Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Eye of God at Newchurch in Pendle
St. Govor’s Well.
St. Govor’s Well
Shivsrushti
Pierced domes of Hammam Seffarine.
Hammam Seffarine
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Grasshopper Chapel and grounds.
How the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague Spawned Federal Disaster Relief
4 days ago
The Guy Bradley Visitor Center at Flamingo in Everglades National Park.
America’s First Game Warden Died Fighting for the Birds
4 days ago
Echo Park Time Travel Mart.
Atlas Obscura Presents: Traveling Back in Time for Coconut Cake With The Sporkful
5 days ago
One of the PATH’s many entrances.
A Supposedly Boring Mall I Might Actually Visit Again
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Pennsylvania Brodheadsville Phoebe's Little Wax Works

Phoebe's Little Wax Works

Intricate storybook scenes are tucked inside these shadow boxes, which are tucked inside a library in the Pocono Mountains.

Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania

Added By
Jane Weinhardt Goldberg
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
“Peter Pan”   Vintage postcard
“Peter Pan”   Vintage postcard
“Old Mother Hubbard”   Vintage postcard
“Hansel and Gretel   Vintage postcard
Phoebe Conrad Gallery’s permanent home at the Western Pocono Community Library   photo courtesy of Western Pocono Community Library
The shadow boxes Inside the Gallery   photo courtesy of Western Pocono Community Library
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Western Pocono Community Library has all the features of a great local library: a well-curated collection, a vibrant children’s section, dedicated staff, access to the on-line world – and one thing no other library, or anyone else has: the exquisite shadow boxes of Phoebe Conrad.

Born in 1914 in western Pennsylvania, by the young age of 34 Phoebe already had career stops as a commercial illustrator, defense factory worker, nurse, family caregiver and contributor to department store displays. But it was her whimsical dioramas of storybook scenes that led her to start her own miniature wax museum in the Poconos.

She had studied as an artist in both Pittsburgh and at the famed Art Students League in New York, but her interest in dolls – and a chance encounter with a wax hand during her nursing training – led her to the painstaking labor of creating wax-based figures to populate storybook scenes. Soon she had a Winnie the Pooh, Hansel and Gretel, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Old Mother Hubbard, even a meticulous Charlotte’s Web (“Some Pig!”). With the number of boxes growing, Phoebe needed a place to put them all.

It was the late 1940s, a time of folksy roadside attractions when she first displayed the boxes in her aunt’s barn. By the 1950s she moved them to a small gallery of her own in Mountainhome, near Mt. Pocono, where tourists from nearby resorts could come and see the evocative little scenes. Now known as Phoebe’s Little Wax Works (adult admission fifty cents, kids a quarter), they were a hit.

In the 1960's the collection moved from the gallery to the Pocono resort of Memorytown USA, where they remained for almost 20 years. But as times and tourist tastes changed, the scenes fell out of favor. They were put in storage until 2000 when smarter heads prevailed and they made their way to the Western Pocono Community Library.

Today the librarians are keeping a careful eye on these one-of-a-kind works, promoting Phoebe (who passed away in 2007 at the age of 93), and even selling a small book about her art to help maintain the joyful collection. When the Library opened the Phoebe Conrad Gallery in 2004, Phoebe was able to attend and see first-hand some of that joy for herself, on the faces of Western Pocono Community kids.

Related Tags

Art Collections Miniatures Fairytales Dioramas Libraries

Know Before You Go

Brodheadsville is about halfway between Allentown and Wilke-Barre, PA. The Western Pocono Community Library on Pilgrim Way is just off SR-115, which is off of Rte. 209.The Gallery is inside the Library, which opens every day at 9am. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays they're open until 8pm, Tuesdays and Fridays until 5pm, and Saturdays until 4pm. Closed on Sundays and major holidays.

Community Contributors

Added By

Jane Weinhardt Goldberg

Edited By

Blindcolour

  • Blindcolour

Published

August 3, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20070514/NEWS07/705140316
  • http://articles.mcall.com/1996-09-26/news/3099298_1_conrad-s-father-greenwich-village-big-ideas
  • http://articles.mcall.com/2000-10-23/news/3335980_1_library-s-opening-west-end-shadow
Phoebe's Little Wax Works
131 Pilgrim Way
Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania
United States
40.927624, -75.407148
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jayne Mansfield Grave

Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania

miles away

Columcille Megalith Park

Bangor, Pennsylvania

miles away

Woodland Chapel at Woodsgate

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Nearby Places

Jayne Mansfield Grave

Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania

miles away

Columcille Megalith Park

Bangor, Pennsylvania

miles away

Woodland Chapel at Woodsgate

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Related Places

  • Mijas Miniatures Museum

    Mijas, Spain

    Mijas Miniatures Museum

    A man's curious and seriously small handmade objects from around the world.

  • Magic Town

    Colorado Springs, Colorado

    Magic Town

    Experience life in one of America’s smallest neighborhoods.

  • Día de Muertos Offering.

    Metepec, Mexico

    Museo del Barro (Museum of Clay)

    A collection of incredible clay crafts, complete with earthen skeletons and mermaids.

  • Notice the magic carpet rider can be seen in the top right.

    New York, New York

    Flying Carpet Over Isfahan

    A controversial magical figure is hidden within a diorama of the city.

  • Cuypers Library

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Cuypers Library

    This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

  • The Poison Dart frogs show.

    Portland, Oregon

    Morrison Street Minigallery

    A tiny art gallery in Sunnyside helps keep Portland weird.

  • The interior.

    Sydney, Australia

    White Rabbit Gallery

    It's said to be one of the most significant collections of contemporary Chinese art in the world.

  • A tree that will become an anthology in 100 years

    Oslo, Norway

    Forest of the Future Library

    One thousand trees were planted in Norway to be used to print books a century from now.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.