National Mustard Museum

History:

The National Mustard Museum began as the "Mount Horeb Mustard Museum" when its founder and curator, Barry Levenson, started collecting mustards on October 27, 1986. The story of the Mustard Museum traces its roots to a late night visit to an all-night grocery when Barry heard a deep, resonant voice as he passed the mustards: "If you collect us, they will come."

Barry bought about a dozen jars of mustard and at that moment resolved to amass the world’s largest collection of prepared mustards. He continued his work as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin during his early years of collecting mustards. While in Washington, DC, to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, he spied a mustard jar on a discarded room service tray in the hallway of his hotel. He took it. “I argued a case before the Supreme Court with a mustard jar in my left pocket," he says. "We won." Moments like that cemented his unwavering devotion to mustard. In 1991, Barry left the law to devote his passions full-time to collecting mustards and mustard memorabilia.