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All the United States Iowa Gladbrook Matchstick Marvels Museum

Matchstick Marvels Museum

A single artist is behind these large-scale models made of hundreds of thousands of two-inch wooden matchsticks.

Gladbrook, Iowa

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Daniel Erickson
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A model of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry   Scott Fiddelke/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
A model of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry   Scott Fiddelke/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
A model of Chartres Cathedral.   Scott Fiddelke/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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About

Patrick Acton of Gladbrook, Iowa has been building detailed scale models with wooden matchsticks for nearly 40 years. In that time he’s created around 70 elaborate designs, from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Wright Brothers’ Flyer.

The Matchstick Marvels Museum is where these painstaking creations are displayed. At any time, about 20 models can be viewed by the public, most of which are large scale creations. Acton’s model of Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings, for example, is over six feet tall, while his model of the battleship USS Iowa stretches a full 13 feet. Other models include the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, the Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter, the Space Shuttle Challenger, and a fire-breathing dragon.

Each model is comprised of hundreds of thousands of two-inch matchsticks, which Acton has spent hours shaping, warping, and gluing together with careful precision in an impressive one-man operation. For those interested in the all the work that happens ahead of construction, Acton’s drawings and plans for the models are also on display, as well as the tools he uses, and a short video documentary on his process.

Matchstick Marvel Museum isn’t the only place to see Acton’s work; while most of his creations aren’t for sale, he did create several matchstick models for Ripley's Believe It or Not locations around the world. An interactive steampunk-style locomotive with wings now lives in Ripley's Times Square location.

Related Tags

Models Art Outsider Art

Know Before You Go

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 5 to 12, and under 5 is free. The museum is open from April 1 through November 30, seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is handicapped accessible.

Community Contributors

Added By

dboy58

Edited By

Martin, Greg Jones, kostas1964ath, caitlinschneider

  • Martin
  • Greg Jones
  • kostas1964ath
  • caitlinschneider

Published

February 16, 2017

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  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15658#sthash.sDJQQ91S.dpuf
  • http://www.traveliowa.com/aspx/dest.aspx?id=6936
  • http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/
  • http://www.businessinsider.com/matchstick-replica-of-minas-tirith-from-lord-of-the-rings-2014-3
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5042643/Harry-Potter-and-Lord-of-the-Rings-sculptures-made-of-matchsticks.html
Matchstick Marvels Museum
301-399 2nd St
Gladbrook, Iowa, 50635
United States
42.187812, -92.715532
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Nearby Places

Butter Cow Statue

Toledo, Iowa

miles away

Sans Souci Island

Waterloo, Iowa

miles away

Iowa's Largest Frying Pan

Brandon, Iowa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Iowa

Iowa

United States

Places 74
Stories 10

Nearby Places

Butter Cow Statue

Toledo, Iowa

miles away

Sans Souci Island

Waterloo, Iowa

miles away

Iowa's Largest Frying Pan

Brandon, Iowa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Iowa

Iowa

United States

Places 74
Stories 10

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