The Museum of Historic Torture devices, located in downtown Wisconsin Dells, is a unique and fascinating private collection of torture devices from around the world. The display includes rare and incredible gadgets, mechanisms, photographs and written descriptions in English and Spanish, as well as a documentary film. The museum chronicles torture dating back to 5000 B.C. when crucifixion was a stand method of capital punishment in several cultures. The most recent exhibit is devoted to serial killer John Wayne Gacy who tortured and killed 33 young men in the 1970s. The museum aims to show how governments, armies, religions and individuals used torture to inflict pain and punishment. Instruments of torture have been used throughout history to interrogate and punish lawbreakers. Some devices were meant merely to humiliate offenders, other contraptions deliberately, sometimes accidentally, maimed or killed often for what today seems a minor offense. Some visitors find the exhibit shocking and gruesome but all agree the museum is informative and contains artifacts seldom seen elsewhere. There is a Branks, or Scold's Bridle, a head cage and gag, used in 16th century Scotland and England used exclusively on women accused of gossiping, slandering or talking loudly. The cage was also used to silence suspected witches to prevent them from chanting magical spells. The metal device locked onto the head and contained a tongue piece with spikes that inflicted severe pain during speech. Other contraptions, around forty in number, include the Rack, used to torture Early Christians and a primary instrument for interrogation and torture during the Spanish Inquisition. There also are Thumbscrews, a Dunking Stool, and the Chinese Death Cage, among dozens of other implements.
View Rates at Hotels Near Torture Museum in Wisconsin Dells, WI
