Ed Gein

Ed Gein died of lung cancer on 26 July 1984 in Goodland Hall at the Mendota Mental Health Institute.

He was buried at the Plainfield cemetery. Over the years many visitors vandalized the gravestone by chipping off pieces in seek of souvenirs and in 2000 a majority of the gravestone was stolen. It was recovered the following year and currently maintained in a museum in Waushara County.

Edward Theodore "Ed" Gein was born on 27 August 1906, at La Crosse County, Wisconsin in USA to George Philip and Augusta Wilhelmine Gein. He had an older brother named Henry George Gein.

During his childhood, his family shifted near Plainfield in Wisconsin. He was known to have an isolated childhood, leaving home only to attend school.

As a child, he was shy, had poor social skills and often became a target of bullies. His teachers remembered that he had demonstrated queer mannerisms, such as laughing randomly.

His mother was an ardent follower of Lutheranism and shared knowledge on topics like the innate immortality of the world, the sins of carnal desire and drinking etc, to his brother as well as to him. She discouraged any contact from outsiders to avoid them being influenced.

In 1940, Ed Gein’s father died of a heart failure caused by alcoholism. Post the incident, he along with his brother began working odd jobs in the neighbourhood. He had worked as a handyman and babysitter and was considered reliable in the locality.

He was known to be extremely attached to his mother, and this behaviour was a cause of concern for his older brother. Henry Gein had begun to oppose his mother’s views on the world.

On 16 May 1944, Ed Gein went to extinguish a brush fire close to their farm along with his brother. However, based on records, by nightfall the brothers were separated and Henry Gein was reported missing. He was later found dead on the ground with bruises on his head. However, the county coroner listed the cause of death as asphyxiation.

Following his brother’s death, he lived along with his mother who had by then suffered a series of strokes. He was excessively devoted to her and did not meet or date any woman during the time. His mother passed away on 29 December 1945. *Post his mother’s death, he secured the rooms previously occupied by his mother and shifted to a room next to the kitchen. During this time, his interest in reading death-cult magazines and adventure stories involving cannibals and Nazi atrocities began to develop.

He continued doing odd jobs to cover expenses. From 1951, he began receiving a farm subsidy from the federal government. Occasionally he worked as part of the crop threshing crew or municipality crew in the locality. During these years, he also sold the 80-acre parcel of land that was owned by his brother.

Ed Gein’s story had a major impact on movies, literature and music. Several movies based on his were made, such as ‘Deranged’ (1974),’ In the Light of the Moon’ (2000), and ‘Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield’ (2007).

His crimes paved way for a new genre in arts called ’black humour’. Examples of this include the song ‘Dead Skin Mask’ from the Slayer album ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ (1990), ‘Nothing to Gein’ from Mudvayne's album ‘L.D. 50’ (2001), and ‘Ed Gein’ from The Ziggens' album ‘Rusty Never Sleeps’ (1992).

The car that he used to haul the corpses from the graveyard was sold at a public auction for a sum of USD 760 to an enterprising carnival show operator.