Harvard Mineralogical Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard is located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Harvard Mineralogical Museum is the accepted succinct form of its name.
The museum's mineral collection ranks among the world's finest due to its very broad representation, wealth of rare samples, large number of specific specimens described in scientific literature, and the quality of its display specimens. A rich systematic mineral collection and displays of gemstones are the principal exhibits in the mineral gallery.
The Mineralogical and Geological Museum is committed to the preservation and further development of its world-class collection of minerals, gems, rocks, ores, and meteorites for research, education, and public display.
This museum and the other institutions that comprise the Harvard Museum of Natural History are physically connected to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and one admission grants visitors access to all museums.
[edit] History
Harvard Mineralogical Museum's earliest collections date back to the late 18th century and were exhibited in Harvard Hall. For most of the 19th century the collections were installed in Boylston Hall under the supervision of the chemistry department. The Mineralogical Museum section of iys present home, the University Museum building, was erected in 1891. The adjacent Geological Museum section was completed in 1901. Originally separate, the Geological Museum was merged with the Mineralogical Museum in 1977.
