Dark Bilious Vapors

Because just when you think you've seen everything, just when you think there's absolutely nothing out there that can possibly surprise you, something seemingly pops out of nowhere and surprises you.

Did you ever really think that a replica head of William Clarke Quantrill, the Confederate raider, would be a tourist attraction?

"It is nothing more than a curiosity."

Dover City Historical Society President Jim Nixon is conflicted when he discusses the replica human head in his care. He would like nothing better than to see it vanish or destroyed, yet he is honor-bound to protect it.

The replica head, like the man who it is sculpted to resemble, is loved by some, and hated by all the rest. It's somehow fitting that the reconstructed countenance of William Clarke Quantrill, Civil War raider, continues to vex its keepers at the Dover Carriage House Museum. Site managers Jim and his wife have probably disciplined themselves to suppress audible groans when yet another Civil War buff or student calls and asks to see the head.

What makes Quantrill's head our kind of attraction, aside from being an odd Confederate artifact in the Union state of Ohio, is that the Society stores it in a vintage refrigerator, alongside a bottle of ketchup and other condiments. The wax sculpture was found to be sweating and softening during warm summer months, and the fridge was a convenient way to assure its preservation.

The head isn't shown on regular tours unless someone asks.

"Very few people are familiar with Quantrill," explains Jim. "It would require a lengthy explanation. It's not a ninety second talk. THIS is not the focus of our existence. It is, quite honestly, a very small part of what we do."

Len on 01.03.05 @ 03:05 PM CST