February 12, 2008

Obsessed Ouija Board Collector Builds Virtual Shrine to Those Responsible for Its Invention

Boston, MA -- Ouija Board enthusiast Robert Murch has built an online museum to the works, inventions, family, and associates of William Fuld, who manufactured and marketed the Ouija board for almost a century. Murch hopes his new site, williamfuld.com, will highlight those responsible for casting a spell over an entire nation and launching a craze that helped make the Ouija Board one of America's most popular games… and a household word.

Although well known for the Ouija board, Fuld and family invented and manufactured many other parlor games, amusements, and novelties. Pool tables, furniture, wooden toys, and dartboards all rolled off his assembly lines. Murch's virtual memorial offers hundreds of photos of Ouija and other Fuld-related creations, allowing browsers to see if that game or toy in their grandparents' attic is an authentic William Fuld. With over fifteen years of William Fuld and Ouija research filling the pages of his site the tale is long and takes many twists and turns through the storied history of one of America's most unique inventors.

As part of the launch of the site, Murch is also spearheading a project to honor an associate of Fuld who was a major part of Ouija history. Nearly 90 years after his death, Murch received permission to erect a gravestone to Elijah Bond, who actually patented the Ouija Board. A decent headstone can cost anywhere from $2500 to $5000, Murch says. He is using his new site to seek donations to give Elijah Bond the respect and honor Murch believes he deserves for his role in creating an American game second to none in popularity.

Murch is also working with Baltimore officials to make one of William Fuld's Ouija factories a Baltimore City Landmark. It will be the first Ouija related landmark in Baltimore, birthplace of the Ouija board. Murch hopes that these efforts encourage the preservation of this lost and unique piece of American history and inspire people from all walks of life to explore the Mystifying Oracle.