National attention given to another Chattahoochee Valley museum

While the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center in Columbus is among the 20 nominees competing for online votes to be named “Best Free Museum” in the USA Today Readers’ Choice poll, another local museum received countrywide publicity this week.

National Public Radio featured Seale, Ala., folk artist Butch Anthony in Tuesday’s episode of its series called “Unsung Museums: A Summer Tour of Little-Known Gems.”

NPR’s “Morning Edition” program highlighted the Museum of Mystery, billed as the world’s first drive-thru art and antique gallery, the exhibit Anthony created in windowed shipping containers at the intersection of U.S. 431 and Alabama 169.

During the radio segment of 2 minutes and 50 seconds, NPR mentioned some of the bizarre pieces in Anthony’s funky collection, such as a two-headed duck in a domed jar and what’s considered the world’s largest gallstone.

NPR quoted Anthony as describing a few of the reactions he has received in the comment box at the museum: “Checked it the other day and somebody wrote, ‘What kind of drugs are you taking?’ And one said, ‘You have a warped mind, but I like it.’ So I guess folks like it.”

The radio spot didn’t include Anthony’s other museum, the Museum of Wonder, half a mile away on Poorhouse Road. You have to get out of your car to see that one.

Anthony told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Wednesday the radio spot might lead to another big-time media opportunity.

“One TV show called and they want me to do a reality TV thang,” he wrote. He didn’t disclose details, but he promised to let us know if the reality offer indeed becomes reality.

According to NPR’s website, this is the second location in the “Unsung Museums” series. The first one featured the Vacuum Cleaner Museum in St. James, Mo.

Oh, and as of Wednesday, the infantry museum was No. 1 on the USA Today leaderboard. But don’t relax, L-E readers. Voting continues until Aug. 29 — and you can vote once per day.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 12:24 PM with the headline "National attention given to another Chattahoochee Valley museum."