The Chicago Academy of Sciences: 



Its Past History and Present Collections 



HISTORICAL SKETCH.* 



The Chicago Academy of Sciences was organized January 13, 

 1857, under the name of "The Chicago Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences." In the year 1859 the society was incorporated under its 

 present title, and in 1865 the charter now in operation was secured 

 from the state legislature. 



A small museum was first started in a room on the corner of 

 Clark and Lake streets. In 1864 the collections had grown to such 

 an extent that more commodious quarters were secured in the Met- 

 ropolitan Block. Two years later the exhibits were seriously dam- 

 aged by fire. The necessity for a fire-proof building being now 

 apparent, a piece of property at 263 and 265 Wabash Avenue was 

 purchased and in 1868 a fire-proof museum building was erected 

 upon the rear of this lot, the street frontage being occupied by a 

 two-story brick building, from which a yearly income from rentals 

 was secured. The museum building was fifty feet wide, fifty-five 

 feet deep and about fifty feet in height, and contained a basement, 

 a ground story, and above this a museum hall with two galleries. 

 The supposed fire-proof character of the museum, which was unique 

 at that time among buildings of this kind, led many institutions, as 

 well as individuals, to send large and valuable collections to the 

 Academy. This was especially true of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 which had loaned a vast amount of material for the use of Dr. 

 William Stimpson, the director of the Academy. 



On the ninth of October, 1871, the museum building with its 

 contents was totally consumed in the conflagration which destroyed 

 the greater portion of Chicago. It is estimated that not less than 

 300,000 specimens were stored in the building, many of them being 

 priceless in value. The following notable collections were destroyed : 

 The Bishoff and Western Union Telegraph Expedition of Alaska 

 material; the Smithsonian collection of Crustacea, 10,000 jars, 

 containing types of Dana, Stimpson and others ; the invertebrates 

 of the U. S. North Pacific Exploring Expedition, containing 

 many undescribed types ; the Stimpson collection of marine 

 shells, numbering about 8,000 specimens, and the U. S. Coast Sur- 

 vey collection of deep sea Crustacea and mollusks, dredged in the 



*The historical account is condensed from Mr. William K. Higley's 

 paper, special publication No. 1, 1902. 



