Join author Troy Taylor for a DIFFERENT kind of one of American Hauntings “An Evening with…” series of events! This eerie evening will be held in the American Oddities Museum but with a twist. On this night, the museum itself is the chilling subject of Troy’s presentation as he presents the secret stories of his favorite objects and exhibits on display!

In 2024, Troy fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming the owner of an oddities museum, taking over an existing space from a friend and reinventing it into something new! Located inside the haunted Mineral Springs Hotel, the American Oddities Museum features dozens of exhibits highlighting Alton's history, haunted objects, supernatural items, sideshow relics, medical quackery, true crime, funeral artifacts, religious relics, and much more!
But each of those objects, relics, and exhibits have their own unique stories and on this special night, Troy will be presenting the secret stories, dark tales, and sinister histories behind his favorite items on display. It’s going to be an entertaining and spine-tingling night that presents the weirdness BEHIND the museum — and you don’t want to miss it!

*Doors open at 6:30 p.m. - Event begins at 7 p.m.

After a time to privately browse the museum, Troy will be offering an eerie presentation that begins with his own fascination with oddities, starting in childhood, and the opening of the American Oddities Museum — which leads to the strange tales that follow. During this multimedia presentation, he’ll be offering the weird and often haunted history behind his favorite parts of the museum. Stories will include things like:

- The history of sideshow attractions in American history, the twin sisters who captured America’s attention, a banned film that shocked the nation, and the performer who made so much money he bailed out impresario P.T. Barnum when he ran into money problems!
- Alton’s Gentle Giant - the tragic story of the Tallest Man Who Ever Lived!
- The dapper doll presented to a dying little girl whose spirit lingers with him to this day!
- The history of Ouija Boards and the talking board who told a young girl to kill!
- The story of the famous magician who desperately wanted to contact the dead, his crusade against fake psychics, and the final seance to reach his spirit a decade after his death!
- Discover how a single death changed everything about funeral customs in our country and why Americans of the nineteenth century preserved the deceased through photography! Plus, the horrific story behind one of the most eye-catching photos on display in the museum!
- Is the American Oddities Museum haunted? You’ll find out on this night!
- And many other secret stories of the objects and exhibits that are found in the American Oddities Museum!