Located in a historic mansion on a large wooded plot in the heart of Cambridge, the "Sykes" is a unique attraction for families, spiritualists, and museum lovers. Admission is free and the grounds and building are open from 10:00 a.m. until dusk every day.
Some of the exhibits you'll encounter when you visit the Sykes:
The Children's Garden
Before they passed away, each one of our sponsor/residents designed a unique educational display on a subject of their interest that would serve as their grave marker. The oldest are stone carvings that now bear their own historical significance, but over the years we've developed much more approachable and non-traditional exhibits for the final resting places of teachers, scientists, and lifelong learners. Children will encounter a playground of natural habitats, model gears and engines, an interactive "stormy sea," an exhibit on energy powered by the donor's own plutonium pacemaker battery, and a full-sized dinosaur fossil! The only Nijidisaurus (or "Wounded Lizard" in an unknown language) ever discovered, this Cretaceous carnivore stands an imposing fifteen feet over the Children's Garden, and is a favorite among visitors.
The Mobile Tombs
At the Sykes, we believe education should reach beyond our gates! You will see the Mobile Tombs arriving and departing regularly thoughout the day. Each one is an autonomous electric vehicle that drives a circuit around the city to share its display of inspiring and surprising facts about science, history, and the human condition--and each one also has the body of its sponsor tastefully concealed in an opaque compartment inside it.
The Mini-Mobile Tombs are their little siblings, containing ashes and scooting around the sidewalks to educate and delight pedestrians.
First Floor Exhibits
Inside the Sykes, the fascination continues! Our selection of more adult-focused (though appropriate for all ages!) exhibits is eclectic, as each sponsor/resident had their own interests they wanted to share with the world. The pedestal of each exhibit is built around the ashes of its sponsor, infusing it with their more-than-lifelong passion for teaching.
Of special interest is the centerpiece, "Harry," the actual preserved brain of a close friend of William E. Sykes. It is suspended within the electrode of a plasma globe, converting the dramatic "lightning strikes" into a voltage that can be safely passed through the tissue. This exhibit is kept continuously electrified, even after closing, per the wishes of the donor, and raises intriguing questions about the nature of consciousness.
Second Floor Libraries
The upper floor of the Sykes is composed of three library halls, each containing the personal library of its donor. This is an active lending library and you are welcome to check out books at the central circulation desk - talk to our staff for more information! Each library hall also contains a themed commemorative statue built around the bones of the donor. Special guided after-dark tours for adults only are sometimes held of the Aquarium, the Switchboard, and the Frog--if you're lucky, you may even see the unexplained nighttime glow that forms around these statues!
The telephones connected to the Switchboard must remain functional in accordance with the donor's instructions, and the management of the Sykes is not responsible for any content you may hear through them. We do not recommend sharing personal information.
The Listening Room
The two-story centerpiece of the Sykes is the Listening Room. Built in 1848 and maintained in pristine condition, this is an extraordinary exemplar of a Victorian séance room. The walls and ceiling of the entire room are decorated with musical instruments not known from any other examples. All are capable of making sound, but many are not playable by a human, seemingly designed for an impossible anatomy or lung capacity. We strive to leave the instruments in their original condition, and see them as a visual display of the ingenuity of 19th-century spiritualists.
But keep your ears open - these instruments still have voices! All of them still sound from time to time, but the contrabassoon hung from the ceiling and the phonograph horns on the north wall are particularly "talkative." On certain nights all the instruments will even hold a "concert" together! We are unable to predict these nights ahead of time, but they usually occur about eight times per year, and we unlock the museum and send out a text and email notification to subscribers whenever we hear the instruments start "tuning up." Please add your contact information at the welcome desk if you would like to be included in this unique experience.
