Pipe Museums?

[matchstick]

Other than The Amsterdam Pipe Museum, are there any other museums dedicated to pipes and their history? Perhaps one in the United States?

 

[topd]

I can't remember exactly where or it's name, but on the coast of South Carolina there is a small museum dedicated to old firearms, mostly muzzle loaders. My wife and I came across it in the mid 70's. It had a section with meerschaum pipes.... Not very big but had some very nice exhibits.

 

[virginiacob]

Here are a couple museums dedicated to pipes here in the U.S.:
Corn Cob Pipe Museum, Washington, MO -- Located at the MM Factory
Pamplin Pipe Museum, Pamplin, VA -- Dedicated to the Pamplin clay trade pipes from the 19th c. and early 20th c.

 

[pipetraveler]

There is a pipe museum at Paul's Pipe Shop in Flint Mi. I write about it in my book Adventures of a Pipe Traveler. Available through amazon and kindle. Take care all. Pipetraveler

 

[crazypipe]

Don't know of any ::

 

[judcole]

The museum at Paul's that pipetraveler mentioned in his post is quite the thing to see. Paul's Museum If you are in southeast Michigan and have the time, go to Paul's. It is a legendary place. Paul passed away last summer;he was 100 years old. The shop is still run by his son, Dan; it's an old-time B&M of a type you don't see much any more.

While you're there, get yourself a Cayuga pipe and a couple of ounces of Arrowhead Pipe Club mixture.

 

[pipetraveler]

You said it well Jud, Paul's is worth the trip. I talk a lot about Paul and his son Danny in my book, Adventurs of a Pipe Traveler. I'll try and dig up some pictures and post them. Pipetraveler

 

[condorlover1]

Sadly I cannot think of one museum dedicated to pipes. I remember visiting 'The House of Pipes' in Bramber in Sussex about thirty odd years ago. I think the chap who ran it has long since passed away. I do remember they had the most incredible display of carved meerschaums and even a pipe that had belonged to Stanley Baldwin a former British PM. We need more pipe museums otherwise the PC crowd will white wash away all the history 1984 style.

 

[cgrd]

Racine & Laramie in San Diego's Old Town has a few display cases filled with museum quality briars and meers. Worth checking out if you're in the area, and they have a pretty solid selection of tobacco too!

 

[benrapaport]

Anyone interested in a list of museums around the globe that have tobacco pipes, whether on display or in storage, can contact me and I am more than willing to share my database with them: ben70gray@gmail.com.

 

[danielplainview]

The Scrooge shrine of briar in Indiana.

 

[drydock]

Gosh these sound fun. I can probably visit the MI & IN ones at some point.

 

[mso489]

fishnbanjo has one, accessible post-by-post on Forums. I believe it is one of the largest collections in the world.

 

[dino]

Unfortunately, one of the great American Tobacciana museums is no longer here in the States. Frank Burla, the Godfather of the Chicago Show, had an incredible collection of thousands of tobacco related items, that he displayed in a Chicago area condominium apartment, and had an open invitation to all who were interested.

Pretty much the entire collection is now in China.

But, long before he sold the collection, he was a guest on Brian Levine’s Radio Show, and took the listeners on a virtual tour of the museum.

Those with an active imagination can go on this "tour" by listening to Episode 51 of the show, from 2014. Here’s the link:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/the-pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-51/#

 

[ssjones]

Thanks Dino. As soon as I read the title, I thought of Frank Burla and that radio show episode. I didn't know that he had taken it down. Guess that I missed my opportunity.

 

[ssjones]

With Frank gone, perhaps as close as you'll find is at the Boswell shop in Chambersburg, PA. JM has quite a collection of tobbaciana, at least the largest that I've ever seen. Everything is in glass display cases in the upstairs lounge. The large room is kept locked for events, but if you ask, they open and give you a tour. JM worked as a sales guy for SM Frank and other firms of that era, so he has all manner of items and old, collectible tobacco tins for display.

 

[mso489]

It strikes me as extremely strange that Frank Burla's museum scale collection should end up in China, though I understand the market force that put it there. Among many countries with deep developed pipe cultures (France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, U.S. ...) China has not been much of a pipe smoking nation. I think pipes were probably introduced by Europeans, mostly the British, who were in China, to some degree over time, as a drug cartel (opium). Even opium pipes were introduced and pushed by the opium trade which was resisted by China. Hence the opium wars. I wonder what clientele if any visits the collection now. I would like to see the collection in St. Louis, in the vicinity of Missouri Meerschaum, or in France or Italy's pipe making regions, where there is a natural historical connection. I guess I should be glad it found a home somewhere, all in one piece. China is a huge consumer of cigarettes, and to a somewhat lesser degree, cigars, but not so much pipes, though there are small tobacco pipe clubs here and there. These seem to be small, self-conscious groups attracted to the exoticism of tobacco pipes.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Many years ago I visited a restaurant in Paris and one wall was entirely taken up with glass fronted cases displaying hundreds of pipes. I wasn't a pipe smoker back then but I did take the time to look at the collection.
Why a restaurateur would have such a display in his premises is beyond me but it certainly was something to behold.
Regards,
Jay.