Why would you bring strangers into your house?

William McCoy Piatt's Cabinet of Curiousities, 2012

We know that William McCoy Piatt opened Mac-A-Cheek to the public by 1912.  We don't know exactly why.  One popular theory is that he was so tired of people coming up to the house and asking for a tour that he decided to start charging admission to keep them away.  Although it seems plausible that strangers would come to the door asking to be shown around (it is a very cool building after all), but as compelling as this idea may be it is not likely the real story.

William McCoy Piatt's Cabinet of Curiosities, ca. 1915

If you've visited Mac-A-Cheek, you probably remember the large cabinet in the drawing room full of all sorts of random objects (including an ear of corn, a tooth from a mastodon and assorted hatchets).  Many, though not all, of these objects were in this cabinet when William McCoy first opened Mac-A-Cheek.  Curiosity Cabinets such as this were popular as far back as the Renaissance.  They piqued the interest of viewers and allowed them to explore unique and unexpected items.  William McCoy had spent much of his life collecting strange and interesting things that he found around the farm.  He had a cabinet custom-built and installed in his drawing room in order to display this collection, and his desire to share the collection with others is likely the true reason that Mac-A-Cheek was first opened to the public.