Updated 23 May, 2009 URL is http://our.tentativetimes.net/oldradios/2radio.html
The Indiana Historic Radio Museum,
Novelty Radios and Accessories
Gladys is the wife of the late curator of this museum, which used to be located at the Auburn-Cord-Dusenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana. That building needed the radios’ space, so it moved to a former filling station, I think.
A novelty radio is defined as a radio that doesn’t appear to be a radio.
Other Interesting Bits
Lots of great nostalgic signs complemented the radios.
This coal is absolutely genuine.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea? "
The oldtimers called this radio the Mae West, but perhaps now it would be the Dolly Parton. Jane Russell?
On a much more sobering note, this radio was a propaganda machine. It was designed to receive only Hitler’s approved broadcasts. It has only three tubes. Hitler wanted one in each German home, but as the war wore on, people could not afford this simple radio. This reminded me of the recent war in Kosovar. The populace in various parts of the affected areas got different news, filtered in some cases. I expect the Internet made it possible for a few people in the affected areas to find out all views of the conflict, whether they were supposed to or not. But not that many people have the Internet, and some governments control the telephone lines completely. I also hope both hams and operators on the Internet are helping people find their lost relatives.
There were older table radios as well as the more unusual ones. One shape on here is called a tombstone. Can you pick out the tombstones on the shelves? Speakers line up on the top row here. There was so much to remark over. I’ve only shown you a fraction of the 400 radios in Ligonier. What a loss for us all to have this museum gone. If you know of any similar museum, please tell me and I will list it here.
You are encouraged to bookmark this page.
Links Out
Have you seen the first page of this Radio Museum adventure?
You can wander in the index of the Bluffton and Nostalgia pages
Did you read W9PPG Bill Weinhardt’s Morse Code columns and other radio columns?
Did you read about who noticed his prostate cancer in December of 1997?
Bill’s late father, John Weinhardt, formerly WA9IAL, has some fascinating pages on-line too. He is a silent key now.
The Wells County Amateur Radio Club may still have a page in this e-magazine.
Other Bluffton Sidetrips include James Dean’s Fairmount, Indiana and the
Gene Stratton-Porter Limberlost Swamp and Cabin State Historic Site in Geneva, Indiana.
You can read the cover of this magazine and pick some other topic.
I’m Sandra, N9PXK; my husband Bill Weinhardt is W9PPG. We made a pilgrimage to the Indiana Historic Radio Museum in Ligonier in July of 1999. This page is made to share that experience, and to express our sorrow that the museum had to close in 2009.One remarkable thing about this building was its appeal to all ages. The kids didn’t get bored, and the great-grandparents couold have the time of their lives. Everyone in between was glad they came too. Thanks for visiting this page!
This page was created by Sandra Weinhardt. Send all additions and corrections to me at [email protected]