Ed Gein Timeline
Few crimes in history have captured the human imagination and horrified us quite like those committed by Ed Gein have. Gein lived alone with his mother for years in their dilapidated farmhouse. When Augusta died, the loneliness and isolation ate away at Ed’s already damaged mind, giving way to the murder, grave robbing, and other deranged acts that have become deeply ingrained on our collective unconscious.
The dates and events detailed below have been compiled from numerous sources to provide an accurate and concise history of Gein’s life and the continuing reverberations his crimes have on contemporary popular culture.
1873
George Philip Gein is Born
1878
Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke is Born
1901
Henry George Gein is Born
August 27, 1906
Ed Gein is born
Ed Gein is born to grocery store owners George and Augusta Gein in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
1914
Gein Family Moves to Plainfield
George and Augusta sell their grocery store in La Crosse and move their family to Plainfield
April 4, 1940
George Gein Dies
Ed’s father George dies of heart failure at the age of 66
May 6, 1944
Henry Gein Dies
Ed’s brother Henry dies of apparent asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation while he and Ed were burning brush on the property
December 29, 1945
Augusta Gein Dies
Ed’s mother Augusta dies at the age of 67 following several strokes
1947
Ed Begins Robbing Graves
Ed starts visiting local cemeteries at night to dig up the freshly buried remains of women who remind him of his mother.
1951
Hunters Vanish
Victor Travis and Ray Burgess disappear in Plainfield, leaving only a jacket and their dog behind in the woods near Gein’s property
December 8, 1954
Mary Hogan Disappears
Ed shoots Mary Hogan at her bar in the town of Bancroft and takes her body back to his farm. Her disappearance remains unsolved until 1957.
November 16, 1957
Bernice Worden Missing
Investigating hardware store owner Bernice Worden’s disappearance, police find her body in Ed Gein’s house. He shot her in the head and took her home, where he gutted and beheaded her.
November 16, 1957
Ed Gein is Arrested
Ed Gein is arrested later that evening after the gutted and decapitated body of Bernice Worden is found in his home
November 21, 1957
Insanity Plea
Ed Gein is arraigned in Waushara County Court on one count of first degree murder, where he enters a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity
January, 1958
Unfit to Stand Trial
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Ed Gein is found unfit to stand trial and committed to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Waupun, Wisconsin
March 20, 1958
House Burns Down
Ed Gein’s house, rumored to become an attraction known as the “House of Horrors,” burns to the ground
March 30, 1958
Gein Auction
A public auction is held to sell Ed Gein’s property and possessions
July, 1958
Ghoul Car Attraction Debuts
Ed Gein’s car, purchased by Bunny Gibbons for $760 at the auction, makes its first public appearance as a sideshow attraction at the Outagamie County Fair in Seymour, WI. It was last seen later that summer at the Washington County Fair in Slinger before the sheriff shut it down. The car’s whereabouts today are unknown.
May, 1960
Bones Found
Human bones are discovered by men working on the Gein property
1962
Remains Buried
The remains recovered as evidence from Gein’s house, as well bones later discovered on the property, are buried in an unmarked grave purchased by the state of Wisconsin in an undisclosed location presumably in Plainfield Cemetery.
November 7, 1968
Trial Begins
Deemed mentally competent, Gein’s trial for the murder of Bernice Worden begins
November 14, 1968
Guilty
Judge Robert H. Gollmar finds Ed Gein guilty of the murder of Bernice Worden
July 26, 1984
Ed Gein Dies
Ed Gein dies at the age of 77 of respiratory failure due to lung cancer in the Mendota Mental Health Institute and is buried in Plainfield Cemetery
June, 2000
Gravestone Stolen
Ed Gein’s headstone is discovered missing from the Plainfield Cemetery
May, 2001
Gravestone Recovered
The missing tombstone is recovered in Seattle in the possession of Ed Gein Fan Club founder Shane Bugbee.
April 4, 2006
Property for Sale
Mike Fisher, who inherited the Gein property from his grandfather Emden Schey, lists the land for sale on eBay for $250,000 under the heading “Ed Gein’s Farm … The REAL deal!”
April 8, 2006
eBay Pulls Listing
eBay removes the listing of Ed Gein’s property for violating a policy against the sale of murder memorabilia
February 28, 2015
Zak Bagans Buys Gein’s Cauldron
A cauldron supposedly bought at the 1958 auction of Gein’s possessions, and said to have been used by Gein to hold human entrails, is bought at a Wisconsin auction by Ghost Adventures star Zak Bagans.
April, 2017
Cauldron Appears on TV
Ed Gein’s supposedly haunted cauldron makes its television debut on Zak Bagans’ new series Travel Channel series Deadly Possessions
October 2017
Haunted Museum Opens
Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum opens in Las Vegas with Ed Gein’s Cursed Cauldron on display.
April 9, 2021
Paranormal investigation premieres on Discovery+
For the Discovery+ exclusive Ed Gein: The Real Psycho Cindy Kaza and Steve Shippy investigate the Gein property, knives bought at an auction, Gein’s jail cell, and believe they make contact with Ed’s ghost
October 31, 2021
The Paranormal Files episode premieres
Youtube channel The Paranormal Files debuts their investigation of knives once owned by Gein, as well as the jail cell
We strive to provide complete and accurate timeline of Ed Gein’s life. Is something incorrect? Do you have something to add? Let us know in the comments below.