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Destinations of a Folk Art kind 

    Breakdowns, distance, lack of time, plans gone bad and missed opportunities are a traveler’s constant companions. Though we haven’t visited and can’t recommend all of the following sites, someone found them postcard worthy. These sites remain today’s roadside destinations of a folk art kind.

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Massachusetts, Pigeon Cove:    "There is a house made of Boston newspapers called. " Mr. Elis f. Stenman, with the help of his family, began in 1922 to prepare the paper material to be used in constructing the walls of this unusual house. The newspapers were made into different layers, each having been pasted and folded. The walls when finished consist of two hundred and fifteen thicknesses.

Today, paper furniture graces the paper house. For furniture, the newspapers were made into rolls of different sizes.

Bookshelf made of newspapers from every country of the world.

At any time in the future, these rolls can be unwound and the print inside will be absolutely preserved, since neither glue nor varnish was used while making the paper rolls.

Approximately 1000,000 copies of newspapers have been used in the construction of the house and furniture. This work was started merely as an experiment to see what could be done with newspapers without destroying the print. The experiment has proved a success both in strength and stability.

The furniture consists of the following: Table, chairs, lamps, settee, desk made of the Christian Science Monitor; cot made of the "History of the World War"; piano of Admiral Byrd’s South and North Pole expedition, writing desk made of Col. Lindbergh’s flight, radio cabinet- President Hoover- his campaign and election in 1928, a grandfather’s clock, made of paper from the capital city of each state in the Union, and fireplace made of the rotogravure section of the Boston Sunday Herald and New York Herald Tribune." quoted from an old leaflet about the Paper House

learn more, take me to The Paper House website - thanks for visiting tramp-art.com

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Michigan, Baldwin: Raymound W. Oberholzer’s obsession with the demise of the White Pine Tree, led him to craft from roots and stumps, a dazzling collection of rustic furniture, preserved as Shrine Of The Pines.  Handcrafted log cabins house over 200 rustic creations, including a rotating gun cabinet and a table carved from a 700 pound stump.

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Michigan, Cross Village: Family members have preserved the life’s achievement of Polish immigrant, Stanley Smolak.  The Legs Inn (named for the cast iron stove legs that adorn the stone structure) houses an amazing rustic decor of tree branches, tree trunks and driftwood crafted by Smolak into furniture and sculpture. The bar is made of a giant tree trunk and there is a 20 foot driftwood snake.

learn more, take me to  The Legs Inn website - thanks for visiting Tramp-art.com

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Michigan, Detroit: Michigan State Fairgrounds.  In 1893 The Michigan Stove Co. sent The World's Largest Stove to be exhibited at The Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The stove, a replica of the "Garland" kitchen range is 25 feet high by 30 long by 20 wide. Made and carved in Oak by an unknown sculptor.  

Nevada, Rhyolite: In Death Valley, in a ghost town, in a state of disrepair, is The Bottle House. It was started in 1905 by Tom Kelly, using 30,000 Bottles (mostly "Busch" brand beer bottles) set in adobe. It took 5 1/2 months to complete.

learn more, take me to  The Bottle House  website - thanks for visiting Tramp-art.com

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South, Dakota, Mitchell: Having gone through several incarnations, (starting in 1892) the present Corn Palace was completed in 1921. The interior and exterior of this concrete structure is decorated in designs and murals, with the bounty of the community: Corn, grasses, wheat and grain. The Corn Palace has the distinction of being the world’s largest bird feeder and the structure is redecorated yearly.

Visitor information call 800-257-CORN

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Wisconsin, Sparta: This postcard shows a seashell encrusted well that is a part of a larger work that has become known as the Wegner Grotto. Construction began in 1929 by Paul & Matilda Wegner. The grotto is composed of concrete structures onto which have been applied, a variety of materials, including broken glass, stones, shells, assorted hardware, and Milk of Magnesia bottles. Decorated fences, portals, sculptures, a small church and a ship model, now grace what was once the Wegner’s yard.

Information call 608-269-8680

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Iowa, Spillville:   Joseph and Frank Bily began crafting clocks (automations of time, music and movement) about 1913 and over the years they produced an amazing collection of folk art. They never sold any of their works rather upon their deaths the collection went to the community in which they lived. Spillville has preserved their creations in the The Bily Clock Museum.     

the above images are from the Tramp-art.com Collection

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