Website angelmuseum.com Founded 1998 | Key holdings Black Angel Collection Phone +1 608-362-9099 | |
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Established 1 May 1998 (1998-05-01) Visitors Over 185,000 since opening Address 656 Pleasant St, Beloit, WI 53511, USA Hours Open today · 10AM–4PMSaturday10AM–4PMSundayClosedMondayClosedTuesdayClosedWednesdayClosedThursday10AM–4PMFriday10AM–4PM Similar Turtle Island Playground, Logan Museum of Anthropology, Harry C Pohlman Field, Beloit Historical Society, The Hanchett‑Bartlett Homestead Profiles | ||
The Angel Museum in Beloit, Wisconsin, claims to have 6,000 figurines of angels, with 6,000 more at the home of the museum's collector, Joyce Berg. The museum is housed in the landmark former St. Paul's Catholic Church, which the museum saved from demolition and for which the city charges it an annual rent of $1.
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Description
The building retains its "impressive" stained glass windows and two concrete angels weighing 100 pounds (45 kg) each stand in front. It claims to have the largest private collection of angel figurines; Berg's collection, as of December 2008 numbering over 13,600, was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001. For special visits to the museum, Berg sometimes wears an angel costume including cherub socks, angel earrings, a halo and wings.
The museum is notable also for the Black Angel Collection, more than 1,000 donated by Oprah Winfrey; Winfrey had asked in 1998 on her television show why there were no black angels, after which she was sent angel figurines from all over the country, which she donated to the Angel Museum. Others have also donated angels to the museum; as of 2006, more than 1,000, some as memorials. The angels are from more than 60 countries and range in size from thimble dimensions to more than 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. In addition to porcelain, glass, copper, and acrylic, materials include lambskin, corn husks, tree roots, and spaghetti.
History
The museum's history goes back to 1995, when Joyce Berg ran out of room for her collection and looked for a space to house it. At the same time, Beloit's Catholic Church of St. Paul was threatened with demolition to make way for a new development. Berg chose the church, and with the help of hundreds of Beloit citizens the church was turned into a museum, saved by the angels as Berg puts it. It opened on May 1, 1998.