Fall is a great time for a road trip. The autumn leaves, the apple and pumpkin farms, and the roadside attractions…
Homer Tate – Americana Art – Roadside Show Attraction Items
Homer Tate was at one time the top supplier for Roadside Stop and Side-Show attraction items. Stationed in Apache Junction, Arizona, ‘Tate’s Curiosity Shop’ supplied attractions with odd items and shrunken heads delivering them across the US. Tate created and built all the items himself. Real Borneo or Jivaro shrunken heads were illegal to own in the US, so Tate had a generous selection of hand crafted replica’s to display at roadside attractions and side shows. Homer Tate was born in 1884 and passed away in 1975. I believe he was an artist in his own right that entertained generations of road trip families for many years. This is a tribute to his work and art.
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s our family made many road trips as the car became the vacation getaway mode of transportation. I remember seeing shrunken heads and small mummies in different places we would stop. I’m sure some of them were creations by Tate. There was a place in upstate NY called Mystery Spot Park that I recall visiting with my family.
One of his more famous items, the Wolf Boy was found and featured on American Picker’s TV Show on History Channel. (Season 6, episode 2).
All photos are (c) their respective owners, shown here for the purpose of education and information. Some of these photos were found at http://www.sideshowworld.com which doesn’t look like it has been updated for many years.
parlor of horror 