Few serial killers have left a lasting impression as deep as Ed Gein throughout all of American history.
He has etched his name into the annals of history, leaving behind a culture which may forget his name, but will never forget the horrors he committed.
Ed Gein operated in Plainfield, Wisconsin, in the 1950s before being caught in 1957. In his home, police officers found many morbid objects, including human skin masks with a headless corpse hung up by its feet, awaiting officers as they entered the farmhouse Ed lived in.
The Arrest of Ed Gein
No one could have been prepared for the horrors that were found in Ed Gein’s farmhouse when he was arrested in the fall of 1957.
Furniture made of human remains, masks to wear of human skin, and other assorted objects are never in the thoughts of ordinary people.
When police officers entered his home in 1957, what started as bizarre discoveries descended further and further into a feeling of horror.
Going from room to room, they discovered home decor made entirely of human body parts (see a complete list below).
They included: human skin chair covers, human skull bowls, skin masks, and even leggings created from human skin.
One of the most well-known items that police found in Gein’s home was a pair of human skin gloves which can be seen below.
They arrested Ed shortly after entering his home and stood trial for his crimes on November 21, 1957. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was considered unfit to stand trial.
Ed found a new home in the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he stayed for some time.
Being found to be still unfit for trial, he was sent to the Mendota State Hospital, where he died of lung cancer in 1984.
Objects Found In Ed Gein’s Farmhouse
Here is a complete list of the morbid objects police officers found in Ed Gein’s home. It is unlikely quite a morbid collection as this has been present at any other serial killer’s home as he was one of the darkest serial killers to operate in the United States.
- Whole human bones and fragments
- A wastebasket made of human skin
- Human skin covering several chair seats
- Skulls on his bedposts
- Female skulls, some with the tops sawn off
- Bowls made from human skulls
- A corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist
- Leggings made from human leg skin
- Masks made from the skin of female heads
- Mary Hogan’s face mask in a paper bag
- Mary Hogan’s skull in a box
- Bernice Worden’s entire head in a burlap sack
- Bernice Worden’s heart “in a plastic bag in front of Gein’s potbelly stove”
- Nine vulvae in a shoe box
- A young girl’s dress and “the vulvas of two females judged to have been about fifteen years old”
- A belt made from female human nipples
- Four noses
- A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring
- A lampshade made from the skin of a human face
- Fingernails from female fingers
Source: Wikipedia: Ed Gein
Where Did Ed Gein Get His Body Parts?
It is easy to think Ed Gein must have murdered dozens of females, both young and old, to create all of his trophies.
Otherwise, how else could he have gotten enough bodies to create all of these morbid objects? While he was only convicted of murdering two people, it is believed he could have murdered up to five more though police were unable to discern if this was true or not, so it is currently speculation at best.
However, even if he did kill at least seven people, that could not supply enough body parts and human skin for his home decor. So, from 1947 to 1952, Ed Gein would make nocturnal visits to local graveyards.
From these graveyards, he collected the corpses that supplied the parts for his home decor. Much of the skin, body parts, genitalia, and skulls he used came from the corpses he dug up.
How Ed Gein’s Past Led To His Grave-Robbing and Murders
It seems strange to most of society that someone would start digging up graves and creating these morbid creations. However, it makes much more sense when you consider his childhood and the catalyst for triggering these deeds. So let us explore his past to better understand Ed Gein’s mind.
Growing up, Gein lived in a dysfunctional family, a common theme amongst serial killers. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother, Augusta, was a devout Luthern who hated her husband and indoctrinated her children.
She would read them the parts of the Old Testament which dealt with death and judgment and told them all women (excluding her) were immoral servants of the devil.
Using the isolated nature of the Geins’ farmhouse, Augusta used this to her advantage, allowing her to keep a tigheter grip over her children and their lives. While Ed was allowed to go to school, it was the only time he ever left the farm and likely led to more trouble for the young man.
Anytime he tried to make friends or grow socially, his mother would punish him to make Gein entirely reliant on her, and only her, for his social and emotional needs.
The abuse and manipulation would continue for years until finally, on the fateful day that cause the catalyst in Gein’s mind, Augusta died from health problems in 1945.
Shortly after his mother’s death and feeling all alone, Ed would begin to dig up women who looked like his mother.
He hoped that by collecting the skin of those who looked like his mother, he could create a skin suit to wear, making it feel like his mother was still there with him.
It would not be until 1957 that Ed Gein would finally be caught by police, five years after his last main nocturnal visit to the local cemetery.
Ed Gein’s Affect On Popular Culture
Not all serial killers find themselves becoming a part of mainstream culture, but Ed Gein not only put Plainfield on the map but immortalized himself in history.
He has been adapted into films, music, and literature and has inspired several famous horror characters.
Film and Movie Adaptations
- Robert Bloch’s book “Psycho”
- Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho
- Deranged (1974)
- In the Light of the Moon (2000)
- House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
- The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
- Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007)
- Ed Gein: The Musical (2010)
- Kannibale Un Liebe (2012)
Fictional Character Inspirations
- Norman Bates (Psycho)
- Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
- Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs)
- Dr. Oliver Thredson (American Horror Story: Asylum)
Music Inspiration
- Dead Skin Mask (1990)
- Ed Gein (1992)
- Nothing to Gein (2001)
- Ed Gein the band
FAQ
What is Ed Gein’s House Address?
Ed Gein’s home is on the corner of Archer and 2nd Avenue, a few miles southwest of Plainfield, Wisconsin.
Is Ed Gein’s Home Still Standing?
No. Ed Gein’s home mysteriously burned down in March 1958, though it is likely it was arson as there was talking of turning the home into a tourist attraction called House of Horrors.
What Has Happened to the Land Ed Gein’s Home Was On?
After the house burned down, the land was purchased in the 1958 auction by a man named Emden Schey.
After tearing down the outbuildings and planting trees on the land, he went on to sell most of it off, though he kept the homestead site.
It is unknown who currently owns it, as after Mike Fisher, Emden Schey’s grandson, seemingly failed to sell the property, the gate has been replaced by a plain metal gate lacking the name Fisher.