Mystery at the Museum
One of my favorite cable television shows is Mystery at the Museum. In the show, a spokesman travels to museums all across the world finding stories of artifacts that are on display at the facility. It was this show I had in mind when we made a big discovery at DCHS.
The Douglas County Historical Society was given a chromium Nazi artifact that was supposedly pulled off of Hitler’s train in 1945. This piece arrived at DCHS in 1946 and it was processed into the museum along with a German Soldier’s dress dagger. In 1985 the Carver County Historical Society in Waconia, MN sent DCHS a scrapbook soon to be declared the “Mother of All Scrapbooks” as it was kept up by a Superior woman who enjoyed the museum.
This scrapbook contained nothing but newspaper clippings from the Superior Telegram and all of those articles concerned the historical Society in Superior. When I was made aware of this scrapbook in 2015, I read through the entire book and was able to list all of the artifacts that had been donated to DCHS and which should still be in the museum. Unfortunately, over 20 items that we were given in the 1940’s and where important pieces, had vanished. This included the Nazi artifact from Hitler’s train.
In August of 2015 while I was checking Craigslist for antiques and collectibles in the Twin Ports, I was shocked to see the same WWII artifact on Craigslist for sale at $3,200.00. I immediately contacted the Superior Police Department and Officer Kirk took over the case and within a week the artifact was back at DCHS. The police had posed as buyers for the purchase of the artifact and once the owner realized he had some stolen property he immediately gave it up to the authorities. The artifact was traced back to a man who worked as a “Junker” collecting metals and other materials for sale elsewhere.
Although the artifact made it back to us, it does not fit our mission as a historical society in 2016. The artifact was presented in July of 2016 for permanent exhibit to the Richard Bong Historical Center here in Superior. We believe that it needs to be displayed so we don’t forget the horror of war and it will be most at home at the Bong.
Originally claimed to have come off this train which was Hitler’s personal train.
Actual artifact that was recovered and donated to Richard Bong Memorial Center museum.
Mother of all scrap books is at The Douglas County Historical Society.
Tony D. Tracy is the Executive Director Douglas County Historical Society
