After I went to this place, Art Museums have never been the same. Going around the maze of the Steam Room just made me realize how complex everything was here and I just wanted to stop and stare for hours at a single room filled with ideas and movement. It was like a dream world, a theme park for my eyes. I think if I went again I would find even more things!
My mom told me about this place a few years ago, so we went & I have been absolutely obsessed ever since. my daughter loved it, we had such a great time. so many of the collections match my personal interests. I'm definitely going again this coming spring
Even if the story is not "real", the fact that he was an eccentric being is a story and a realm worth digging deeper into. Fascinating. I've been there several times. There definitely are other wordly energies there. It is impossible to acquire all those items, without the energy they've acquired, staying with them.
Dear Dylan (and all TH-cam users reading this): I appreciate the great lengths to which you've gone to produce this fantastic video about the House on the Rock. However, as an enthusiast of automatic musical instruments, and someone who has been studying the instruments at HotR in particular (and personally visited there in 2006), I can tell you straight out that NOT ALL of the instruments at the House are fake. Many are original instruments in basically unaltered, or lightly altered (electrified if originally spring or weight driven) condition, whether currently playable or not, including: the Regina, (three, including an upright 27" single disc model, and two disc - changing models on display in the hallways of the Music of Yesterday), Kalliope and Polyphon upright disc musical boxes on display in the halls of the Music of Yesterday, before the "Red Room"; the Aida and Eldorado cylinder piano orchestrions also in the same hallways; the Swiss railway-station-style cylinder musical box (on display in the Streets of Yesterday in a doll exhibit); the large house/"store" with lots of cylinder and disc musical boxes in the "little village" with the hot air balloons in the Transportation Building; the Vincent Llarnes "Faventia" cylinder piano (also in a SoY doll exhibit); the Wurlitzer 3534 OR Poirot cylinder organ with tambourine, saucer bells, and brass trumpets (silent on the path to the Streets of Yesterday); the 1927 Seeburg KT orchestrion (coin-op) with modified front and glass, quite playable on the trail to the SoY; the 1970s Aeolian orchestrion (piano, accordion, and drums) that is or was in the Pizza restaurant; the Encore Banjo (coin-op) located in the Transportation Building near the little village; the Mills Double Violano-Virtuoso (two violins and piano), that was located in the anteroom before the Streets of Yesterday, but which I think is currently out for restoration; the Gebruder Bruder 80-keyless fairground organ fully restored on the floor of the Transportation Building, near the little village; the Welte cylinder organ - orchestrion in the Doll Carousel exhibit (originally weight-driven, but now electrified and coin-op); the 65-note push-up piano player (Simplex?), located in the "music salon" glassed in behind sliding doors on the path between the Heritage of the Sea and Transportation Buildings; and perhaps most impressively of all, the original Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina model A in the same aforementioned "music salon", which is restored and NOT coin-op, but is demonstrated by a docent on request from visitors. This latter instrument really plays three real violins and piano, and was built in the 'teens in Leipzig, Germany. You can see videos of similar ones in varying states of regulation and repair on TH-cam. There are only about 50 original ones known to exist in the world (out of a couple thousand built), and most are either in museums or large private collections.
...in addition to these, the HotR also has many original automatic instruments which have been greatly modified in terms of the case and appearance. These include: 1. Link style E coin piano with xylophone. This instrument has had the upper front glass doors and top panel (over the roll frame) removed, a newer ornamental glass panel installed replacing the solid lower front panel (to permit viewing the electric motor, suction pump, and piano stack in action), and many grotesque carvings screwed to the piano legs, all the way up the sides, and along the top of the case. Also, this piano has had it's keytops swapped from the normal original ivory naturals and ebony accidentals to a reversed coloration (black naturals, white accidentals), more normally found on 18th century keyboard instruments. In its modified guise here, this piano is the first playable instrument in the "Music of Yesterday", and is nicknamed the "Absinthe House Piano". If you would like to see and hear a practically unaltered Link E piano, there is one in the gift shop of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. 2. Reproduco piano/organ, built by the Operators Piano Co. of Chicago, Illinois in the late 'teens or early '20s. Videos of original Reproducos playing well are available on TH-cam. However, the one at HotR has a newer vibraphone / glockenspiel added and is displayed as a nonplaying prop as part of the "Miss Kitty's Boudoir" "fantasy music machine" (i.e. mostly fake-playing instruments, real-playing percussion). 3. Stern Co. (Villigen, Germany) "Eldorado" small cylinder-piano-orchestrion. This is one of two Eldorados at the House (the larger one is less modified and listed in my previous post). This smaller one is still mechanically and musically mostly original (although the originally weight-driven clockwork motor has been modified for electric operation), BUT the case has been mostly replaced with a new one, and moving figures/statues added in the top, and the resulting instrument dubbed the "puppet piano". 4. Chickering Ampico reproducing grand piano. Probably built in the 1920s, this piano currently resides in the middle of the "Moon of Manakoora" "fantasy music machine" as a nonfunctional prop. Luckily many other Ampicos can be seen and heard on TH-cam, and are also found for sale on Craigslist and eBay, for folks who want one.
...list of modified original instruments continued... 5. Mortier 84-key organ - orchestrion. This instrument was sold by Hathaway and Bowers in the 1960s, having had the top part of the facade arch cut away by a previous owner to form a break-arch, and also with all of the percussion missing. Now, restored with replicated Mortier-style percussion (bass drum, snare drum, cymbal, triangle, wood block), 4 added (really playing) accordions, 2 added (miming) Decap saxophones, added non-original tympani drum, and now playing a 92-key scale, it is known as "the Peacock" and (with the exception of the saxophones whose sound is created by a rank of saxophone organ pipes), really plays! There are no synthesizers in this instrument!
... list of modified original instruments continued. . . 6. Regina "Concerto" disc - operated piano orchestrion. The piano plate (and soundboard?) for this instrument, as well as the bedplate, star wheels and gantrys, piano and percussion hammers and connecting linkages to the star wheels, is mounted in a new case (with non-original drums and tanbourine) and totally unplayable (no drive mechanism or motor connected to the disc drive spur wheel; unrestored, perhaps no soundboard), on display as a curiosity piece to the left of the entrance of the "Music of Yesterday" exhibit. That it is currently in such a state is a damn shame, since these instruments are quite rare today. A few can be heard on TH-cam under the titles "Regina Concerto" or "Polyphon Concerto". I hope this one is eventually properly restored, and is kept in a climate - controlled environment and tuned once a month, since it's a really neat instrument, and very few instruments of this type (disc-operated pianos) are on display in public locations anywhere in the world. 7. large Mortier dance organ, circa 1912. I'm not sure where the chassis to this fine Mortier organ is now (probably either in storage in the House workshops or sold to a private collector), but its facade, now greatly modified with all manner of tacky carvings, extra wooden panels, statues and carvings added (and chandeliers!!!), now forms the giant facade for the "Blue Danube" "fantasy music machine". This one, in my opinion, is the tackiest of the "fantasy music machines", and should be dismantled, with the original Mortier facade panels restored to the original factory paint, and re-united with the original chassis. A sister organ (practically identical facade) in much more original condition exists, playable and still used for dancing, at the Cafe des Orgues in Herzeele, France. It is one of three or four large Mortier organs (of various ages and key sizes) on display in this small public cafe. The Herzeele 84-key Mortier was built in 1912, and that's the date (within a year either way) I'd give for the one at HotR.
Andrew Barrett thank you for letting everyone know that many of the instruments are truly played. my heart was breaking at first. I haven't been there in 20 years but I used to go once a year and it is awesome . I am glad it still is going strong.
SmokingMagicMask... I know!!! Same, like now I’m thinking how come I never heard about this. Need to take my fiancé to this place after this whole coronavirus is done
I remember going there in the late 80's as a child. I've read they have added to it since then. To this day I still can't make complete sense out of the place. It's just such a unique experience.
I think saying it’s ALL fake is a bold statement. What about all the little artifacts and collectibles? For instance, the coin-operated music boxes from Victorian-era railway stations. Would you suggest that every single item in the attraction is a fabrication or remake? Edit: If you get a chance, read “Never Enough: The Creative Life of Alex Jordan.” Some of the information in this video seems to have come from that book. The author was a sculptor for Alex Jordan and knew him very well. If you want to dive into the truth behind his collections, and his mind (like I have), I highly recommend it.
I wish someone would do a good documentary about all the stuff in the House on the Rock. I really want to know the backstories behind all of the stuff there.
Came here when I was about 12 on a road trip with my parents, aunt, sister, and cousin, while we were driving back to Chicago from the Dells. I was totally amazed by it too. Such a bizarre, yet amazing place. I enjoy your videos, btw. Cheers.
I went to visit it the other day with my family and I loved it. What an experience! Some things are obviously replicas, but there's a mixture of genuine collections in there too. Doesn't matter. It doesn't detract from its charm and insanity. Everyone should go visit. I'd go again even if everything were 100% fake.
Dianne Durante OH MY GOSH YES!! I remember that part in the book! That part was trippy... I'm from CA though so it will be a long time since I can go visit :')
The House on the Rock is great, but an even more wondrous place that's nearby is Dr. Evermor's Forevertron in North Freedom, Wisconsin. This is the real deal and I was lucky enough to meet the creator, Dr. Evermor, when I visited in 2005. Highly recommended!
Lin Simpson I love Dr. Evermore's Forevertron! He helped build House on the Rock way back in the day! He built the organ room, if I remember correctly.
Well done! I just went to the house on the rock, but when I got there, the gates were closed, so we flew our drones over the house. It was a great view, but It would have been much cooler to actually see it in person. I just subbed your channel, cant wait to see more from you. Cheers!
One of my best friends lives in WI and he has been there twice! We're both fans of Neil Gaiman and the House is mentioned in his book American Gods. If I ever manage to visit WI, I am definitely going there!! ( I mean... I guess I could also visit my friend...) Also, could you do a video on The Winchester mystery house in San Jose CA? That place is so cool! The wife of the guy who owned the Winchester rifle company was obsessed with spirits and seances so she made a crazy house to thwart them.
Our first trip there was in 1979..we were on a camping trip scout's..we stoped there it was 2.50 a person i recall. I still stop to visit thete when i travel up north .from fl. Fun ,fun
If you folks want to hear nicely - restored Mortier dance organs and orchestrions like those found at the House on the Rock (like the "Peacock", "Mikado", and non-playing facade-only"Minerva" and "Blue Danube"), then I can recommend the following public places that have these instruments on display, playable : 1. Former Ghysels organ collection, now located in Kallo, Belgium and open to the public. Belgium is the true home of the dance organ, being the country where most of them were used in the original era, and also where most of the classic mid and late-period instruments were built (most of the earliest dance organs were built in France for the Belgian market). The city of Antwerp, Belgium was (and in some cases, is) home to world-famous builders such as Mortier, the Decap brothers, the Bursens family, etc. Belgium in general (outside of Antwerp) is also the location of many other great dance organ builders, including Hooghuys, Duwyn, Fasano, Pierre Verbeeck, Koenigsberg, and more recently, Johnny Verbeeck and Decap Herentals. Here's the web page for this collection: www.mechamusica.be/index.php/en/society/memu-in-de-pers-2/20-english/society/20-guided-tours-in-the-former-ghysels-collection ...
.. 2. Cafe des Orgues in Herzeele, France. Three or four original Mortier dance organs, located in a venue with a dance floor. www.yelp.fr/biz/le-caf%C3%A9-des-orgues-herzeele?ytprail=1 ...
3. Museum Dansant, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands (hope I spelt that correctly). Wonderful museum dedicated to the history of the dance organ, ranging from one of the oldest Marenghi organs in existence (a very early dance organ built in 1902), through Mortier and Decap organs, to a Decap "Robot Organ" built, I think, in the 1950s which is highly entertaining to watch. www.museumdansant.nl/ ...
... 4. Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement (National Museum "From Musical Clock to Street Organ"), Utrecht, Netherlands. This is probably the finest museum devoted to self playing musical instruments in the entire world. It is not the largest, but the instruments are treated and displayed with such reverence and dignity (compared to many other public museums and displays). Besides excelling in fantastic conservation, restoration, and presentation of highly original instruments, I firmly believe that in connecting these instruments to the public, and making them RELEVANT and INTERESTING, this museum really excels. They have a fine representative collection of dance organs as well as MANY other kinds of self playing musical instruments, all completely real and authentic. www.museumspeelklok.nl/
+Andrew Barrett If you can't afford to get over to Europe to see these fine museums anytime soon, there are several places you can go stateside to see/hear Mortier organs... 5. The Music House Museum in Traverse City, Michigan. This is a nice and well-run museum with a wide variety of instruments: musichouse.org/ ...
+Andrew Barrett ... 6. Stahl's Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, Michigan, is a great car museum with several large and rare automatic instruments: TWO Mortier organs, a Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina, a Mills Double Violano-Virtuoso (electrically playing two violins and piano), a Wurlitzer PianOrchestra orchestrion, and an Imhof & Mukle cylinder organ-orchestrion from the 19th century. All of these instruments are restored and playable, and the collection is well worth a visit. They also have a great Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ there, and well-known current day theatre organists sometimes come play this instrument. stahlsauto.com/
Been there , it was absolute the most fascinating things I've ever seen. Worth three times the price . I could care less if the collections were fake .
It's amazing! Traumatized me as a kid so I was excited to experience it as an adult. Finally made the trip and it's so cool. Maybe not for younger kids though. I keep some of the postcards I bought at the gift shop framed on the wall.
Not sure if you covered this yet, I haven't watched all of your videos, but Devil's Kettle on the Brule river in Minnesota is interesting. Google it. 1/2 of the river disappears down a hole and no one has been able to find where it goes.
Yes! I saw it when I was young. I STILL love it and I'm 48. I haven't been back in 20 years, but it still haunts my memories (in a good way). But it was so musty and and full of mildew. I guess that's part of the charm? LOL
We went here last year and yes they had thousands of xmas santas and decorations ,just totally over the top ! As for everything else ,its exactly as you say and just totally overwhelming with the enormity of the exhibits Fakes ??? awh but I suppose some may be ??? Still great experience !!!!
Saw this place probably 1976, on a road trip with my parents. Want to go back one day. Glad to see it is still there and wasn't a dream. Trying to explain what is there is not really possible, even pictures do not do it.
Aaron Kielisch Totally. In a lot of the orchestras, it seems parts are actually playing, drums for example, and some are totally faked like the wind instruments
Andrew Barrett is certainly correct about the player pianos being genuine in producing music, and I have no reason to quarrel with his comments on the other instruments. There is the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht, the Netherlands which houses an array of fantastic music-making machines, including self-playing violins. Amazing theater-fairground-street organs and orchestrions are there to captivate, and are kept in operation by dedicated staff members.
I've seen some of those musical displays and not all are fake IMO. The first time I was there it was only the house, and I was able to pull a book off the shelf, sit on a couch and read it. I bet you can't do that anymore :-(
I go visit the house once a yr..just a go old road trip..from fl...as a kid we went there on a weekend trip.from chicago in 1974..it was small back then..they have a nice golf course..at the resort..they own we stay there..the place is a 1980 s decor..stuck in a time worp..but well cared for..I would say go visit the h.o.t.r. and the resort..some of the music things work..some don't..no biggie..I enjoy looking at them..I wish they would get the big pipe organ working..again..it did in the 1980s I recall..someone was playing it when we visited..it's in 2 swell box's..the pedal div is all wurlitzer wood pipe up 2 ..32 ft.with the beater box's.under them..
Cool video, I've ever been there, but read about it in _American Gods_ and seriously wondered about it. It would have been nice to see some exterior shots aside from a brief cartoon graphic.
Dave Hill It's tough to see a good exterior, as the whole thing is kind of obscured by trees, but I should have shown this! www.google.com/maps/place/The+House+on+the+Rock/@43.1004402,-90.1355051,260m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87fd7a18939f6277:0x8fe1bb5755f6831 Gives a good sense of the sprawling scale!
Atlas Obscura Wow, it really does. Interesting -- I'd always pictured it as much more ...well, prairie-like in setting. And sort of, um, up on a rock. That'll show me. Thanks.
To be clear, some of the stuff is real, some is not. Some of the instruments really play. Some of the music comes from hidden instruments (pipe organs). Some is recordings. Some of the artifacts are real. Some are reproductions. Part of the magic is not knowing what is real and what is not.
I disagree with the self playing instrument part, because when I went a month ago, in the blue room, the Russian music room, the violins were not moving, and there was no sound of violins, not to mention I could tell the piano was very out of tune.
It was used heavily on location in season two of American Gods on Starz. If you think it's already insane, imagine what it was like having Sweringen from Deadwood strolling around, playing on the giant carousel whilst pretending to be Odin!
I've always loved the pictures of this place and wanted to visit, I'm a little sad that you told me it's fake but I guess if I ever got there I would have been able to tell, I have a little experience with midi self playing instruments so it should be pretty obvious when you're looking at them running. also I live in New York so would be one heck of a pilgrimage.
Wear comfortable shoes, you need stamina to get all the way through it. You can't possibly see everything worth seeing in one day. For families staying in the Dells and day tripping there is great.
It's a family tradition passed on to me from my father whom was a veteran of WW2 and he was a truck driver for over 35 years. He was in action in Germany and he would be very upset with the house on the rock. So they need to fix this problem. #PRESTON151LINE
Oh man. We were here a few years ago. As a I kid I LOVED it. This last time, yeah, not so much. It was dirty and completely run down. Even as irony it got old. We got to a door marked "This way to (a list of even more crap)" which made my husband exclaim. "Oh, man!" Pure exasperation. That sums it up.
briedank It's shaggy dog charm isn't for everyone. When I got to that point, where I thought it couldn't go on any more and it just kept going, it was like giving in to the hallucination. Like, "oh I may never leave this place. I shall make it my home forever."
briedank We could not get out. I begged the staff at the snack bar (at about the mid-point) to just let us exit early because my elderly mother couldn't walk any more. They refused. We were in that place for nearly 4 hours. I wanted my money back. In fact, I wanted them to pay ME for enduring it! Never again.
That is silly, for them not to let you exit. What if there was a fire? Sorry to hear about your experience. My mother barely made it 4 hours of walking and the many steps you have to take.
As a person with a musical ear, how exactly would have the mind to fake an old mechanical musical machine? If you go to the attraction, the mechanical musical machines are ALL out of tune, and very old sounding. Personally I don’t think these machines are fake, because the music comes from the machines themselves and not a speaker. I don’t think they’d take an off tune track on a speaker. Don’t you think they’d keep the tune pristine and on point?
When I first visited HoTR a long time ago, it was clear that most of the self playing instruments really worked. But over the years they have fallen into disrepair, so many of the parts go through the motions, but the instruments don't actually play themselves anymore, and instead their original sounds, recorded at some time in the past, now emanate from hidden speakers. So it is unjust and inaccurate to call them fake. If you want to see self playing instruments that are similar or identical to those at the HoTR and which still actually work, I suggest the Bayernhof Museum in Pittsburgh and the DeBence Antique Music World in Franklin, PA.
After I went to this place, Art Museums have never been the same. Going around the maze of the Steam Room just made me realize how complex everything was here and I just wanted to stop and stare for hours at a single room filled with ideas and movement. It was like a dream world, a theme park for my eyes. I think if I went again I would find even more things!
Been there; well worth the visit. It's definitely one of those places that has "something for everyone".
Cambium29 Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
My mom told me about this place a few years ago, so we went & I have been absolutely obsessed ever since. my daughter loved it, we had such a great time. so many of the collections match my personal interests. I'm definitely going again this coming spring
This is my favorite place to go. It really blows your mind.
Even if the story is not "real", the fact that he was an eccentric being is a story and a realm worth digging deeper into. Fascinating. I've been there several times. There definitely are other wordly energies there. It is impossible to acquire all those items, without the energy they've acquired, staying with them.
I am _dying_ to hear some ghost stories from this place!! 👻😱
Dear Dylan (and all TH-cam users reading this):
I appreciate the great lengths to which you've gone to produce this fantastic video about the House on the Rock.
However, as an enthusiast of automatic musical instruments, and someone who has been studying the instruments at HotR in particular (and personally visited there in 2006), I can tell you straight out that NOT ALL of the instruments at the House are fake.
Many are original instruments in basically unaltered, or lightly altered (electrified if originally spring or weight driven) condition, whether currently playable or not, including:
the Regina, (three, including an upright 27" single disc model, and two disc - changing models on display in the hallways of the Music of Yesterday), Kalliope and Polyphon upright disc musical boxes on display in the halls of the Music of Yesterday, before the "Red Room";
the Aida and Eldorado cylinder piano orchestrions also in the same hallways;
the Swiss railway-station-style cylinder musical box (on display in the Streets of Yesterday in a doll exhibit);
the large house/"store" with lots of cylinder and disc musical boxes in the "little village" with the hot air balloons in the Transportation Building;
the Vincent Llarnes "Faventia" cylinder piano (also in a SoY doll exhibit);
the Wurlitzer 3534 OR Poirot cylinder organ with tambourine, saucer bells, and brass trumpets (silent on the path to the Streets of Yesterday);
the 1927 Seeburg KT orchestrion (coin-op) with modified front and glass, quite playable on the trail to the SoY;
the 1970s Aeolian orchestrion (piano, accordion, and drums) that is or was in the Pizza restaurant;
the Encore Banjo (coin-op) located in the Transportation Building near the little village;
the Mills Double Violano-Virtuoso (two violins and piano), that was located in the anteroom before the Streets of Yesterday, but which I think is currently out for restoration;
the Gebruder Bruder 80-keyless fairground organ fully restored on the floor of the Transportation Building, near the little village;
the Welte cylinder organ - orchestrion in the Doll Carousel exhibit (originally weight-driven, but now electrified and coin-op);
the 65-note push-up piano player (Simplex?), located in the "music salon" glassed in behind sliding doors on the path between the Heritage of the Sea and Transportation Buildings;
and perhaps most impressively of all, the original Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina model A in the same aforementioned "music salon", which is restored and NOT coin-op, but is demonstrated by a docent on request from visitors.
This latter instrument really plays three real violins and piano, and was built in the 'teens in Leipzig, Germany. You can see videos of similar ones in varying states of regulation and repair on TH-cam. There are only about 50 original ones known to exist in the world (out of a couple thousand built), and most are either in museums or large private collections.
...in addition to these, the HotR also has many original automatic instruments which have been greatly modified in terms of the case and appearance. These include:
1. Link style E coin piano with xylophone. This instrument has had the upper front glass doors and top panel (over the roll frame) removed, a newer ornamental glass panel installed replacing the solid lower front panel (to permit viewing the electric motor, suction pump, and piano stack in action), and many grotesque carvings screwed to the piano legs, all the way up the sides, and along the top of the case. Also, this piano has had it's keytops swapped from the normal original ivory naturals and ebony accidentals to a reversed coloration (black naturals, white accidentals), more normally found on 18th century keyboard instruments. In its modified guise here, this piano is the first playable instrument in the "Music of Yesterday", and is nicknamed the "Absinthe House Piano". If you would like to see and hear a practically unaltered Link E piano, there is one in the gift shop of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.
2. Reproduco piano/organ, built by the Operators Piano Co. of Chicago, Illinois in the late 'teens or early '20s. Videos of original Reproducos playing well are available on TH-cam. However, the one at HotR has a newer vibraphone / glockenspiel added and is displayed as a nonplaying prop as part of the "Miss Kitty's Boudoir" "fantasy music machine" (i.e. mostly fake-playing instruments, real-playing percussion).
3. Stern Co. (Villigen, Germany) "Eldorado" small cylinder-piano-orchestrion. This is one of two Eldorados at the House (the larger one is less modified and listed in my previous post). This smaller one is still mechanically and musically mostly original (although the originally weight-driven clockwork motor has been modified for electric operation), BUT the case has been mostly replaced with a new one, and moving figures/statues added in the top, and the resulting instrument dubbed the "puppet piano".
4. Chickering Ampico reproducing grand piano. Probably built in the 1920s, this piano currently resides in the middle of the "Moon of Manakoora" "fantasy music machine" as a nonfunctional prop. Luckily many other Ampicos can be seen and heard on TH-cam, and are also found for sale on Craigslist and eBay, for folks who want one.
...list of modified original instruments continued...
5. Mortier 84-key organ - orchestrion. This instrument was sold by Hathaway and Bowers in the 1960s, having had the top part of the facade arch cut away by a previous owner to form a break-arch, and also with all of the percussion missing. Now, restored with replicated Mortier-style percussion (bass drum, snare drum, cymbal, triangle, wood block), 4 added (really playing) accordions, 2 added (miming) Decap saxophones, added non-original tympani drum, and now playing a 92-key scale, it is known as "the Peacock" and (with the exception of the saxophones whose sound is created by a rank of saxophone organ pipes), really plays! There are no synthesizers in this instrument!
... list of modified original instruments continued. . .
6. Regina "Concerto" disc - operated piano orchestrion. The piano plate (and soundboard?) for this instrument, as well as the bedplate, star wheels and gantrys, piano and percussion hammers and connecting linkages to the star wheels, is mounted in a new case (with non-original drums and tanbourine) and totally unplayable (no drive mechanism or motor connected to the disc drive spur wheel; unrestored, perhaps no soundboard), on display as a curiosity piece to the left of the entrance of the "Music of Yesterday" exhibit.
That it is currently in such a state is a damn shame, since these instruments are quite rare today.
A few can be heard on TH-cam under the titles "Regina Concerto" or "Polyphon Concerto". I hope this one is eventually properly restored, and is kept in a climate - controlled environment and tuned once a month, since it's a really neat instrument, and very few instruments of this type (disc-operated pianos) are on display in public locations anywhere in the world.
7. large Mortier dance organ, circa 1912. I'm not sure where the chassis to this fine Mortier organ is now (probably either in storage in the House workshops or sold to a private collector), but its facade, now greatly modified with all manner of tacky carvings, extra wooden panels, statues and carvings added (and chandeliers!!!), now forms the giant facade for the "Blue Danube" "fantasy music machine". This one, in my opinion, is the tackiest of the "fantasy music machines", and should be dismantled, with the original Mortier facade panels restored to the original factory paint, and re-united with the original chassis. A sister organ (practically identical facade) in much more original condition exists, playable and still used for dancing, at the Cafe des Orgues in Herzeele, France. It is one of three or four large Mortier organs (of various ages and key sizes) on display in this small public cafe. The Herzeele 84-key Mortier was built in 1912, and that's the date (within a year either way) I'd give for the one at HotR.
+Andrew Barrett I appreciate the level of expertise! Correction noted!
Andrew Barrett thank you for letting everyone know that many of the instruments are truly played. my heart was breaking at first. I haven't been there in 20 years but I used to go once a year and it is awesome . I am glad it still is going strong.
Oh man, I thought this was just a thing from American Gods! So cool... I want to go.
All the places are real!
SmokingMagicMask I’ve been, and it’s truly beautiful
Season 2 premiere was amazing!!!
I haven’t been and I so want to plan a road trip to see it this summer!
American Gods is my favorite TV series
SmokingMagicMask... I know!!! Same, like now I’m thinking how come I never heard about this. Need to take my fiancé to this place after this whole coronavirus is done
I remember going there in the late 80's as a child. I've read they have added to it since then. To this day I still can't make complete sense out of the place. It's just such a unique experience.
one of the greatest man made creations I've come across in all of the US.. maybe the most as far as man made.. just wow. Unforgettable in every way
I think saying it’s ALL fake is a bold statement. What about all the little artifacts and collectibles? For instance, the coin-operated music boxes from Victorian-era railway stations. Would you suggest that every single item in the attraction is a fabrication or remake?
Edit: If you get a chance, read “Never Enough: The Creative Life of Alex Jordan.” Some of the information in this video seems to have come from that book. The author was a sculptor for Alex Jordan and knew him very well. If you want to dive into the truth behind his collections, and his mind (like I have), I highly recommend it.
Thanks for the tip!
WOW This is now officially on my bucket list!!!!
So American Gods S2 E1 has made me aware of this fantastical place. What a beautiful secret.
i wish he would not be so honest. its a dream not reality. the stage is an expression of a mind of all time....like x 1000
Enjoy visiting. Awesome gift shop. Looking forward to visiting again.💓💞💓💞
This was an amazing place to visit. It took me and my family 6 hours to complete our tour. For me the infinity room was the best.
I wish someone would do a good documentary about all the stuff in the House on the Rock. I really want to know the backstories behind all of the stuff there.
It's kitschy heaven! I credit this place for my eclectic love of art. This place is gawdy AND elegant.
Came here when I was about 12 on a road trip with my parents, aunt, sister, and cousin, while we were driving back to Chicago from the Dells. I was totally amazed by it too. Such a bizarre, yet amazing place.
I enjoy your videos, btw. Cheers.
I went to visit it the other day with my family and I loved it. What an experience! Some things are obviously replicas, but there's a mixture of genuine collections in there too. Doesn't matter. It doesn't detract from its charm and insanity. Everyone should go visit. I'd go again even if everything were 100% fake.
iVersional Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
I just went there an also loved it but I thought that the dolls were a little creepy
Isn't there a riff on this in one of Neil Gaiman's books? American Gods, maybe?
Dianne Durante OH MY GOSH YES!! I remember that part in the book! That part was trippy...
I'm from CA though so it will be a long time since I can go visit :')
I guess the video should have mentioned it twice since you missed it 🤭
FINALLY SOMEONE EXPLAINED THIS PLACE THAT MAKES SENSE
The House on the Rock is great, but an even more wondrous place that's nearby is Dr. Evermor's Forevertron in North Freedom, Wisconsin. This is the real deal and I was lucky enough to meet the creator, Dr. Evermor, when I visited in 2005. Highly recommended!
Lin Simpson I love Dr. Evermore's Forevertron! He helped build House on the Rock way back in the day! He built the organ room, if I remember correctly.
Lin Simpson Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
Lin Simpson YES! Love Dr. Evernmr's Forevertron!
Well done! I just went to the house on the rock, but when I got there, the gates were closed, so we flew our drones over the house. It was a great view, but It would have been much cooler to actually see it in person. I just subbed your channel, cant wait to see more from you. Cheers!
thank you so so much.....love learning new things!
I am becoming a bigger fan each video! Keep up the great work.
Thanks!
One of my best friends lives in WI and he has been there twice! We're both fans of Neil Gaiman and the House is mentioned in his book American Gods.
If I ever manage to visit WI, I am definitely going there!! ( I mean... I guess I could also visit my friend...)
Also, could you do a video on The Winchester mystery house in San Jose CA? That place is so cool! The wife of the guy who owned the Winchester rifle company was obsessed with spirits and seances so she made a crazy house to thwart them.
Oooh, that sounds interesting. Thanks, I'll look it up!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House
This place gives off the same energy as Meow Wolf and City Museum
Your videos are very cool! You're a great storyteller. Thanks!
+Scott McCallum Thanks so much! Appreciate you watching them!
+Atlas Obscura I'm doing a brochure on Wisconsin for a project and this is perfect
+Jonathan Macias thanks
What wonderful thing to not have known about...I've started to believe there was nothing left to see in this world . Cant wait to visit
Our first trip there was in 1979..we were on a camping trip scout's..we stoped there it was 2.50 a person i recall. I still stop to visit thete when i travel up north .from fl. Fun ,fun
If you folks want to hear nicely - restored Mortier dance organs and orchestrions like those found at the House on the Rock (like the "Peacock", "Mikado", and non-playing facade-only"Minerva" and "Blue Danube"), then I can recommend the following public places that have these instruments on display, playable :
1. Former Ghysels organ collection, now located in Kallo, Belgium and open to the public. Belgium is the true home of the dance organ, being the country where most of them were used in the original era, and also where most of the classic mid and late-period instruments were built (most of the earliest dance organs were built in France for the Belgian market). The city of Antwerp, Belgium was (and in some cases, is) home to world-famous builders such as Mortier, the Decap brothers, the Bursens family, etc. Belgium in general (outside of Antwerp) is also the location of many other great dance organ builders, including Hooghuys, Duwyn, Fasano, Pierre Verbeeck, Koenigsberg, and more recently, Johnny Verbeeck and Decap Herentals. Here's the web page for this collection: www.mechamusica.be/index.php/en/society/memu-in-de-pers-2/20-english/society/20-guided-tours-in-the-former-ghysels-collection
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.. 2. Cafe des Orgues in Herzeele, France. Three or four original Mortier dance organs, located in a venue with a dance floor. www.yelp.fr/biz/le-caf%C3%A9-des-orgues-herzeele?ytprail=1
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3. Museum Dansant, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands (hope I spelt that correctly). Wonderful museum dedicated to the history of the dance organ, ranging from one of the oldest Marenghi organs in existence (a very early dance organ built in 1902), through Mortier and Decap organs, to a Decap "Robot Organ" built, I think, in the 1950s which is highly entertaining to watch.
www.museumdansant.nl/
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4. Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement (National Museum "From Musical Clock to Street Organ"), Utrecht, Netherlands. This is probably the finest museum devoted to self playing musical instruments in the entire world. It is not the largest, but the instruments are treated and displayed with such reverence and dignity (compared to many other public museums and displays).
Besides excelling in fantastic conservation, restoration, and presentation of highly original instruments, I firmly believe that in connecting these instruments to the public, and making them RELEVANT and INTERESTING, this museum really excels. They have a fine representative collection of dance organs as well as MANY other kinds of self playing musical instruments, all completely real and authentic. www.museumspeelklok.nl/
+Andrew Barrett If you can't afford to get over to Europe to see these fine museums anytime soon, there are several places you can go stateside to see/hear Mortier organs...
5. The Music House Museum in Traverse City, Michigan. This is a nice and well-run museum with a wide variety of instruments: musichouse.org/
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+Andrew Barrett ...
6. Stahl's Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, Michigan, is a great car museum with several large and rare automatic instruments:
TWO Mortier organs,
a Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina,
a Mills Double Violano-Virtuoso (electrically playing two violins and piano), a Wurlitzer PianOrchestra orchestrion,
and an Imhof & Mukle cylinder organ-orchestrion from the 19th century.
All of these instruments are restored and playable, and the collection is well worth a visit. They also have a great Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ there, and well-known current day theatre organists sometimes come play this instrument.
stahlsauto.com/
Been there , it was absolute the most fascinating things I've ever seen. Worth three times the price . I could care less if the collections were fake .
It's amazing! Traumatized me as a kid so I was excited to experience it as an adult. Finally made the trip and it's so cool. Maybe not for younger kids though. I keep some of the postcards I bought at the gift shop framed on the wall.
I'm on video 49 and still loving them, thanks for all the interesting info.
Probably the most important video on TH-cam.
Not sure if you covered this yet, I haven't watched all of your videos, but Devil's Kettle on the Brule river in Minnesota is interesting. Google it. 1/2 of the river disappears down a hole and no one has been able to find where it goes.
Someone else just suggested this! Looks like it's fate for me to do it! And as a Minnesotan I have a responsibility to share the Midwestern wonders!
Brule? For your health!
Yes! I saw it when I was young. I STILL love it and I'm 48. I haven't been back in 20 years, but it still haunts my memories (in a good way). But it was so musty and and full of mildew. I guess that's part of the charm? LOL
That place is flat out overwhelming to behold. Everyone should at some point in their lives visit. But make it a 2 day trip!
Thanks for the video. Roman Mars threw this on fb. I'm glad he did. I'm from a Chicago suburb and might plan to head up there this summer. Thanks.
Cathleen Koss You definitely should! It is a singular place.
Cathleen Koss Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
We went here last year and yes they had thousands of xmas santas and decorations ,just totally over the top !
As for everything else ,its exactly as you say and just totally overwhelming with the enormity of the exhibits
Fakes ??? awh but I suppose some may be ??? Still great experience !!!!
Distracted by the horrendously ponderous refresh rate of the marvelous (early 80s?) computer in the background😛
Saw this place probably 1976, on a road trip with my parents. Want to go back one day. Glad to see it is still there and wasn't a dream. Trying to explain what is there is not really possible, even pictures do not do it.
One of the only ways I can describe it is a Panic! At The Disco album cover come to life
I just went today for the first time and it was an amazing experience!
Some of the instruments do play, but not all of them.
Aaron Kielisch Totally. In a lot of the orchestras, it seems parts are actually playing, drums for example, and some are totally faked like the wind instruments
Aaron Kielisch Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
I was there and I cannot wait to go back someday. It is soooo amazing!
Someone eat some boomers and walk through that place. Please, anyone. You will forever be a legend
Did it today 😜
Andrew Barrett is certainly correct about the player pianos being genuine in producing music, and I have no reason to quarrel with his comments on the other instruments. There is the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht, the Netherlands which houses an array of fantastic music-making machines, including self-playing violins. Amazing theater-fairground-street organs and orchestrions are there to captivate, and are kept in operation by dedicated staff members.
These videos ROCK!
Thanks for those years sharing Reid's with Reeves, enjoy those Pitcher's, I guess. From Texas, apologies our families toughed it out. Good luck
I went there as a kid, and someday I would love to return!
One of the only ways I can describe it is a Panic! At The Disco video come to life
ive been here. its a must see!!!!!!! crazy cool
I don't think it's a hoax with created armor or additional speakers, I see it more as an art collection pushing the boundaries of what's possible
Awesome page man
I've seen some of those musical displays and not all are fake IMO. The first time I was there it was only the house, and I was able to pull a book off the shelf, sit on a couch and read it. I bet you can't do that anymore :-(
I go visit the house once a yr..just a go old road trip..from fl...as a kid we went there on a weekend trip.from chicago in 1974..it was small back then..they have a nice golf course..at the resort..they own we stay there..the place is a 1980 s decor..stuck in a time worp..but well cared for..I would say go visit the h.o.t.r. and the resort..some of the music things work..some don't..no biggie..I enjoy looking at them..I wish they would get the big pipe organ working..again..it did in the 1980s I recall..someone was playing it when we visited..it's in 2 swell box's..the pedal div is all wurlitzer wood pipe up 2 ..32 ft.with the beater box's.under them..
I went there as kid, spent hours looking at everything.
Great place of worship.
Hell yeah! I felt same when I was there. Useless awesomeness
We discovered a nightclub . . . inside a cave . . . inside a castle . . . on an Island . . . in the Caribbean. Very Cool! (Find it near Punta Cana)
Cool video, I've ever been there, but read about it in _American Gods_ and seriously wondered about it. It would have been nice to see some exterior shots aside from a brief cartoon graphic.
Dave Hill It's tough to see a good exterior, as the whole thing is kind of obscured by trees, but I should have shown this!
www.google.com/maps/place/The+House+on+the+Rock/@43.1004402,-90.1355051,260m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87fd7a18939f6277:0x8fe1bb5755f6831
Gives a good sense of the sprawling scale!
Atlas Obscura Wow, it really does. Interesting -- I'd always pictured it as much more ...well, prairie-like in setting. And sort of, um, up on a rock. That'll show me. Thanks.
Ha, yeah, its more like a house on a rock surround by half a dozen massive warehouses hidden in the woods. But that has less curb appeal I think.
Dave Hill Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
The walkthrough is amazing. Better to name off things you dont see.
To be clear, some of the stuff is real, some is not. Some of the instruments really play. Some of the music comes from hidden instruments (pipe organs). Some is recordings.
Some of the artifacts are real. Some are reproductions.
Part of the magic is not knowing what is real and what is not.
Just found out this place is literally two hours away from where I go to school I NEED to go.
You must go , ASASP !!!! I've been there ,it's incredible
I just went there yesterday!
Now the musical instruments used to play in real time. These may be "fake" today but a lot of this stuff (the music stuff) IS real
I swear it's bigger on the inside than the outside.
I saw the house on the rock in a show called American Gods. So now I want to see it.
I disagree with the self playing instrument part, because when I went a month ago, in the blue room, the Russian music room, the violins were not moving, and there was no sound of violins, not to mention I could tell the piano was very out of tune.
Big deal !!
Good video
Thank you!
It was used heavily on location in season two of American Gods on Starz. If you think it's already insane, imagine what it was like having Sweringen from Deadwood strolling around, playing on the giant carousel whilst pretending to be Odin!
_Pretending_ to be Odin?? The Man _is_ Odin!! 😜
I mean, its in the book.
Not specifically the second season of an adaptation on a specific channel.
I just got done taking a trip there it was the coolest thing ever
I went there as a kid also. It is the strangest almost surreal experience I had ever had. Hoarders nightmare or dream house?
I've always loved the pictures of this place and wanted to visit, I'm a little sad that you told me it's fake but I guess if I ever got there I would have been able to tell, I have a little experience with midi self playing instruments so it should be pretty obvious when you're looking at them running. also I live in New York so would be one heck of a pilgrimage.
EnAimBoy many of the orchestrions are really playing their instruments.
That gun may look ridiculous, but yes, they were legitimately produced... until it was figured out how dangerous they were, of course,
Love this place and I don't believe you. You're the kid that tells other kids that Santa Claus isn't real.
Live next door, worked there in the early 60ts, Sold farm to him.
When i first saw this on American god i was wishing it was real and to find out it is just WOOOOOOOW amazing
Need to see this place. I first heard about it in American Gods
Reminds of a the bragg of mcragg cartoon. If you haven't heard of it it's on TH-cam. A great cartoon.
Wear comfortable shoes, you need stamina to get all the way through it. You can't possibly see everything worth seeing in one day. For families staying in the Dells and day tripping there is great.
It's a family tradition passed on to me from my father whom was a veteran of WW2 and he was a truck driver for over 35 years. He was in action in Germany and he would be very upset with the house on the rock. So they need to fix this problem. #PRESTON151LINE
Who's here after American Gods?
You could sell air from your lungs with this much love and excitement, you beautiful thing.
I've been in 2000 so cool
the drums are real
Some of the stuff is real. The one gun room with all of the dueling pistols. Some of the cars. The dolls. A few other things.
Interesting video, though the Statue of Liberty stat is incorrect. The whale is 200ft and the Statue of Liberty is just over 300ft tall.
Isn't that the point? I thought everything was fake?
Green Lakes State park is like no other in the world.
It takes SO LONG to get through
Oh man. We were here a few years ago. As a I kid I LOVED it. This last time, yeah, not so much. It was dirty and completely run down. Even as irony it got old. We got to a door marked "This way to (a list of even more crap)" which made my husband exclaim. "Oh, man!" Pure exasperation. That sums it up.
briedank It's shaggy dog charm isn't for everyone. When I got to that point, where I thought it couldn't go on any more and it just kept going, it was like giving in to the hallucination. Like, "oh I may never leave this place. I shall make it my home forever."
briedank Fan page for Alex Jordan Jr. House on the Rock. facebook.com/alexjordanshouseontherock
briedank We could not get out. I begged the staff at the snack bar (at about the mid-point) to just let us exit early because my elderly mother couldn't walk any more. They refused. We were in that place for nearly 4 hours. I wanted my money back. In fact, I wanted them to pay ME for enduring it! Never again.
That is silly, for them not to let you exit. What if there was a fire? Sorry to hear about your experience. My mother barely made it 4 hours of walking and the many steps you have to take.
Brett Saladino Vindicated! :)
I wen there and it was amazing.
It's like a museum but not really
+Purple Puppy maybe a fauxseum?
American pickers turned me on to this😊
Many of the items are real, not fake.
As a person with a musical ear, how exactly would have the mind to fake an old mechanical musical machine? If you go to the attraction, the mechanical musical machines are ALL out of tune, and very old sounding. Personally I don’t think these machines are fake, because the music comes from the machines themselves and not a speaker. I don’t think they’d take an off tune track on a speaker. Don’t you think they’d keep the tune pristine and on point?
your a dream crusher :(
When I first visited HoTR a long time ago, it was clear that most of the self playing instruments really worked. But over the years they have fallen into disrepair, so many of the parts go through the motions, but the instruments don't actually play themselves anymore, and instead their original sounds, recorded at some time in the past, now emanate from hidden speakers. So it is unjust and inaccurate to call them fake.
If you want to see self playing instruments that are similar or identical to those at the HoTR and which still actually work, I suggest the Bayernhof Museum in Pittsburgh and the DeBence Antique Music World in Franklin, PA.
@atlasobsura check out tinker town in New Mexico for something truly bizarre