Across U.S., Museums Preserve Ancient Art, Oddities

Several unusual collections offer museum-like experiences across the country, though their access and contents vary. Bob Jones University’s Museum & Gallery in South Carolina holds ancient Egyptian artifacts, including a pottery jar dating to about 3200 B.C., and major European paintings, but its main building has been closed to the public since 2017. Seattle’s Ye Olde Curiosity Shop has displayed mummies, shrunken heads and other curiosities alongside souvenirs since 1899, with free entry. Michigan’s Mythos Museum of Oddities & Curiosities mixes historical objects and natural history with folklore-themed displays such as a purported petrified fairy and leprechaun, inviting visitors to distinguish legend from established fact.