Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Ohio Galloway Trap History Museum
AO Edited

Trap History Museum

If you want to build a better mousetrap, first consult this small museum's massive collection of trapping tools.

Galloway, Ohio

Added By
nortelguy
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Newhouse Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
Modern Trap Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
Modern Trap Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
Modern Trap Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
European Trap Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
The main room of the museum   Tom Parr, Sr.
Mousetrap Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
Newhouse Room   Tom Parr, Sr.
The Trap Sculpture and Tom   Tom Parr, Sr.
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This small museum in a Columbus suburb is a special place for historians and trappers that aims to preserve the heritage and history of trapping. It is the work of Tom Parr, Sr. an unassuming and very friendly older gentleman who is very involved in the North American Trappers Historical Society.

Parr operates the Trapper's World magazine and is very active in the trapper community, where he shares his wealth of knowledge about the history of the trade. Like Theodore Roosevelt, Parr is a conservationist at heart, and enjoys educating people on the humane use of traps and trapping. Now in his 70s, Parr is still an active trapper. He has assisted the state wildlife agencies in trapping, tagging, and releasing animals back into the wild for study purposes. He also assists the local airports and farmers with catching nuisance animals that cause damage or danger to others (mostly coyotes). 

The museum, which opened in 1995, has a collection of more than 5,000 traps that come from all over the world and have a variety of designs and purposes. You can see tiny traps designed to catch rabbits and rodents and large traps meant for bigger creatures like bears and elk. An entire room of the museum is dedicated to different styles of mousetraps that have been designed and patented over the last 200 years. There are thousands of mouse traps on display, from familiar snap traps to more complicated and unusual designs.

In addition to the traps themselves, the museum features a variety of items from the fur trade including early tools, animal bait, vintage advertisements, and a vast library of books. A separate building houses a collection on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, with more than 150 rare traps from the late Richard Gerstell’s collection.

There is also a taxidermy display with many different specimens, from skunks and muskrats to a wolf and a bear. Don't miss seeing the giant trap sculpture and the trapper's cabin out behind the museum building.

Related Tags

Hunting History Animals Museums And Collections Taxidermy

Know Before You Go

The museum is always open by appointment.  If you just stop by, Tom may or not be there, so it is best to call or email in advance and arrange a time.  The phone number and email are on his website.

Community Contributors

Added By

nortelguy

Published

August 11, 2021

Sources
  • http://www.traphistorymuseum.com/
  • http://www.northamericantrappers.com/tom-parr/
  • https://www.victorpest.com/articles/trap-history-museum/
Trap History Museum
6106 Bausch Rd
Galloway, Ohio, 43119
United States
39.906487, -83.157069
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park

Galloway, Ohio

miles away

Shrum Mound

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

The Slingshot

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Galloway

Galloway

Ohio

Places 2

Nearby Places

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park

Galloway, Ohio

miles away

Shrum Mound

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

The Slingshot

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Galloway

Galloway

Ohio

Places 2

Related Places

  • Chadron, Nebraska

    Museum of the Fur Trade

    This Great Plains museum pays tribute to both the prosperity and tragedy of the North American fur trade.

  • Thylacine taxidermy at the Australian Museum

    Sydney, Australia

    Thylacine Taxidermy

    A rare specimen of an iconic extinct animal in downtown Sydney.

  • Duncan, British Columbia

    Hand of Man Museum

    A former elementary school houses one man's extensive collection of art, artifacts, and taxidermy.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

  • A taxidermy hippo.

    Tervuren, Belgium

    Royal Museum for Central Africa Natural History Collections

    A fascinating and enormous collection of natural history exhibits stained by a dark colonial legacy.

  • The Komodo dragon diorama.

    New York, New York

    Komodo Dragon Diorama

    Here be dragons.

  • View of the museum ground floor with mammoth skeleton in the foreground.

    Lille, France

    Lille Natural History Museum

    An astounding collection of taxidermy, fossils, skeletons, and even a few strange live beasts.

  • Halle (Saale), Germany

    Museum of Livestock Science

    A beautiful old horse stable hosts one of the largest collections of domestic animal skeletons and taxidermy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.