Museum commemorates 125th anniversary with celebration, new historical marker

February 9, 2004
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Popson (919) 733-7450, ext. 379

RALEIGH - Before television, before computers, before airplanes ... there was the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Founded in 1879, the Museum has grown from a modest collection to the largest natural history museum in the Southeast. On Friday, February 20, friends and staff members will kick off a year-long celebration of the Museum's 125th anniversary.

The Museum's nod to its venerable history begins at 11:30 am with the unveiling of its new historical marker on Jones Street. The Museum's original marker was removed during construction of the new building in 2000. North Carolina dignitaries and officials will preside. The historical marker text reads:

N.C. State Museum of Natural Sciences Collection began with 1851 geological survey; a museum since 1879; H.H. Brimley, curator from 1895 to 1946.

Festivities then will move to the Museum's first floor, as Museum Director Betsy Bennett recounts milestones of the institution's long and stable history. Exploration of nature by Museum scientists, from the top of Mount Mitchell to the deep ocean waters of the continental shelf, also will be remembered. And no retrospective would be complete without mention of H.H. Brimley, the Museum's first director. Brimley arrived in North Carolina in 1880, when gray wolves and panthers still roamed the woods; his tenure took the Museum to the dawn of the atomic age, with his death in 1946.

Guests and staff will deliver brief testimonials addressing the Museum's role in their lives, as well as the institution's impact on North Carolinians' view of nature. At the conclusion, cake will be served to visitors.

Dr. Bennett also will acknowledge the Real Yellow Pages from BellSouth, which has sponsored the anniversary celebration. In honor of its 125th birthday, the Museum is featured on the cover of this year's phone book.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.

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