THE AMERICAN MUSEU*]\ 



'^OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



By Mary Titcomb. 



TiiE recent completion of an additional build- 

 ing for the American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory, ou Alanliattan Square, at the Central Park, 

 New York city, awakens fresh interest in an 

 institution designed no less for popular instruc- 

 tion and recreation than for scientific investiga- 

 tion. 



Comparatively few, even of the thousands who 

 have examined tlie collections there exhibited, 

 know definitely about the origin of this museum, 

 or realize how much thought, labor and money 

 have been expended in bringing it to its present 

 condition. 



, Long before its establishment it had been a 

 matter of keen regret to many citizens of New 

 York that in this great and wealthy city there 

 were no adequate means for. the study of natural 

 history, and no public collection for the benefit 

 of the peo])le. The majority of European capi- 

 tals, and even the more important cities of our 

 own country, possessed valuable museums, while 

 the metropolis of America had none. But the 

 number of those who recognized the necessity of 

 such a museum was manifestly increasing, and 

 their interest was brought to a focus towai'd the 

 close of 18G8 \>y an unexpected opportunity for 

 securing the nucleus of the desired institution. 

 hy the death of Edward Verreaux, of^^Paris, an 

 extensive collection of natural-history specimens 

 was offered for sale ; and also tiie entire museum 

 of Prince Maximilian of Neuwied, Germany, was 

 by his death thrown into the European market. 

 A united and earnest elfort was made to secure 

 these collections. 



On December 30th, 1868, a letter was addressed 

 to the Commissioners of the Central Park, signed 

 bv about twenty gentlemen, expressing their de- 

 sire that a great museum should be established in 

 the park, and asking if the commissioners were 

 disposed to provide for its reception and develop- 

 ment. A favorable reply was returned, with as- 

 surances of sympathy and hearty co-operation in 

 the great work proposed. 



In April, 1809, a special charter was obtained 

 from the State Legislature, and the Amei'ican 

 ]\Iuseum of Natural History was speedily organ- 

 ized — a corporation of active, earnest men, its 

 first president being John David Wolfe. The 

 names of the first Board of Trustees, in 18(59, 

 were John David AVolfe, Robert L. Stuart, Rob- 

 ert Colgate, Benjamin H. Field,* Richard M. 

 Blatchford, Adrian Iselin,* Benjamin B. Sher- 

 man, William A. ILiines, Theodore Roosevelt,* 

 Henry G. Steb])ins. Howard Potter, William T. 



Blodgett, Andrew H. Green,* Morris K. Jesup,* 

 D. Jackson Steward, * J. Pierpont Morgan, * 

 Moses n. Grinnell, A. G. Phelps Dodge, Charles 

 A. Dana, Joseph IL Choate,* Henry Parish. By 

 the efforts of the trustees, the sum of $44,550 was 

 raised within a few weeks, which warranted the 

 purchase of the Elliot collection of North Amer- 

 ican birds, the entire collection of Prince Maxi- 

 milian, and valuable selections from the Verreau*£ 

 and Vcdray collections, in Paris. ]\Iauy donations 

 were also received, showing the interest and sym- 

 jiathy of scientific men in tlio movement. 



By an arrangement with the Park Commission- 

 ers, temporary accommodations were ])rovided for 

 the exhibition of these collections in the old Ar- 

 senal Building, near the park entrance at Fifth 

 Avenue and Sixty-fourth Street. Thus, the long- 

 desired establishment of a museum for the defi- 

 nite purpose of " encouraging and developing the 

 study of natural science, of advancing the general 

 knowledge of kindred subjects, and of furnishing 

 popular instruction and recreation," began to as- 

 sume a tangible form. 



These earliest acquisitions of the museum are 

 invested with peculiar interest, not merely because 

 they were of great intrinsic value, and formed the 

 nucleus about which so much has since gathered, 

 but also because of the liistory of some of them. 

 ]\Iaximilian, Prince of Neuwied — a town in the 

 district of Cobleiiz, Prussia — was born in 178.2, 

 and died in IStiT. He was an enthusiastic mxt- 

 uralist, and traveled extensively for the purpose 

 of studying the natural history of different coun- 

 tries and gathering specimens. He spent two or 

 three years in exi)loring Brazil, about 181G, sub- 

 sequently publishing the results of his researches 

 in several volumes. About 1834 he made a tour 

 through North America, going far into the then 

 unexplored West. Two years before his deatli he 

 completed a nninuscript catalogue of his ornitho- 

 logical collection — an elaborate work of great 

 value, although imperfect in some respects. ; 



It was in the Fall of 1809 that the trustees of' 

 the American Museum purchased for £1,500 ster- 

 ling Maximilian's entire collection, consisting of 

 4,000 mounted birds, (iOO mounted mammals, and 

 about 2,000 fishes and reptiles, mounted, or in 

 alcohol. Among those were rare and valuable 

 specimens, both American and European. T!;e 

 birds were mounted ou stands of rude construc- 

 tion, for which turned mahogany perches were 

 substituted after being brought here. Alllunigh 

 collected so long ago, the specimens were well 

 preserved ; and as Maxamikiuu had a good knowl- j 



* lu the present Board. 



