EcoTarium celebrates its distinguished 175-year history
MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Foxwell
Marketing & Communications Manager
lfoxwell@ecotarium.org
(508)929-2738
(WORCESTER, Mass.) — While EcoTarium, a center for environmental exploration, unveils a brand new look, the Worcester institution also celebrates its status as one of the oldest natural history societies in the nation. The year 2000 marks the 175th anniversary of EcoTarium's founding as the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History.
In 1825, 14 men interested in studying the natural world came together to form the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History, with a mission to collect, identify and exchange ideas on natural history specimens. The reigns of the society, and the collections it amassed, changed hands many times over the next few decades, but the impetus was there for the society to grow. The institution was incorporated in 1884 as the Worcester Natural History Society, and legally holds that name to this day.
In its early years, the Society hosted guest lecturers and free workshops for teachers and amateur naturalists on ornithology, botany, archeology, geology and other such matters. Prominent speakers included Henry David Thoreau--who made more than a dozen trips to Worcester from his Concord home, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Thomas Edison.
In 1867, the Society moved to the third floor of the Worcester Bank Block on Foster Street and exhibited the wide range of artifacts and specimens its members had collected. Bird, reptile and fish specimens, sea shells, fossils, minerals, insects and even mammals--exotic and local--were placed on display in glass cases. The public was invited to visit free, and the opening reception drew a crowd of 250.
In 1885, an invitation was issued to Worcester boys to spend the summer camping in the Natural History Park operated by the Society on the shore of Quinsigamond Lake.
Approximately 50 boys accepted the offer and whiled away the summer fishing, swimming, playing and "unconsciously" absorbing vast information about the local ecology. The summer on the lake was a trial year for the Society's newest endeavor, the first natural history camp of its kind.
At the turn of the century, Worcester's growing interest in nature was reflected in the elementary school curriculum. Museum staff and volunteers worked with teachers to develop earth science curricula, and the society's collections such as nests, fossils, rocks and plants were made available to the schools. A group of 20 women, all trained in natural sciences, would volunteer two days a week to prepare boxes for the schools, stuffing them with natural history specimens and artifacts, information cards, illustrations and magazine clippings.
Space constraints seemed a perpetual challenge for the growing Society. In 1891, the Edwin Conant Mansion at the corner of State and Harvard streets was donated as a new location for the Natural History Museum. Almost immediately, its eight rooms reached capacity. The expanded offerings for school children, volunteer work meetings and adult classes left little room for exhibiting the Society's collections. As a result, most of the museum's prized artifacts and specimens remained off exhibit, boxed in storage areas.
Meanwhile, the Worcester Natural History Society became the beneficiary of land in two outlying areas, offering vast resources in the study of nature. In 1946, it opened a Nature Training School on 80 acres of land off Route 31 in Paxton and named it for past president Wendell Phillips Parker. Later, it was renamed in honor of Richard C. Potter, a successive president who formed the Nature Training School in 1940 and held it for years at his Auburn home. In 1950, the summer home of F.J. Harold Daniels and 325 acres of land in Rutland were donated to the Society as a school of forestry. With these two properties, the Society uniquely offered nature study for children at both elementary and high school levels. EcoTarium continues to maintain both properties, which are now used primarily for environmental summer camps.
In 1954, the Society moved into two houses in Worcester that were donated for museum use. The Daniels House on Cedar Street was designated for exhibits and the exhaustive Goddard mineral collection. Live animal exhibits, a planetarium, auditorium and collections opened at the Rice House on Elm Street. The Rice House was also used for children's programming.
Redefining its image, the Society changed its name in 1960 to the Worcester Science Museum. Its programs included exhibitions featuring collections and live animals, lectures, classes, summer camps for both children and families, teacher training and nature trips.
Ground broke on the new Science Center in 1967 on 60 acres donated by Francis A. Harrington. World renowned architect Edward Durell Stone, who designed the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was hired for the project. Construction setbacks and fiscal constraints delayed the opening to May of 1971. Astronaut Jim Lovell, the first man launched into space, was on hand for the dedication of the new facility.
Its move to Harrington Way, along with another name change to the Worcester Science Center, positioned the institution to follow a national trend in the development of science and technology centers. These "centers" distinguished themselves from traditional museums with their interactive concept-driven exhibits, rather than collection-based exhibits. The Worcester Science Center also exceeded the boundaries of the traditional museum with the addition of an outdoor zoo area, a narrow-gauge railroad, a planetarium and a wide array of programming for both children and adults.
Wildlife became a major draw for the Worcester Science Center, particularly two adult polar bears, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. At the time it opened, the Science Center's Polar Bear Plaza was the third largest polar bear facility in the country and the only known habitat to have a window view into the swimming pool. On Dec. 1, 1983, Ursa Minor gave birth to twin cubs, weighing only 20 ounces apiece. One cub died within the first few days, but the other appeared healthy and emerged from the den two months later to a crowd of 2,000 elated spectators. The polar bear cub, Kenda, whose name, meaning "child of clear, cool waters," was chosen among thousands of entries in a Name-the-Cub contest, quickly became a darling of Worcester and beyond. Kenda was the first polar bear born in New England to survive.
Accompanying a spurt of growth in visitation and revenue, the Science Center's name was changed to reflect a broader, regional focus. In 1986, the museum became the New England Science Center.
In 1990, the museum's mission was re-articulated to focus on environmental education and global change in the context of the New England setting. Living wildlife, natural history collections and advanced technology became the tools for achieving environmental awareness. Looking for a new identity that would distinguish the museum from traditional physical science museums, the Center adopted the name "EcoTarium" in September 1998. The new word connotes a place dedicated to environmental discovery.
EcoTarium Today
Today, the EcoTarium serves a diverse audience with exhibits and programs for general visitors, school and scout groups, work and volunteer programs for underserved youth, and professional development workshops for teachers. More than 130,000 take advantage of the museum's resources each year, with 44,000 visiting in school groups.
Much of the museum's work continues to be rooted in the ideologies and practices adopted more than 100 years ago. Each summer, EcoTarium offers camp programs for children ages 7 12 that explore the local ecology at the museum and its field sites in Paxton and Rutland. EcoTarium regularly hosts guest lecturers and lecture series to promote environmental awareness. Recent topics have included nature photography, water pollution, medicinal herbs and endangered species. Museum staff works closely with teachers from schools from throughout Massachusetts to provide assistance preparing and implementing environmental science curriculum. Exhibits and educational programs draw on our rich natural history collection to tell the story of our changing environments.
Our Future
A 10-year capital development program was launched in 1996 to redevelop and expand the museum and grounds. Construction projects were clustered into phases to minimize disruption to museum operations and to keep pace with fund-raising efforts. The first phase reached completion in July 1999, and visitors now enjoy interpretive nature trails traversing the property and leading to a pond pier and pavilion, visiting with bald eagles, river otters and snowy owls in new, naturalized habitats, a unique Tree Canopy Walkway that encourages discovery of life in the treetops, a much larger Museum Store, an orientation theater and exhibit, and a new locomotive and handicap-accessible train coach. Nearly 2,400 people took part in a free community celebration of the new attractions in August.
The next phase of construction—including a Telecommunications Center, three adaptable classroom spaces, a dramatic three-story glass wall connecting the indoor and outdoor environments, a new habitat for endangered species of primates, courtyards, gardens, terraces and a falling water wall—was launched over the summer of 1999 and officially completed for an opening celebration July 23, 2000.
Remaining projects include naturalized habitats for polar bears, bobcats and the mountain lion; a three-season tent pavilion for events, programming and facility rentals; an indoor/outdoor cafe; and renovated and enlarged office, storage and exhibit construction space. These projects, estimated at $6 million, will begin once the funds are raised.
By providing unique and exciting avenues to explore environments, EcoTarium hopes to promote thoughtful decision-making when it comes to striking a balance between nature and mankind. Views of the world may have been different upon EcoTarium's founding 175 years ago, but its commitment to helping others explore their environment is still in vogue.
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