Have you ever wondered what happens after death? While most find rest, some bodies embark on a stranger journey. Imagine a loved one’s remains, not peacefully buried, but exhibited for all to see. It’s a chilling thought, yet it has happened. This list explores 10 creepy corpses that, for various reasons, were once on public display. Prepare for some truly ghastly and gruesome tales from beyond the grave.
10 Luang Pho Daeng
Luang Pho Daeng was a Buddhist monk from Thailand, born in 1894. He passed away in 1973 while deep in meditation. Today, his remarkably preserved mummified body sits in the same meditative pose. It’s housed in a golden, glass-sided case at the Wat Khunaram temple on Koh Samui Island.
Early in life, Luang Pho Daeng was ordained as a monk. He later left the clergy, married, and had six children. Once his children were grown, he returned to his Buddhist path. He studied in Bangkok and then meditated in a cave on Koh Samui. Nearing 80, he sensed his death. He told his students that if his body decomposed, it should be cremated. But if it didn’t, it should be displayed to inspire future generations to follow Buddhist teachings.
His body remains in excellent condition, though his eyes receded. To make his appearance less startling, temple monks placed sunglasses on him. Adding to the eerie vibe, gecko eggs sometimes hatch inside his body. Scans have found eggs in his eye sockets, mouth, and under his skin. [1]
9 Speedy Atkins
Charles Henry “Speedy” Atkins (1875–1928) was destined for a pauper’s grave after his death. Instead, his mummified corpse ended up in a funeral home’s closet. For years, locals and tourists could view his remains for free.
Speedy became quite an attraction. When he was finally buried, 66 years after his death, about 200 people attended his funeral in Paducah, Kentucky. They took pictures beside his open casket. Velma Hamock, the embalmer’s widow, remarked, “I never saw a dead man bring so much happiness to people.”
The secret to Speedy’s long-lasting preservation was a special embalming fluid created by undertaker A. Z. Hamock. This fluid preserved bodies much like ancient Egyptians preserved mummies. Sadly, Hamock took the secret formula to his grave. Atkins drowned while fishing and had no family to claim him. Hamock received permission from the coroner to experiment on Atkins’s body with his new fluid. Years later, Mrs. Hamock noted that Speedy was “not stinking” and still had his features. [2]
8 Elmer McCurdy
Elmer McCurdy (1880–1911), a train robber, swore he’d never be taken alive. He wasn’t. An Oklahoma sheriff’s posse shot him dead. After his death, McCurdy began an unexpected new career: a “fun house dummy.”
His mummified corpse spent time in a museum warehouse. It was even painted to glow in the dark and hung from gallows in an amusement park’s funhouse. Reportedly, McCurdy’s body even appeared as a prop in an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. No one realized it was a real body until an arm fell off. A technician trying to reattach it saw human bone.
A coroner found a bullet in McCurdy’s stomach. The body’s identity was traced by tracking its sale through various carnivals. The sheriff who shot him first sold the corpse to a carnival owner, who mummified it. After changing hands several times, it ended up with carnival owner Louis Sonney. McCurdy became a star in Sonney’s traveling freak show until World War II. Later, it was sold to the Hollywood Wax Museum and then the Nu-Pike Amusement Park. His final public appearance was at his much-delayed funeral. He rests in Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. [3]
7 Hazel Farris
What remains of Hazel Farris (c. 1880–1906) is a shadow of a person. Most of her hair, eyes, nose, and many teeth are gone. Even the ring finger on her right hand is missing. Not much flesh clings to her bones.
Farris shot and killed five men. Her first victim was her husband, after an argument about a new hat escalated. When police arrived, she killed three lawmen. A passing deputy sheriff, alerted by neighbors, also met his end after a struggle in her home. During this fight, his gun went off, shooting off her ring finger. Farris then escaped.
In Bessemer, Alabama, the 25-year-old fugitive confided in a man she fancied. He turned her in, likely for a reward. To avoid capture, Farris poisoned herself. Her body dehydrated at a local furniture store that also served as a funeral home. Locals, intrigued by “Hazel the Mummy,” paid a dime to see her. Carnival showman Orlando C. Brooks later bought her remains. He exhibited her “for the benefit of science”—and a fee. A poster advertised her as a genuine mummy, offering $500 to anyone who could prove otherwise. [4]
6 Samuel Perry Dinsmoor
In Lucas, Kansas, you’ll find The Garden of Eden. This site features 150 concrete sculptures. They express the political and religious views of Samuel Perry Dinsmoor (1843–1932), a retired schoolteacher, Civil War veteran, and sculptor.
Dinsmoor was known for his eccentricities. After retiring, he built his unique limestone home, which looks like a log cabin. He then spent 25 years creating his sculpture garden. He used 113 tons of concrete for his artistic interpretations of “the Bible and modern civilization through his populist views,” according to the Kansas Historical Society.
The Garden of Eden also includes a concrete mausoleum. This mausoleum now holds his mummified remains and those of his wife. After Dinsmoor died, his body was preserved and placed in the burial chamber. Visitors can see his remains through a glass panel in the mausoleum’s lid. His wife’s body rests unseen in a sealed part of the crypt below him. [5]
5 The West Virginia Philippi Mummies
A train station in Philippi, West Virginia, is an unlikely place to find mummies. This building also houses the Barbour County Historical Museum. Among its historical items, in a small back room, lie the mummified remains of two women. For just one dollar, you can view them.
Graham Hamrick, a farmer and amateur scientist, was fascinated by ancient Egyptian mummification. After experimenting with preserving fruits, meats, and small animals, he wanted to try his method on humans. He bought two corpses from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Sadly, such practices were not unheard of at the time. He reportedly also acquired an infant’s remains and a hand. Like A. Z. Hamock, Hamrick took his preservation formula to his grave.
These mummies briefly toured with P.T. Barnum’s circus before returning to West Virginia. They were displayed around the state and even stored in a barn and under a man’s bed. A flood in Philippi in 1985 damaged the mummies. After “drying in the sun,” they found their current home in the museum. The infant’s remains were too damaged by the flood, and the hand was lost. [6]
4 Sir Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz
The mummified body of Sir Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz (1651–1702) made Kampehl, Germany, a small town of 130 people, famous. The knight’s corpse, which has shown no decay for nearly 320 years, is a major tourist draw.
In 1991, not everyone in Kampehl was pleased with the cadaver’s presence. Mayor Edmund Bublitz opposed it, despite the 150,000 annual visitors. During the Communist era, the body’s display in a glass-topped crypt was managed by the state. The local Lutheran church, where the tomb is located, received fees. Pastor Peter Freimark defended the attraction, noting its appeal due to “macabre, obscene, cruel, grisly and…erotic” aspects.
The “erotic” part of the knight’s story stems from his life. He fathered 30 illegitimate children and 11 legitimate heirs. He claimed the right to “deflower all brides in his fiefdom.” When one bride refused, her fiancé was murdered. Sir Christian was charged but maintained his innocence, supposedly declaring, “If I am the murderer, may it be God’s will that my body never decay.” After German reunification, conflict arose between the church and the mayor over the body. An attempt by the mayor to move the body to the fire station failed. Sir Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz remains in his crypt, still attracting visitors. [7]
3 Charles Eugene de Croy
St. Nicholas’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia, is home to another mummified corpse: Charles Eugene de Croy (1651–1702). His body rests in a “side chapel near the main entrance.”
De Croy famously led the Russian army at Narva in 1701. He chose to fight while his soldiers fled, leading to his capture by Sweden’s King Charles XII. When the duke died the following year, no one paid for his burial. So, he was propped up in the chapel. Due to the dry weather, his body was naturally preserved and became an attraction. This continued until 1897, when authorities finally buried him.
An 1883 book described the corpse’s frightful appearance. Though well-dressed and coiffed, the body was startling. It had a grey complexion, an apparently injured nose, thin lips, and yellowish-brown skin. [8]
2 Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg
Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg (1626–1772) was a seaman. At age 68, during a voyage to Spain in 1694, Algerine pirates captured him. After escaping, he returned to Denmark. There, he became a popular guest at aristocratic parties, known for his outrageous stories.
What’s most remarkable about Drakenberg is his alleged lifespan: 145 years. An 1856 encyclopedia called it “one of the most extraordinary instances of longevity on record.” After his death, he was mummified and displayed at the cathedral in Aarhus. For decades, visitors would slyly open his casket to pluck a hair from his chin.
In 1835, Drakenberg’s body was described as a “kind of natural mummy” in excellent condition. However, in 1840, by order of the queen, he was given a proper burial under the cathedral floor. [9]
1 Xin Zhui
Xin Zhui (c. 217 BC–168 BC), also known as Marquise Dai, was married to the Marquis Dai of the Western Han Dynasty. Her incredibly well-preserved body was discovered in December 1971. It was found during the excavation of an air raid shelter in Hunan Province.
Her wooden burial chamber was buried under thick white clay and 11,000 pounds of charcoal. This protected the tomb from water. The chamber also held the remains of her husband, a child, and over 3,000 artifacts. The burial method maintained a constant temperature and humidity, creating low oxygen and antiseptic conditions. This resulted in her body’s excellent preservation. Her companions’ bodies, exposed to moisture, decayed naturally.
Xin Zhui’s skin was supple, her joints flexible, and her internal organs had “escaped decay.” Her preservation was so good that her blood could be typed. Scientists determined she likely died of a heart attack around age 50. This was probably due to a diet of “too much rich food and too little exercise.” A secret compound injected into her circulatory system ensures her continued preservation. Her body is now on display at the Hunan Provincial Museum in Changsha. [10]
The stories of these publicly displayed corpses are certainly unsettling. They remind us of the strange turns life, and even death, can take. From monks to outlaws, their final chapters were far from ordinary.
What do you think about these public displays? Leave your comment below!
