# Spam Museum

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The **Spam Museum** is an admission-free museum in [Austin, Minnesota](/source/Austin,_Minnesota), United States, dedicated to [Spam](/source/Spam_(food)), a brand of canned precooked meat products made by [Hormel Foods Corporation.](/source/Hormel_Foods) The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture.

## History

The Spam Museum originated in January 1991 as the **Hormel Foods First Century Museum**, when Hormel opened a small storefront company museum in celebration of the company's 100 year anniversary. Originally located in Austin's Oak Park Mall, Hormel later re-branded it as the Spam Museum.[1]

A much-larger Spam-focused museum opened in September 2001.[2] The 16,500-square foot space included a theater, historical displays, family activities and games, and a gift shop. The lobby of the museum featured a wall of Spam with more than 3,300 Spam cans and, for many years, the theatre showed a short film entitled "SPAM: A Love Story."[3][4] The Spam Museum temporarily closed in September 2014 to move to a new, more accessible downtown location.[5]

## Exhibits and galleries

The museum re-opened on 22 April 2016 at its new location at 101 3rd Ave NE.[6][7][8]

The location in downtown Austin is approximately 14,000 square feet in size and comprises seven main galleries. These include Can Central, "the heart of the museum";[9] the World Market, where visitors can learn about the advertising and use of Spam and Spam recipes from 44 different nations; a World War II-themed exhibit explaining the importance of Spam as a staple for American troops; "Spam Products Around the World", an interactive map;[3] the "Can Chronicles" showing the evolution of the Spam can; and Spam Brand 101, an interactive exhibit where visitors learn about 15 varieties of Spam and families are able to compete in the "assembly" of mock cans of Spam.[9] Many of the exhibits include games, interactive videos, and hands-on activities.[10]

The Spam Shop offers hundreds of Spam-branded items and gifts. Volunteer guides – known as Spambassadors – offer visitors small bits of Spam on a toothpick or pretzel stick, commonly known as Spamples.[11][12]

## Pop Culture

The Spam Museum is a featured stop in the [Dan Gutman](/source/Dan_Gutman) book series *Genius Files.*

## See also

- [Hormel Historic Home](/source/Hormel_Historic_Home) – Museum and historic home in Austin focusing on the Hormel family

## References

1. Looker, Dan (February 3, 1991). ["Hormel endures on mix of standbys, new hits"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95073337/hormel-endures-on-mix-of-standbys-new/). *[The Des Moines Register](/source/The_Des_Moines_Register)*. p. 1J. Retrieved February 15, 2022. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["Museum reports high traffic"](https://www.austindailyherald.com/2002/10/museum-reports-high-traffic/). *[Austin Daily Herald](/source/Austin_Daily_Herald)*. October 22, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2022.

1. ["SPAM Museum, Austin, Minnesota"](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2126). *RoadsideAmerica.com*

1. Pohlen, Jerome (2003). *Oddball Minnesota: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places*. ISBN 1569764700.

1. ["New Spam Museum takes another step"](https://www.austindailyherald.com/2014/11/new-spam-museum-takes-another-step-buildings-near-the-downtown-fire-site-come-down/). *Austin Daily Herald*. November 25, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2022.

1. ["Spam, the Edible Kind, Could Be a Boon for This Minnesota Town"](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/spam-edible-kind-could-be-boon-minnesota-town-n546351). *[NBC News](/source/NBC_News)*

1. ["Spam Museum sets opening date – Austin Daily Herald"](http://www.austindailyherald.com/2016/03/spam-museum-sets-opening-date/). 29 March 2016.

1. ["Canning its old location, Austin's new Spam Museum opens"](http://www.startribune.com/canning-its-old-location-austin-s-new-spam-museum-opens-friday/376650361/). *[Star Tribune](/source/Star_Tribune)*

1. ["Up and running; New Spam Museum opens doors to public – Austin Daily Herald"](http://www.austindailyherald.com/2016/04/hormel-unveils-spam-musuem/). 22 April 2016.

1. ["New Spam Museum Opens In Austin, Minn."](http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/04/25/new-spam-museum/). 25 April 2016.

1. ["SPAM Museum : Explore Minnesota"](http://www.exploreminnesota.com/things-to-do/2817/spam-museum/). *www.exploreminnesota.com*

1. Garennes, Christina (2002). [*Great Little Museums of the Midwest*](https://archive.org/details/greatlittlemuseu0000desg/page/74). p. [74](https://archive.org/details/greatlittlemuseu0000desg/page/74). ISBN 1931599084.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.spam.com/museum)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spam Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_Museum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_Museum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.