Montshire Museum of Science
 Science Park area of the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich Vermont | |
 | |
| Established | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Montshire Road Norwich, Vermont, US |
| Coordinates | 43°42′01″N 72°18′18″W / 43.7002°N 72.305°W |
| Type | Science museum |
| Accreditation | ASTC |
| Visitors | 150,000[1] |
| Founder | Dr. Robert Chaffee[1][2] |
| Director | Lara Litchfield-Kimber[1] |
| Public transit access | Advance Transit Green Route, plus 9-minute walk |
| Website | www |
The Montshire Museum of Science is a hands-on science museum located in Norwich, Vermont, United States.
Description
[edit]The museum, including the building and nature trails, is located on over 100 acres (40 ha) of land.[3] It has over 150 exhibits relating to the natural and physical sciences, ecology, and technology.[4] Its live animal exhibits include a hive of honeybees that is connected to the outdoors, a colony of leafcutter ants, and aquariums that feature life in local waters.[5]
Outside the museum building, there is a 3-acre (1.2 ha) Science Park including a scale model of the Solar System (Pluto is located 2 miles (3.2 km) away),[3] and interactive exhibits on water, light, sound, and motion. Among the sound exhibits there are "whisper dishes" (parabolic dishes 40 feet (12 m) apart) and a musical fence built by Paul Matisse, grandson of painter Henri Matisse.[6][7] Each year, the museum holds an annual igloo build.[8]
History
[edit]The name "Montshire" is a portmanteau of "Vermont" and "New Hampshire".[1] It was cofounded in 1974 by Dr. Robert Chaffee, former Museum Director of the Dartmouth College Museum.
When the college museum closed, Chaffee and Walter Paine devised a community museum and education center, incorporating it as the Montshire. In 1976, Dartmouth College donated the collection of biological and geological collections to the new museum.[1][9]
The Montshire Museum was first located in a former bowling alley building in 1976 in Hanover, New Hampshire, and was later moved across the Connecticut River to a purpose-built building in Norwich in 1989.[1] [2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Montshire Museum: History & Overview". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Levin, Ted (June 8, 2009). "Levin: Exhibit curator retires". Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Trail Finder: Montshire Museum trails". Trail Finder. 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ "Montshire Museum: Exhibits". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ Corriveau, David (January 27, 2017). "Montshire Museum Designs Exhibit About How Music Gets Made". Valley News. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "The Musical Fence". www.paulmatisse.com. March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Montshire Museum: Montshire Outside". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Sauchelli, Liz (February 15, 2018). "Out & About: Build an Igloo, Learn About the Science of Snow at the Montshire". Valley News. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ Schwartz, Gregory (1976). "'Save the zebra! Save the zebra!'". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine: 23. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
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- Science museums in Vermont
- Natural history museums in Vermont
- Museums in Windsor County, Vermont
- Buildings and structures in Norwich, Vermont
- Museums established in 1976
- 1976 establishments in New Hampshire
- 1989 establishments in Vermont
- Northeastern United States museum stubs
- Vermont building and structure stubs