Old Town Trolley assumes historic Potter’s Wax Museum

David Chatterton, General Manager of Old Town Trolley Tours of St. Augustine, proudly announced to Historic City News that, on May 16, 2014, his parent company, Historic Tours of America, successfully completed the acquisition of the significant historic property and local landmark, Potter’s Wax Museum.

In April, 2014, photographer Aslyn Baringer joined the Marketing Coordinator, Monica Munoz, to spend a full day inside the museum taking photographs and meeting the cast. The Potter’s collection includes unique, historically valuable, wax figures from the original collection.

“The process of creating wax figures in the mid-20th century was a lengthy and painstaking one,” Chatterton explained to Historic City News editor, Michael Gold. “The statues were sculpted with meticulous detail, using human hair, custom-crafted features from all over Europe, and costumes that were designed by the famous Court of St. James.”

As the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine boasts many firsts — including this distinguished attraction, famous for being the very first wax museum in the United States. Potter’s Wax Museum was founded in 1948 by St. Augustine resident George Potter. It was the second largest wax museum in the world when it opened, and its wide-ranging collection of wax figures has continued to grow and evolve over more than 65 years.

Each of the original statues are the result of thorough research conducted at the British Museum. Once finished, the figures were imported directly from England and are now on display at the new home of Potter’s Wax Museum; located inside the Authentic Old Drugstore at 31 Orange Street in the heart of St Augustine’s historic district.

“We are very proud and excited to have the opportunity to keep Potter’s legacy alive for many years to come,” the new General Manager of Potter’s Wax Museum, Lindsay Gray, told local reporters. “As we add depth and diversity to the collection, we look forward to making Potter’s Wax Museum an even more popular stop for St. Augustine visitors.”

Old Town Trolley’s future plans for the museum include many exciting improvements. There will be opportunities for visitors to take their photos with celebrities, sports figures and historic characters; as well as hands-on educational exhibits and other interactive displays.

Over the next few months, Chatterton says Historic Tours of America will be announcing new wax figures, based on current entertainment and sports icons, and other new additions — such as a 3D Theatre and a revamped Chamber of Horrors.

To that end, our own Marketing Department has been invaluable – producing all the elements quickly and with their usual creative flair.

A new logo was designed, which we have used on the costumes our sales reps will be wearing when they work the point-of-sale at the Old Drugstore building where Potter’s is housed.

“The costume is an old-style pharmacy coat that can go right over a sales rep’s regular uniform, with the addition of a vintage string tie to complete the look,” said Gold. “The new owners have already begun work on a souvenir guide book for Potter’s, which we hope will be ready within the next couple of months.”

Lindsay has also been assisting us in the rush to put together a new look for Potter’s to mark the transition to becoming part of Historic Tours of America. We’ve all been working hard to get costumes, new brochures and other collateral material together in time for the handover.

For the new Potter’s brochure, we scheduled photo shoots that would emphasize the new interactivity we’re bringing to the museum – people taking selfies with their favorite celebrity and families engaging with the historical figures on display.

Historic Tours of America is a long-time advertiser and corporate sponsor of Historic City News.