A Notorious History of American Crime

Through the ages, beginning with medieval knights and greed-driven pirates to the gunslingers of the Old American West and today’s white-collar “silent criminals” who hide behind computer screens, stealing private information and identities. Galleries examine major criminal masterminds from multiple eras, highlighting the nature of the crime and depicting the most nefarious events throughout history…both solved and unsolved.

Interactives:

• Pillory Photo Opportunity: Place your head and hands through the pillory to discover the uncomfortable punishment device used during colonial times.
• Shooting Gallery: Test your shooting skills in a Wild West environment.
• Safe Cracking: Spin a ten-digit tumbler and try to unlock the safe.
• Computer Hacking: Attempt to hack into a fictitious computer site. Successful attempts result in a welcome screen; unsuccessful hackers are flashed “access denied.”

Artifacts:

• Medieval: Enter the Middle Ages, a frightening world of torture devices.
• Colonial America: Explore a time of bizarre punishments, witch hunts and the infamous ball and chain.
• Depression-Era Criminals: Step foot into the era of Bonnie and Clyde, complete with the villainous duo’s “Death Car” from the 1967 movie starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
• Wild West Outlaws: Pioneers trembled over the frontier spirit of such renegades as Pancho Villa and Jesse James.