Origins
Raymond Buckland founded The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick in 1966. After visiting the late Gerald Gardner and his collection on the Isle of Man, Raymond was inspired to start a collection of his own. While working for British Airways, he was able to acquire many of the artifacts in this collection from all around the world. He initially displayed his museum on a few shelves in the basement of his Long Island, N.Y. home. However, over time, Raymond’s witchcraft collection rapidly grew to well over 500 artifacts, ranging from Ancient Egyptian ushabtis to documented artifacts from the Salem Witch trials. This was the first museum of its kind in the United States with an anthropological approach to the world of folklore and the supernatural.
The museum was in existence in this New York location from 1966 to 1973. During that time, it was featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and was the subject of a television documentary. The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Look Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Scholastic Voice, and many more, including foreign magazines, had featured articles about the museum. Raymond was also interviewed on a large number of radio stations and both national and international television. The Metropolitan Museum of Art requested and featured some of the pieces in one of its special exhibits.
In 1973, Raymond Buckland moved to New Hampshire where he opened the museum from 1973 to 1976, and then in Virginia from 1977 to 1979. Unfortunately, because of a rigorous writing and lecture schedule, he then had to place the museum collection into storage, where it remained for a number of years.
The museum collection was briefly reestablished in New Orleans in 1999 where it passed through multiple hands before being salvaged by Rev. Velvet Reith. A bit damaged and somewhat reduced collection, Velvet was instrumental in preventing the collection from degrading further and being lost.
Our Collection
The Buckland collection includes artifacts from Raymond Buckland, Gerald Gardner, Aiden Breac, Lady Rowan, Aleister Crowley, Sybil Leek, Anton LaVey, Israel Regardie, Christopher Penczak, Stewart Farrar, Janet Farrar, Scott Cunningham, and many other leaders of the pagan community.
Our Mission & Vision
Featuring artifacts from the original collection, the museum’s mission is to celebrate the culture of magic and the occult, as well as educate the public on the myths and misconceptions about witches.
The Museum Today
In July of 2015, the museum collection was relocated to Ohio. Currently it is being restored, and is displayed in the newly founded Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick.