007 at 09:38 AM
I am so glad you wrote about this. I am going to the Chicano event for a cultural diversity class that I'm taking right now as an experiment. Glad to hear it's worth going to!
Posted by: Sara Molnar | March 26, 2007 at 02:35 PM
A rattlesnake button?!?! I can't believe I've never heard of such a thing. For someone like me to not know of something like that... well, it's rare. I absolutely MUST visit again soon.
With regard to your inquiry though... I love the public museum. I go there a few times every year even though the exhibits never change (as mentioned by Christi). There is a revolving exhibit space though so yes, things do change there.. just not the permanent exhibits. Then again though, they're permanent. :)
I've got my favorites... The "underwater" portholes, the streets of Old Milwaukee, the canopy tour... there's a lot of great stuff there. And by the way, I can't believe you didn't like the butterfly wing or bugs alive. You're crazy!
But anyway... how does it measure up to MAM or Pier Wisconsin? Well, it doesn't. Not because it's boring or old, but because it's not the same kind of museum! The public museum showcases historical displays. MAM showcases art and Pier Wisconsin showcases hands-on exhibits and current or future products of human ingenuity. They all serve a unique niche and each maintain their own allure.
Glad you finally made it back ;) to the museum... and I'm especially glad that you liked it as much as you did.
Posted by: Mark | March 26, 2007 at 08:48 PM
Not that this is really relevant to anything, but I am terrified of butterflies, so I don't blame you on not enjoying the butterfly garden. Ick. I went to the Milwaukee County Zoo when it had the butterfly exhibit - hundreds of butterflies flying around a room - and it was traumatic. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
Posted by: Krista | March 27, 2007 at 08:37 AM
There are actually 2 rattlesnake buttons now. If you want to know the location of the new button you'll have to send me an email with a subject line that reads "Bacon Fat Kitty Cat." That's the secret code...
Posted by: Dave | March 27, 2007 at 10:05 AM
It's great to go too but nothings really changed... I'd love to see what the other
%80 in storage looks like... does the water pump in the streets of old milwaukee still pump water?
Posted by: Nick | March 28, 2007 at 07:50 PM
No it doesn't Nick. (at least it didn't work the last time I was there) That's probably one of the only things that have changed =) Oh! And I don't think you can see movies anymore in the Old World either. Maybe you can. Erin? Can you?
Posted by: Christi | March 29, 2007 at 03:56 PM
Yeah you can. Not sure exactly when, but Ellen said that they still show movies there.
Posted by: Dave | March 29, 2007 at 04:22 PM
hi erin.
i go to the museum all the time, but only on Mondays - when it's FREE to milwaukee county residents. that's an important piece of information!!!! - if it's a rainy day, i'll take my baby there!
i love butterflies but too, cannot stand when they fly so close to me, or land on me - and oh my god - that bug exhibit around the corner - SCARY!!! recently i saw the biggest stick bug ever - and was itchy all over after that.
i love that candy shop - but since i only go on mondays - when it seems most school field trips are going as well - makes for a very cramped, busy store - and people have to wait to get in. that upsets me. i love me some lemon drops!!
actually, 2 weeks ago we couldn't find the rattlesnake button. it's always been in that same spot - but was missing recently. hmmm??
also - it pays to park on the street by the museum and plug the meter. because even though i go on free days, i end up paying $9 in parking for a few hours. of course that isn't much compared to what i could be paying for admission. so i should just stop complaining!
ps, i love the new sampson gorilla exhibit - w/ the HUGE scale that you can weigh yourself on - of course i covered my numbers so no one could see my exact weight, lol.
Posted by: heidi stein | March 29, 2007 at 06:25 PM
Thanks for noting that, Heidi! I forgot to mention that there's free admission for Milwaukee county residents on Mondays!
And there was no way I was stepping on the gorilla scale!!
Posted by: Erin | March 30, 2007 at 11:12 AM
Hey Erin. We visited the Planetarium on Friday. Did a review in my blog.
Posted by: Tracey | April 02, 2007 at 03:24 PM
Glad you enjoyed it, Tracey! We visited the Planetarium, too, and loved it ... I'm going to post about it soon!
Posted by: Erin | April 02, 2007 at 03:34 PM