When business was done, payment was made by placing money on these pedestals.
Archives: Atlas Obscuras
The Mystery of William Donaghy’s Strange Death
A remote gravestone on the moor marks the spot where a teacher's body was found under inexplicable circumstances.
Marshmallow Peep Show
Discover Peep Show at Carroll Arts Council in Westminster, Maryland: Easter in Westminster may be the only time and place to behold Edgar Allen Poe made entirely of Marshmallow Peeps.
Peru’s Otherworldly ‘Cave of the Owls’
A jungle cave of unknown depths, otherworldly sounds, and strange nocturnal birds that navigate by echolocation.
Nemours Estate
Discover Nemours Estate in Wilmington, Delaware: This splendid Versailles-inspired mansion has the largest French-style formal gardens in North America.
This Mural to Noah Webster Had a Spelling Error
The tribute to the founding father of the American dictionary managed to spell "cemetery" wrong.
The Dr. Seussophone
Discover The Dr. Seussophone in Rochester, New York: A Seussian sculpture made of brass instruments.
FDR’s Swimming Pool Is Hidden Under the White House Press Briefing Room
It is now filled with old computer servers.
Vanadu Art House
Discover Vanadu Art House in Hyattsville, Maryland: An intricately designed junk art house with four extravagant junk art cars hidden in the suburbs.
Tom Edwards Memorial Fountain
Discover Tom Edwards Memorial Fountain in Fremantle, Australia: A monument to a working class martyr.
Novelty Automation
Discover Novelty Automation in London, England: A tongue-in-cheek arcade where the games are based on everyday life.
This Giant Coffee Pot of Old Salem
Built in 1858, it can hold about 11,840 cups of brew.
Sir Henry Hudson Kitson’s Masterpiece ‘Gingerbread House’
The small cottage is the Berkshires estate's whimsical jewel.
Tsunami ‘Noah’s Ark’
Discover Tsunami 'Noah's Ark' in Kuta Alam, Indonesia: After a 2004 tsunami, this stranded boat was left in place.
Japan’s Bridge to Heaven
Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.
Windsor Murder Factory
Discover Windsor Murder Factory in Windsor, Connecticut: The historic home of a female serial killer whose story inspired the Broadway hit "Arsenic and Old Lace.".
Tokyo’s Owl Police Box
Discover Owl Police Box in Tokyo, Japan: This adorable birdlike police box is designed based on a play on words.
The Only Synagogue Built by Frank Lloyd Wright
The epic building is like nothing else in town, or in Wright's career.
Clam Pass Beach
Discover Clam Pass Beach in Naples, Florida: A hidden beach at the end of a tunnel of mangrove trees.
Ice Machine Museum
Of course the guy known as the "father of air conditioning" lived in Florida.