At Marsh’s Free Museum, visit Jake the Alligator Man and marvel at a two-headed calf. A long-time favorite Long Beach attraction, the curio shop and museum features a shrunken head from the South American Jivaro Indians, a human skeleton found in a nearby Aberdeen closet and seashells galore. Investigate this entertaining stop, fun for all ages.
Learn the history of this unusual site. Wellington Marsh, Sr. moved to Long Beach in 1935 and opened a tavern. During a Florida family vacation in the 1940s, he saw successful souvenir shell shops. Upon his return, Marsh decided to attempt such a shop in Washington. He imported rare shells and grew a collection, which was taken over by his family after he died in 1977.
Meet the mummified cult figure, Jake the Alligator Man. This half-man, half-alligator is a Northwest celebrity with his own bumper sticker and fan club. He’s sold more than 30,000 postcards. A news story once detailed Jake’s mysterious history, including an escape from captivity and the birthing of an alligator baby. It’s more commonly believed that Jake was created by Homer Tate, a sideshow character and oddities artist, in the early 1900s. T-shirts decorated with Jake’s image are available to purchase.
Continue to the stuffed yak, Russian boar and eight-legged lamb. Enjoy the penny arcade, have your fortune told or play an old-time mechanical baseball game.
Antiques are everywhere here, even on the ceiling. Look for the roulette wheel from the Alaska gold rush era, an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner, lifejackets from the Queen Mary and rare music makers, including a Seaburg H Model Solo Orchestrion that simulates a seven-person orchestra.
With its coastal location, Marsh’s Free Museum has numerous ocean-inspired items. View the numerous glass fishing floats and the world-class collection of seashells. The shop gives more than a million seashells annually to visitors. Take home your free seashell and purchase a gift or two. Choose from whimsical, traditional and strange items in all price ranges.
Find Marsh’s Free Museum in Long Beach, north of Cape Disappointment State Park. The museum is open daily and has free admission.
