A Museum for Woodworking Enthusiasts

The Museum of Woodcarving is an amazing compilation of biblical history that visitors will find both breathtaking and astonishing. Located just a half mile from the small town of Shell Lake, Wisconsin this divinely inspired collection of handcrafted, wooden figurines will simply astound anyone who happens to stumble across this small but well put together travel through biblical times.

The display of wooden biblical motivated figures was handcrafted by wood-crafter Joseph T. Barta. Mr. Barta's museum opened in 1951. He was a teacher in Spooner, Wisconsin in the 1940's. Mr. Barta developed this wide array of wood figures, depicting many well read biblical events, over a period of 15 years. As his niece, Maria McKay, states, "You feel like you're walking through a wooden Bible." This large collection of woodcarvings, actually, the largest collection in the world created by one person, consists of 100 life sized wood carvings as well as 400 miniatures. The construction of the religious scenes is made of ponderosa and sugar pine which are laminated together. This tedious form of craftsmanship is obvious when one closely examines the minute details depicted in each religious scene. Each piece although showing a rough finish, displays each labor intensive chisel stroke of the craftsman. Joseph Barta's museum opened in 1951. He was a teacher in Spooner, Wisconsin in the 1940's. Incredibly, Mr. Barta even developed his own glue for fastening the pieces together on many of the carvings.

This no frills museum is clean and if not somewhat bleak. The wood carvings are carefully displayed on gray wall to wall carpeting with plain white walls in the background. Each display is dimly illuminated by ceiling track lighting. Each scene is displayed in the chronological order as they appear in the Bible. Starting with Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden, the tour through the museum takes visitors from one epic biblical occurrence to the next. One of the most chilling, if not gruesome, carvings is that of Judas hanging from a rope. The carving of Judas swinging overhead is sure to send chills up the spines of visitors as they roam through the museum.

Some very interesting events led to some of Mr. Barta's wood carvings. Mr. Barta claimed to have had a series of revelations that led to some if not all of his wood carving endeavors. It is said that he had dreams in which God spoke to him and advised him how to go about his works. On his carving of the Last Supper, Mr. Barta is said to have heard a voice with a German inflection giving him the inspiration to create this well known biblical scene. The Last Supper carving took Barta over four years to complete. Other stimulation was said to have come from a vision of Mary, Queen of the Universe.

The entire museum was relocated to Florida for a time, but has since been reestablished back where it began in Shell Lake. Joseph Barta died at the age of 68 in 1972.