Pexcho’s American Dime Museum Embraces the Odd

“There’s nothing to do in Augusta.”  

It’s a sentiment often heard from locals, whether they’ve lived here a short time or their entire lives. But sometimes, there is a unique, mesmerizing experience right around the corner, waiting to be found. A perfect example: Pexcho’s American Dime Museum, where nothing is too unusual – including the world’s youngest sword swallower, and a whole host of other oddities and curiosities.  

Located at 216 6^th Street in downtown Augusta, this “museum of the strange and weird” hosts tours by appointment only, but features more than two hours of fascinating history, bizarre artifacts, and unbelievable sights. The tour, hosted by museum founder Peter Excho, begins with a brief history of dime museums in the attraction’s theater. There Excho explains how the dime museum was once a primary form of entertainment before becoming almost completely obsolete.  

During the tour, visitors see, hear, touch, and even smell interesting artifacts. And just when the stimulation from one well-stuffed gallery seems exhausted, a hidden doorway opens, leading to even more mysterious and bizarre items. Within the walls of Pexcho’s, visitors can see a two-headed T-Rex skeleton, hear the story of the shrunken heads, or learn what “geeks” were in the 1800s. Spoiler alert – geeks meant something far different and much more unsavory.  

Excho was inspired, in part, by P.T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York City, which burned in 1865, along with his volunteer work at Dick Horne’s American Dime Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, which closed in 2006.  

Dime museums featured a variety of attractions and shows, with 10 cents being the cost of admission. Once inside the museum, additional exhibits might cost a nickel or dime to see.  

“That’s where the phrase ‘nickel and diming us to death’ comes from,” Excho said. “I hope people continue to use that phrase, because I tell that to a lot of younger people, and they don’t know what I’m talking about.” 

Excho’s passion for history and preserving the Dime Museum experience is evident. His always-animated presentation is peppered with often-unbelievable facts, esoteric trivia, and deep knowledge regarding every piece in the museum. He describes his dedicated recreation of the dime museum experience as “THE cultural experience of the 21^st century.”  The curated items are all from 1920 and earlier, with Excho carefully selecting the items with proof of authenticity.  

Peter Excho himself might be considered something of an oddity. He doesn’t own a cell phone and says he got rid of this television back in 1989 and has never looked back. He said if he hadn’t got rid of the television, the Dime Museum wouldn’t exist. Without the modern day distractions, Excho has dedicated his life to art. Instead of getting lost in social media and news, Excho uses the time to create.  

Part of the purpose of the museum, he said, is to encourage people to ponder what they might accomplish – and create - if they took the time to disconnect.  

Pexcho’s American Dime Museum opened in 2019, with performances, presentations, and attractions booked in the small theater three months in advance. Unfortunately, like many businesses, COVID affected the museum, with many of the acts attracted to the Dime Museum moving on to work full-time jobs when they couldn’t perform. But Excho didn’t let that stop him from continuing to grow his collection of oddities.  

Pexcho’s American Dime Museum is also home to Red Stewart, the world’s oldest sword swallower, and Billieey Excho, the world’s youngest sword swallower “ever in the written history of mankind.” Billieey learned the art of sword swallowing at 10-years-old. Visitors can experience the art of sword swallowing on February 22 - World Sword Swallower’s Day. Pexcho’s will host an afternoon show starting at 2 p.m.  

Tours at the last remaining dime museum in the United States can be booked by calling (706) 925-6526. Learn more about Pexcho’s American Dime Museum on the website or Facebook page.