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APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) – A master of illusion and the most famous escape artist of all time often called Wisconsin his home.
Harry Houdini is a familiar name in Wisconsin, and his life and legacy continue to captivate people across the country.
Houdini, known as Appleton’s native son, claimed the city as his hometown, but was born in Budapest, on March 24, 1874.
His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1878, when Houdini was 4 years old, and he cherished his childhood memories of Appleton.
As he grew up and became a magician, he broke the mold as an escapist, pilot, actor, and a man who knew how to captivate a crowd.
“I think people really like the fact that he was just this escape artist. A lot of people think he had maybe like supernatural powers or some people thought he was a spiritualist and could speak to the dead. So there’s kind of this mystery around him,” said Erin Comer, the education and collections manager at the History Museum at the Castle.
The History Museum at the Castle is home to items Houdini used to mystify his audience, all part of a kid-friendly exhibit that opened in 2012 and takes you through his life, legacy, and tricks.
“On the kids’ tour, we talk about how he needed to be really physically fit to be able to do his escapes and physical feats, and stuff like that, so I’ll make the kids do these flexibility things, whether it’s to touch their toes or tie their hands behind their back,” said Comer.
Today, his name is still synonymous with magical escapes and mystery, even a hundred years after his death.
“Harry Houdini was really a forward thinker, and that is what is still appealing for people today. At the time, in the 19-teens, when he was, you know, performing, people were really attracted to his magic and to his escapes. And what has stuck with people from that time is those escapes, but also the fact that he was able to be such a self-promoter at a time before social media, before radio was really popular,” said Dustin Mack, the executive director of the History Museum at the Castle.
It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Appleton fully embraced its native son, building and naming spaces after him, including Houdini Plaza in the heart of downtown Appleton.
Houdini Plaza was built around the spot where Houdini’s childhood home once stood, and across the street is now a parking garage, but it was once a hotel, and legend has it that the doorman taught Houdini his first trick.
To this day, Houdini continues to be an icon and inspiration to magicians everywhere.
“One of the stories that I’m drawn to is that he almost drowned in the Fox River. There was a swimming hole down on the river that a lot of the kids would go to, and they’d swim on hot days in the summer. And Houdini jumped in and didn’t come up immediately. And so, somebody had to go in and save him and pull him out. And he kind of got breathless to the side of the river. And some people like to point out that maybe this is why he did so many escapes throughout his life. This brush with death that, you know, started here in Appleton,” said Mack.
Despite his timeless popularity and fame across the globe, we know he always fondly cherished his midwestern roots.
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