For more than 15 years, the Dearly Departed Tours Artifact Museum preserved the strange, forgotten, and deeply human side of Hollywood history. What started as a small passion project became something much bigger—a museum and tour dedicated to stories that otherwise might disappear.
But as many of you know, for a lot of reasons, we ultimately had to close the museum and end the tour.
We sold the buses, gave away the display cases, dissolved the business, and packed away our artifacts into storage. While trying to figure out what came next, Troy and I traveled all over the country looking for a possible new home for our little museum. In the end, we made the difficult decision to leave Los Angeles and settle in Palm Springs—a place rich in old Hollywood history and one that feels like the right fit for what we do.
And somehow, even after all of this, the collection keeps growing.
People still gift us extraordinary artifacts. We continue sharing stories through YouTube, Patreon, and unboxings, but the truth is: these pieces of history deserve to be seen in person again.
That’s why we’re asking for help.
Our dream is to reopen the Dearly Departed Artifact Museum in Palm Springs—a place where this one-of-a-kind collection can once again be shared with the public.
This isn’t just “stuff.” These are pieces of cultural history: Lucy’s hairdressing sink from Roxbury Drive, Mae West’s dental work, Annette Funicello’s mailbox and gun permit, Carrie Fisher’s cigarette butt, artifacts from the filming of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and countless other objects tied to stories we’ve spent decades preserving.
Over the years, our work appeared on shows like Ghost Adventures, Mysteries at the Museum, and Haunted Collector. We consulted on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Aquarius, Manson: The Myth of Helter Skelter, and more. We've been spoofed on The Simpsons, American Dad! and American Horror Story. We even had an E! pilot Hollywood Death Trip built around what we created. For something that started so small, it became part of Los Angeles history—and we believe it still matters.
Our $50,000 goal will help cover moving and transporting the collection (including the 1966 Jayne Mansfield Buick), replacing display cases, securing a storefront, deposits, rent, and building a visitor-ready museum space here in Palm Springs.
We’re not looking for charity. We’re trying to build a home for something unique—something weird, wonderful, historic, and worth saving.
Because these aren’t just curiosities.
They’re stories.
And we think they deserve to be seen again.
Thank you very much for your time and your attention.
Scott & Troy
