Windlenot's Museum of the Strange and Unusual

Windlenot's Museum of the Strange and Unusual is the primary setting of the game Shivers.

The Dream

For years, Sir Hubert Windlenot had been searching for artifacts that would give proof on some of the more outlandish notions in the Archeological community. Most of his fellow Archeologists found the notions of searching for such things laughable, and felt he was tarnishing his own reputation. To his own credit, Windlenot never gave up, even on the dream that his findings would find a home in a museum, even if it would be his own.

Construction

After coming to America, and becoming a Professor in 1959, at a near by university, Hubert Windlenot set his plans in motion to construct his museum. He purchased some land, and broke ground in 1960. The government of Mount Pleasant, OH, had hoped it would also boost the economy. Unfortunately, he came at odds the city council in October of 1960, when he hired outside help to build the museum. Windlenot’s reason were for matter of secrecy. The following years, arguments with the mayor, and with the contractors he had hired caused delays for many years. Then in 1965, after a Christmas holiday, Windlenot had returned to find out about a Stone Mason’s strike.

In 1970, another obstacle arose in the form of the electrical permit for the museum. The mayor had threatened to deny it for the museum, possibly still upset about Windlenot’s hiring outside contractors. Windlenot had countered that by purchasing a special generator to power the whole museum. Then in 1972, Windlenot added a clock to the tower observatory of the museum. In October of the following year, the Mysteries of the Deep exhibit was the first exhibit to be totally completed. It was shortly after this that Professor Windlenot learned of the existence of the Ixupi vessels from the Mexican workers. Construction continued at a normal pace then, until after May 24th, 1977, when Windlenot purchased the vessels of the Ixupi. After that, many of the Mexican workers refused to work. They had feared the vessels, maybe remembering the legend of the Ixupi from verbal history.

By 1980, the museum was near complete, and the exhibits were almost ready. However, in September, disaster struck as two teens, Beth Ann Nelson, and Merrick Campbell, snuck into the museum while Professor Windlenot was away in Africa. They had released the Ixupi, and were killed by two of the thirteen Ixupi by the time Professor Windlenot had arrived back. Shortly after that, Windlenot had also fallen to the Ixupi. After that, the museum stood silent and empty for fifteen years.

Exhibits

Each of the Exhibits planned and set up in the museum are devoted to something unusual, regardless if it is something not proven, or something all to real. Each exhibit has an introduction, possibly recorded by someone impersonating Rod Serling, or given the time the museum was constructed and the recordings made before his passing, Rod Serling himself.

Main Entry Hall

This is literally the first room one encounters. It had no general theme, but you can pick up a brochure which will lead you on your way, and introduce one of the many puzzles that are all about the museum.

Strange Beasts

This room is devoted to the strange creatures that exist or supposedly exist, or had existed. This is not limited to creatures of legend, as some normal creatures have grown to extra ordinary sizes.

Amazing Plants

Not much to say about this exhibit, other than it focuses on plants, and the strangeness of the duality of their own existence, being both lovely and deadly.

Tombs and Curses

The main theme of this exhibit is the lengths those who have passed to guarantee they keep their possessions into the afterlife, as well as their revered dead. However, the curse is not just to protect the dead, because in some cases, it is to warn the living.

Funeral Rites

This room is devoted to the many ways, past and present, we have found to honor the dead. While some may sound bizarre, one must remember how many of these traditions still survive in some way.

Shaman

This exhibit is dedicated to the Shaman, or Medicine Man. They were the ones ancient cultures turned to heal their woes. Even today, some communities still respect the wise words of the Medicine man, and even their modern day equivalent.

Gods and Religious Items

This exhibit is dedicated the various belief systems held my many cultures through out history. No matter what the face, the stories some called religion still fascinates us to this day.

Myths and Legends

This exhibit, while some could think it is a part of the previous room, is actually devoted to the legends not around deities. The figures featured in this room are of other legends, some of which occur in may beliefs, which makes one wonder how common and unreal they are.

Planetarium

This exhibit is devoted to legends linked to space. There are locations around the planet which has claims linking them to extraterrestrial life forms.

Strange Inventions

There is nothing more unusual and so excepted as the human imagination. Inventions are one of the most tangible products, and lead to more of the same.

Man’s Inhumanity to Man

This exhibit is one of the most disturbing, because it documents our darkest nature. It is equally disturbing that such a dark topic is found so compelling, we stay longer to see it, even though it sickens us.

Puzzles

An exhibit solely devoted to Puzzles. Puzzle, are in essence, unsolved mysteries. While some have a solution, everything in the world is a puzzle, waiting to be solved, or constantly challenging us to find the solution.

Mysteries of the Deep

This exhibit is devoted to every legend linked to the sea. Even today, there are areas of the watery world that hold many mysteries yet to be solved.

Subterranean World

This secret exhibit, hidden away in the depths of the museum, is devoted to the legends linked to something within the Earth. Some of these legends are so obscure that just hearing about them once makes one do research.

Location

After using some clues, the location of the museum is off Route 57, outside the small community of Mount Pleasant, OH. This is a bit of speculation, but some research has gone into figuring it out. The first key points are from the letter sent to Professor Hubert

The Envelope showing the museum's address

Windlenot, from his family’s lawyers. Most of the address can be seen, except for the state and first five of a nine digit zip code. While most of that is obscured, the top of an O can be seen in the state location. Some research has shown that there is a actual town in Ohio named Mount Pleasant, and a Route in Ohio numbered 57. While in reality, it does not appear that Route 57 goes near the real Mount Pleasant, it is the strongest candidate for the town. The museum would be a big tourist attraction to the community when completed. Also, the town could be located near a university, which if nearby, would lead to students, such as Merrick and Beth, going to the unfinished museum, and dares to spend the night on the museum grounds.