Tour the only Pig Museum in America!
For more information on the individuals who have donated their Pig Collections, click the links below.
Pig Collection Donors 2014 - 2016 Pig Collection Donors 2017 - Present Watch the video below to see how the pig museum was started.
The Beginning of History
Ross & Susi Honsa • Phillips, WI
• 06/16/13 • Over 14,000 Pigs Susi's late husband Ross, a former Deputy Sheriff began the collection of pigs after Susie gave him a belt buckle with a pig on it, as a practical joke. Since then his collection of plastic porkers, ceramic swine, pewter pigs, hefty hogs, giddy gilts, silly sows & bawdy boars has grown to over 14,500! Ross' dream was to accumulate the World Record Number of Pigs. It's our dream to make Ross' dream come true! |
How Ross' Pigs Got To the Farm
In April of 2013, owner Cindy Brenneke received a call from Beth, the DJ from KEZ 99.9 in Phoenix, Arizona. At first Brenneke thought it was a prank call. However, Beth assured her that each week the morning show would throw a dart at a map and where ever that dart lands they call the business located there—and this was Brenneke's week! They talked for 3-5 minutes about the Where Pigs Fly Farm, Brenneke thanked her and never thought much more about it. Then a few weeks later Brenneke received a call from Susi Honsa in Phillips, WI. Her sister, from Phoenix, AZ had heard the segment with Beth and Brenneke, and told her sister she needed to contact Brenneke at the Where Pigs Fly Farm in Missouri. Susi's late husband Ross had been collecting pigs since the 70's with the goal of having the largest collection in the world. Unfortunately, though he did achieve having the largest collection in America, there was a lady in Canada with a couple thousand more. Sadly Ross passed away from cancer in 2010, without reaching his goal. His dying wish was for the collection to go where the public could view it. That's where Brenneke and the Where Pigs Fly Farm came in. Susi called and asked Brenneke if she would be willing to accept the collection and display it for the public. Brenneke told her they would be happy to. On June 15th Erwin Franklin and Brennek left the farm and headed to Phillips, WI. With the help of the Honsa family they spent six hours packing and loading the collection. Back in Missouri they spent over 1000 hours remodeling the barn, photographing, then displaying the incredible collection. This collection is truly remarkable and they look forward to showing it off to as many as possible. Brenneke feels that the late Ross Honsa has brought his collection to them and they want to fullfill his dream. Therefore, when you come to visit, be sure to bring them a pig that they can add to the collection! |
Lynn Watt
• Sun City West, AZ • 11/14/13 • Over 2500 Pigs My love for pigs started in the early 80’s when I met and dated a guy from Iowa. His family had a pig farm and I immediately fell in love with them. His mom gave me a cute stuffed boy and girl pig and it started….. My pig obsession subsided in the late 80’s but was rekindled when I met my now husband in 1992. He gave me a couple pig figurines for our first Christmas together along with some pig head covers. Because of the favorable reaction he received he continued to buy me piggies. Friends and family from all around gave me pig things and it always made me squeal with delight. Then our best friends and neighbors in McKinney, Texas went to Eugene, Oregon for Thanksgiving in 1998. They brought me back and article about a lady who was going to part with some of her pig collection. The “pigture” of her and all her piggies in the background excited me and I just had to contact her. I called the Eugene newspaper and asked them if they would contact Shirley LaPalme and give her my phone number but because it is a small town they just gave me her phone number. I then called and spoke to Chuck LaPalme and told him I was interested in the pigs from the article. We had a nice visit and he gave Shirley my message and she squealed back at me later that day. We hit it off really well and became pig pals. Not quite a year later, my husband and I decided to go to Oregon to meet The LaPalmes and to see all the piggies. They refused to let us stay at a hotel even though we had never met. We were welcomed in to their home with open arms and greeted at the door dressed in pig regalia. When I walked in the house I was immediately in HOG HEAVEN! We stayed 4 days and 3 nights and became pig family from that point on. They had two sons my age so I now had to piglet brothers. They said I was the daughter they never had and unofficially became their adopted pig daughter. We made trips back to Oregon and they came to see us in McKinney, Texas. Pig Mom (Shirley) was not in the best of health basically from birth. She was a woman with nine lives. She used the last of her nine lives and we lost her in June of 2002. Papa Pig and I were with her and holding her as she took her last breath. I then inherited whatever I wanted of the pig collection and that is how my collection instantly went into the thousands. Papa then decided to move from Oregon and ended up in Surprise, Arizona. He and I remained very close and would take turns visiting every year until he passed away in August of 2012 right before we moved to Sun City West, Arizona to be closer to him. Since we downsized when we moved to Arizona, I decided it was time for me to part with the majority of my collection which was over 3000 pieces. One of my best friends came to visit me in Sun City West and decided to help me figure out what to do with the collection. She searched the web and found an amazing article about the “Where Pigs Fly Camp/Farm” in Owensville, Missouri. Turns out that a guy named Ross Honsa from Phillips, Wisconsin had a pig collection with over 14 thousand pieces and he was trying to beat the Guinness record of 16 thousand pig items. He died in 2010 just short of making the record. So thru a radio station here in Phoenix, Beth and Friends of 99.9 did a segment contacting Cindy Brenneke, the founder of the “Where Pigs Fly Camp” in April of 2013. The segment was heard by Susi Honsa’s sister who resides here in the Phoenix area. Susi contacted Cindy Brenneke and asked her if she would be interested in Ross’ pig collection. She said yes and that is when “The Pig Aloft Museum” was established, the first and only pig museum in the United States. Cindy is now trying to complete the quest of Ross Honsa to beat the Guinness Book of records. After learning about this story, I then contacted Cindy Brenneke and asked her if she was interested in me donating my pigs to the museum. She was ecstatic and squealed with delight. In November of 2013, I boxed up most of my piggies, approximately 2500 pieces, loaded them up in a Penske rental truck and along with my friend who found the article and drove the piggies to the “Where Pigs Fly Camp/Farm and Pig Aloft Museum. Cindy and I instantly became pig sisters. I stayed with her on the farm for two weeks as I unboxed the piggies and did pigventory. My piggies have a great surrogate Pig Mom and together she and I are going to collaborate to make the Guinness Book of records. The piggies are still mine but just have a new place to reside. My pig journey has been an amazing experience and one that continues to unfold and open many doors. I never dreamed everything that has happened would be so incredible just due to a love of pigs. Thanks for listening to my story…….squeals! Hogfully yours, Lynn Watt If you would like to help us keep the museum maintained and help with the remodeling of the Livestock Barn and Milk Barn to accommodate more of the collection, we would greatly appreciate your donation. THANKS in Advance!
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