Jaunt to the Museum That Celebrates The Art of Ouija Boards (If you dare…)

During one of my updates to the Paracons & Horror Fests page, I learned of the Museum of Talking Boards.

Specifically, it was the update for the Bayou City Paranormal Symposium in Conroe, Texas in March. Here’s the description of the con from their home page:

Two days of conversations, over 100 vendors, an Ouija museum, and ten hours of presentations on topics such as Cryptozoology, Ouija boards, haunted objects, paranormal research techniques and more!

All of that sounded amazing, but the Ouija board museum particularly caught my eye. I have a fondness for museums that specialize in the offbeat and macabre. I had to learn more!

Who Created a Ouija Board Museum? (And Why?)

Robert Murch is going to be one of the featured speakers at the Bayou City Paranormal Symposium. I hate to say it, but until stumbling across this paracon, I had never heard of him before.

Thank goodness the Symposium has included a very well done bio section on each of the speakers. Here’s Robert’s:

Robert Murch is the world’s foremost collector, historian, and expert on Ouija and Talking Boards and serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Talking Board Historical Society which he founded. His bizarre relationship with Ouija began after watching Kevin Tenney’s Witchboard in 1986, a century after the talking board made its debut. Murch purchased his first antique Ouija board in 1992 and became obsessed with unraveling the mystery of its origins. Since then he’s devoted his life to researching the history of the Ouija board and its founders, with Murch often traveling the world to track down descendants of all those involved with the introduction of the mystifying oracle.

So that answered two of my questions, but now I had to learn more about the museum itself…

Where is the Museum of Talking Boards?

According to the Museum’s FAQ page, or “Witchboard” as it’s cleverly titled when you get there, the Museum of Talking Boards is where they “…cover the history, lore, theory, and use of the Ouija board. There are also pictures of hundreds of antique talking boards. You won’t find anything else like it on the Internet.”

I have definitely never seen anything like it on the Internet. (If you have, be sure to leave a comment with a link below!)

The great thing is, you can visit the Museum of Talking Boards for free any time you want, because, as they put it, “the MTBs is strictly cyberspace.”

However, it appears Robert also makes appearances and brings some of his collection with him. So find out where he’ll be and you may have a chance to see some of the boards in person.

What Will I Find at the Museum of Talking Boards?

You will find a plethora of information regarding Ouija boards.

• Learn how to make a quickie DIY talking board: Position the planchette over the “yes” on the Ouija board at the top of their Home/Main page. That will take you to their Ask the Glass page. You’ll learn a brief history of the method and how to do-it yourself if you’re curious –and so inclined
• Learn how to use a talking board: Visit the museum’s Directions page.
• Discover all the Ouija board superstitions: Stop by the Ouijastitions page. They had fun with this section, which doesn’t discern between fact and folklore, because, as the museum is fond of putting it, “the Ouija has a reputation to maintain.”
• See the talking boards collection: Click on over to their Gallery.

Speaking of their talking board collection…

Did You Know So Many Different Boards Existed?

Caution: Don’t click and start looking at their collection unless you have some time to spend!

There’s what I call an Upper Gallery and a Lower Gallery. (They’re essentially just slideshows on top of each other.) They’re full of talking boards of all varieties!

Truly, these boards are art works. They may have started out as toys or games, but some creators got very clever with their designs.

One of my faves is the Haunted House one. It shows up not too many clicks in on the Lower Gallery.

Museum of Talking Boards Visitor Tips

1. All sections of the museum are accessible from the menu at the bottom of their Home page.
2. I’d suggest starting at their FAQ section. You’ll find some great info about the museum/website in general. However, you’ll also find some very entertaining Q&As, such as:

Do witches use Ouija boards?

Ouijas are non-denominational. Anyone can use a Ouija board.

The Ouija board is a tool of the Devil. Absolutely no good can come from its use, only eternal damnation.

We understand your position and recommend that you never use a Ouija board. We would never argue with you since we realize that the Ouija has a reputation to maintain.

My Ouija board has really been freaking me out! What should I do?

Well, you might want to stop using it! You shouldn’t do anything that distresses you. I’m surprised that we have to tell you this.

The other night while using our Ouija, we were attacked by a Class 5 low level elemental. Or maybe it was an astral corpse or semi-animated shell waiting to dissolve. After threatening us, it made scary noises and made the planchette fly around the room. What should we do if this happens again?

Call 911? You’re joking, right?

However, my personal fave that truly had me LOLing is this one:

What are the three things to NEVER ask a Ouija board?

One of them is: “Am I fat?” Sorry. That’s a Ouija joke. See our extensive list of superstitions, things not to do, and the possible dire consequences. Go to Ouijastitions.

How do you feel about Ouija boards? Have you ever used one? Do you own one?