Stir things up at the Mississippi Spoon Gallery, which holds a Guinness World Record. (Photo: MSG)
By Jessica O’Riley
True confession: I love quirky museums and roadside attractions. I’m one of those people who actively seek them out on a road trip, to my family’s mixed reaction. World’s largest popcorn ball? Sign me up. (Sac City, by the way.) A collection of spoons? I’m there.
Which is how I ended up at the Mississippi Spoon Gallery in Davenport. The collection belongs to Cammie Pohl but started with her great-grandmother, Amelia. Before Cammie left for the military, Amelia gave her three boxes and told her not to open them until she was married or bought her first home. Sadly, Amelia passed away five months before Cammie purchased her first house. When Cammie opened the boxes, she discovered a spoon collection that included pieces from the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 and the Chicago Century of Progress in 1933.
Since then, Cammie said she’s traveled more than a million miles, including trips to Europe, to find spoons at antique stores and flea markets. “Despite the high prices some collectors pay, I stay true to my humble Midwest roots and rarely spend more than $30 on a single spoon,” she said. “Our mission as a nonprofit is to protect and showcase this vanishing artform for others to appreciate.”
As of April 26, 2025, Cammie’s collection had grown to 38,162 spoons, a tally that Guinness World Records certified as the largest spoon collection in the world. And since then, she has continued to collect even more.
All are neatly arranged in the gallery space, some in display cases and others in creative arrangements like a chandelier. The collection includes rare plique-à-jour spoons (an enameling technique that looks like cloisonné or stained glass) and a 200-year-old dragon spoon from China. There are spoons from all 50 states, painted ceramic spoons from Europe, Egyptian spoons, suffragette spoons and so many more.
But Cammie has her favorites. “The original spoons from my great-grandmother are the most meaningful, especially the ones we used for tea parties when I was a child.”
Cammie said collecting spoons has given her “a deep respect for the history and artistry of silversmiths. I’ve learned about milestones like the 1891 Salem Witch Spoon by Daniel Low and the 1893 Columbian World Exposition.”
The Mississippi Spoon Gallery is open Friday through Tuesday, on East River Road just east of downtown. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children and veterans.
Contributor Jessica O’Riley has worked for the state tourism office and the Iowa State Fair. She keeps her own spoons in her kitchen at home in Pleasant Hill.
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