traer salt and pepper shaker gallery

An amazing collection of over 14000 salt and pepper shakers. Also the personal tour and meeting Ruth were great.

My husband and I saw a story on our local news about this place. We decided to go there during our vacation because it was something different and not too far from home. We were surprised by the shelves full of every possible type of shaker you can imagine. I saw several that my Grandma had when I was a kid, and it brought back memories of her. We were so lucky that we were able to meet the lady that started the collection in the 1940's. Ruth is 90 years old and in the Guinness Book for the largest collection of salt and pepper shakers. She was so sweet and you could see that it made her happy that other people enjoyed seeing them. For an off- the- beaten- path place to check out, make sure you stop by. Hopefully you will get to meet Ruth.

I took a group of senior citizens to visit the museum and was pleasantly surprised myself! The literally thousands of pairs of shakers were very well organized and displayed. The original owner of most of the collection was on site. Make sure you check out the displays in the restroom! Very handicap accessible, pleasant folks to visit with and an amazing display....well worth the stop!

If you're living in or visiting Eastern Iowa, check out Traer's spectacular Salt and Pepper Shaker Gallery. The initial collection of some 14,500 sets of salt and peppers came from a wonderful lady who just turned 90 this year, Mrs. Ruth Rasmussen. She started collecting in 1946, and eventually she and her husband displayed many sets in their home, and stored many, many more in outbuildings on their property. All were carefully documented on index cards-- which volunteers have used as they established a digital catalog of the huge collection, ensuring that each pair is part of the gallery's database.With a new building on main street and specially-built display cases, the Town of Traer has taken this local treasure trove to the next level, making it more readily accessible to the public. The displays are bright and well-organized, and knowledgeable guides can help the novice understand more about the world of salt and pepper shaker collecting. The gallery shows off shakers of all types of materials, colors, and forms, ranging from figures of pets and farm animals to machines, buildings, and U.S. presidents. The collection as a whole is a unique set of (mostly) 20th Century Americana-- and only a fraction is on display at any one time. If you or someone you know ever collected salt and pepper shakers, this is a must see. The gallery has something for visitors of all ages-- collectors or not.

The guide was so friendly and knowledgable. There were over 16,000 different sets of shakers and they still had lots in the basement to go thru and display. We were so glad that we stopped here to see these shakers.

Quite amuzing to see the huge collection from all over the world! If you have nothing to do - drop in just to see how simple things may be more than just simple.