Eugenia's Snakes and Shrunken Heads

Alton Bay, New Hampshire Reptile Zoo - Part 2.

Eugenia Skinner Shorrock (21 July 1896 - 7 December 1993) was the proprietor of The Reptile Zoo formerly of Alton Bay, New Hampshire. A collector of curios par excellence, Eugenia was quite some gal, I'm willing to bet! She kept her purse in a python cage where it was safe from robbers. Her father was Ernest M. Skinner (1866-1960) of Dorchester, Massachusetts, who was known as the most prominent builder of organs of the early 20th century.

According to a March 8, 1992 Gainesville Sun article titled "Ripleys Pays $22,000 for pair - Believe it or not," Eugenia's daughter made a killing on the sale of two shrunken heads. An accompanying photograph features grandson Rob Farrell's hand pointing to one of the heads:

Two shrunken heads, dark-skinned and complete with hair and headdresses, stared impassively as curious bidders examined them at an unusual auction of Indian artifacts Saturday.

The grapefruit-sized, 19th century South American Indian heads sold for a total of $22,000 to Ripley's Believe it or Not. It plans to display them in one of its museums, which feature oddities.

"The heads, I think, set a world record," auctioneer Michael Bennett said, adding that he expected the pair would only sell for about $14,000.

The heads were part of a collection of artifacts amassed by Eugenia Shorrock, 95, of Dover. Other items included tribal masks, wooden Indian statues and an antique buffalo skin robe. The robe, expected to sell for about $15,000 only brought $7,000. But some of the statues went for more that $10,000.

Shorrock, who lives in a nursing home, acquired her unusual collection from various sources over the years, but never traveled to South America herself, said her daughter, Ruth Farrell. "She became acquainted with people who had them and made it known she'd take anything," Farrell said.

The heads came from the Jivaro tribe, which collected enemies' heads after battle, removed the skulls, boiled the skins, then carefully shaped them by hand to retain the victims' features, Bennet said. He didn't know from which South American country they came.

(The Jivaro are a tribe of people from the Andes mountains. Read more in this article from EveryCulture.com .) The Toledo Blade picked up the same AP article with an additional quotation from Eugenia's daughter Ruth, who decided to sell the collection because she no longer had any interest in it: "Bureau drawers don't do a thing for shrunken heads. . . I like to see things used or displayed."

Eugenia Shorrock is mentioned as owner of two boa constrictors listed in the longevity literature for reptiles and amphibians. One citation is in: Snider, Andrew, and Bowler, K., Longevity of Reptiles and Amphibians in North American Collections, 2nd ed. And the other is in: Kevin Bowler, Longevity of Reptiles & Amphibians. 1977. For this information I give credit to Frank and Kate's Herpetological Web Page.

I also read on Melinda's Red Tail Boa Page that a boa at the Philadelphia Zoo, originally in the possession of Eugenia S. Shorrock for its first 33 years of life, lived for a total of 40 years 3 months and 14 days, longer than any snake species ever kept in captivity, to date.

And, finally (how cool is this!) I found a publication on eBay titled Collections - Eugenia Skinner Shorrock by Michael Bennet Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire published Feb 15, 1992. The description reads: 'Softcover. Stapled binding. 44 pages, 8.5" x 11". This is session III, listing 583 items, many b/w photos.' I just purchased it with "buy it now" and I will share it with you all on a future Postcard Friendship Friday!