Autumn, according to mediums and followers of pagan religions, is when the veil between our world and the spirit world is the thinnest. That may make Halloween the best time to visit a little-known museum in Old Brooklyn that honors paganism and the practice of spiritualism and witchcraft.
The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick, at 2155 Broadview Road, is home to an eclectic collection of occult artifacts. Many were once owned by Raymond Buckland, high priest and the founder of the first modern coven in America for followers of the pagan religion Wicca. The museum is open year round for tours and sells witchcraft supplies, like candles, gems, herbs and spellbooks.
The Buckland Museum celebrates its 60th anniversary this year with a memoir book, “Keeping the Circle: The Story of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick,” coming out this month. The book features photos and stories from the museum’s history and the life of Buckland.
The museum dates back to 1966. That’s when Buckland first opened it in his home on Long Island, New York. The museum went through several re-locations and changes in ownership over the decades before landing with current owner Toni Rotonda, a hairdresser and Wiccan high priestess of the Temple of Sacrifice Coven in Columbus. She partnered with Steven Intermill, then caretaker of the Christmas Story House, to re-open the museum in Cleveland. They opened first in Tremont in 2017 and moved to the current Old Brooklyn location in 2019. Intermill is now the Buckland Museum’s executive director.
“You have a lot going on,” Rotonda said of Cleveland. “It’s a very touristy town, so I thought that was a good idea to have the museum open to a wide audience of people that were curious.… You’ve got a great bunch of people.”
What you’ll see (and hear) at the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick
The Buckland Museum sits in a large room divided into three galleries. Each room features original items owned and used by Buckland, plus personal items from Intermill’s own collection and exhibitions by featured artists from around the world.
Wiccans believe in earth-based gods and goddesses derived from ancient pagan religions. Practicing witches use rituals with earth materials like stones and herbs to cast “spells” for things like healing, protection and fertility, or to banish negative spirits or influences. There are an estimated 500,000 to over 1 million Wicca members nationwide.
Tours start with a brief introduction to Wicca and a history of the museum and its founder, Raymond Buckland. Visitors are given time and space to explore the museum on their own with brief break-ins by Intermill to share the stories behind some notable artifacts.
Listen in as Intermill introduces tour guests to the horned god of witchcraft, or “god of the hunt”:
Museum Director Steven Intermill telling the history of Raymond Buckland to tour guests. 
A European pagan artifact from the Bronze Age. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell 
Vintage Ouija boards on display. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell 
Candles for rituals and what their colors mean. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell
Dis-’spell’-ing myths about magick
Museum visitors come from all backgrounds, Intermill said.
“There absolutely are no typical customers here,” said Intermill, “except for the fact that everybody that comes in walks in with an open mind.”
Practitioners of pagan religions have been vilified throughout history, most notably dating back to the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts in the 1690s. The Buckland Museum works to debunk fears and misconceptions about paganism through education and addressing skepticism, all in good humor.
“The belief that we’re malevolent people,” Intermill said. “We’re good vibes, we’re much more interested in things like healing and prosperity than we are of negativity.”
Vintage Ouija boards on display. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell 
A selection of books available for purchase in the museum’s shop. 
For black cat enthusiasts… Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell 
A staff belonging to pagan wizard and religious leader Oberon Zell Ravenheart. The silver sculpture is by “Alien” designer and artist H.R. Giger. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell 
Steven Intermill shares the symbolism in a piece of artwork with tour guests. Credit: Gennifer Harding-Gosnell
For Rotonda, “education is key.”
“I really do think that we do a good job of educating the people that walk in that have no clue what witchcraft is,” said Rotonda. “And also, meeting a witch. Most people out there have never met a witch, they just have a Hollywood stereotype which is nowhere near being true.”
“In my real life, I’m a hairdresser and I renovate houses,” she added. “So, yeah, we’re not hanging out in the graveyards and all that.”
“Well, I mean, some of us are, but not all of us,” she laughed.
The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick at 2155 Broadview Road in Cleveland is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the month of October. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. For more information, visit their website.
