Newspaper archives reveal 'morbidity and tenderness' of historic Minneapolis morgue auctions
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For decades, the winter holidays were augmented with a macabre tradition in Minneapolis: Auctions at the Hennepin County Morgue.
William Richardson, a longtime CBC host, writer and lover of “macabre lists,” dug into the local newspaper archives to learn more. He shared his findings with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer.
Morgue auctions are exactly what they sound like, an auction held at the morgue. “And what would be on the block, so to speak, as opposed to on the slab, would be the effects that were left behind by people who had died, who had been brought to the morgue, the people for whom nobody ever came,” Richardson said.
The unclaimed effects of the dead — knives, guns, rosaries, curling irons, rings, instruments, keys and much more — added up and storage became an issue. In 1911, under the guidance of Coroner Dr. Gilbert Seashore, the annual auctions began and became a lasting tradition through 2003. The early auctions got a lot of attention from the press at the time, which published headlines like “gaiety at morgue auction.”
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“There’s such a terrible sadness that attaches to them, and at the same time a weird freak show, car accident… allure,” Richardson said. “The lesson is that there’s just no telling [where] our human curiosity and a kind of fascination with morbidity is going to lead us. But that goes hand in glove with empathy.”
Throughout his research, one item especially stands out to Richardson: A handkerchief with a pencil drawing of a Christmas tree on it. Instead of ornaments, the names “Nancy,” “Lucy” and “Betty” adorned the tree. The handkerchief was held back from auction, in case any of those women knew the deceased man.
“It’s so small, that thing, this piece of cloth, it’s so inconsequential, but it’s so charged. At the same time, it’s about the the unloved and the lost. It’s about everything that we are,” Richardson reflected.
Read more about Richardson’s findings about Minneapolis and Pittsburgh morgue auctions on his Substack.
In the modern era, unclaimed property is handled by the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Unclaimed Property Division.
