Up Close & Peculiar

More than 100 years ago, the globetrotting Robert Ripley began collecting artifacts from his journeys around the world, which today form the heart of the greatest collection of oddities ever assembled. Up Close & Peculiar brings the curious history of these pieces to a personal level as our Exhibits Buyer, Kurtis Moellmann, explores the strange relics that lie within our Warehouse walls! Become a part of the story as we share pieces for every history buff, pop culture junkie, and oddities collector alike.

Today: Could This Be The Derringer Responsible for Abraham Lincoln’s Demise? 

Here at Ripley’s, we’re no strangers when it comes to hair-raising artifacts — hairballs, hair art, hair sculptures, record-breaking hair, and presidential hair. The newest addition comes from the head of President Abraham Lincoln, but unlike the other clippings of our collection, these strands were taken during a postmortem examination on April 15, 1865 — the day after Lincoln was shot in Ford’s Theatre. Dr. Lyman Beecher Todd, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln’s cousin and friend to the President, wrapped Abe’s hair in a telegram a place it in his pocket.

Today, many unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions continue to swirl around this tragedy. Were the telegram systems really on the fritz? How did John Wilkes Booth escape the scene? And where is the derringer used in this fatal crime currently located? Tell us your honest thoughts, ideas, and conspiracies after learning about these iconic Abraham Lincoln pieces, straight from the Ripley’s Vault!

EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!

Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts like this one, and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!

FIND AN ATTRACTION NEAR YOU