Entry No. 22 — the St. Louis file — filed under: lodge-initiation
DeMoulin Museum
Located about 50 miles east of St. Louis, this bizarre museum is dedicated to the DeMoulin Brothers & Co., which famously manufactured fraternal lodge initiation devices in the early 20th century. The collection features eccentric, functional hazing contraptions like bucking mechanical goats, trick chairs, and lifting-and-spanking machines.
The story
At the turn of the 20th century, millions of American men belonged to fraternal secret societies, and the DeMoulin Brothers of Greenville, Illinois, realized that taking new initiates down a peg was serious business. They turned lodge hazing into a mass-manufacturing enterprise, engineering and shipping heavy-duty mechanical bucking goats, trick chairs rigged to drop or shock the sitting target, lifting-and-spanking machines, and 'lung testers' secretly loaded with flour to blast recruits in the face.
The DeMoulin Museum holds the surviving inventory of that surreal Gilded Age catalog. Located two blocks southeast of Greenville's town square, the collection preserves the functional, heavy metal and wood contraptions designed specifically to paddle, startle, and drop secret society recruits before granting them access to the inner circle.
What it's like
Pull up to 205 S Prairie Street in Greenville—roughly 50 miles east of St. Louis—and you will find an unassuming building holding one of the stranger pockets of Midwestern industrial history. Inside, curator John guides you through the mechanical inner workings of the contraptions, pointing out vintage catalog pages and pointing you toward photo-ops like the replica 1930s 'goat board.' Always confirm operating hours before taking I-70 out of St. Louis, as small-town museum schedules shift.
The move: Take a photo together on the 'goat board' replica of a 1930s catalog page, and dare each other to test out the 'Electric Branding Iron' or the 'lung tester'.
- 📍 Greenville
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 205 S Prairie St, Greenville, IL 62246
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Pink Elephant Antique Mall — Pair two rural Illinois detours by combining early 20th-century secret lodge hardware with a giant fiberglass statue forest housed at a former 1920s high school.
- World's Largest Catsup Bottle — On your way back west toward St. Louis along Route 40 or I-70, pull off in Collinsville to see a 170-foot mid-century water tower shaped like a ketchup bottle.
- American Oddities Museum — Extend the weird history theme by heading over to Alton to browse dark relics, sideshow curiosities, and medical quackery devices.
Good to know
Where is the DeMoulin Museum located?
It sits at 205 S Prairie St, Greenville, IL 62246—about 50 miles east of St. Louis and two blocks southeast of Greenville's main square.
What were these contraptions actually used for?
Early 20th-century fraternal lodges bought DeMoulin's bucking mechanical goats, trick chairs, electric branding irons, and spanking machines to run new candidates through mock-scary or embarrassing initiation rituals.
Do I need to call ahead before driving out?
Yes. Hours can vary depending on the season and staff availability, so confirm current operating times before making the drive from St. Louis.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · enjoyillinois.com
last checked: 2026-07-21