Col. Wood 's Museum ( sometimes referred to simply as the Chicago Museum ) was a museum located in Chicago , Illinois . The museum was found in 1864 , but was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire . A second incarnation opened in 1875 , but it was also destroyed by fire . The final incarnation of the museum was opened in 1884 . The museum is perhaps most famous for at one point housing a pair of mummies as well as sheets of papyri ( which supposedly formed the basis for parts of the Book of Abraham ) that had once belonged to Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Col. Wood's Museum