Guide to the Vassar College Natural History Museum Records, 1866-1969 (bulk 1906-1944)

Collection Summary

Historical Note

In late 1862, seeing a need for Vassar students to have the same first-hand access to science education specimens as their male counterparts, the Vassar College trustees hired Henry A. Ward, a professor of natural sciences at the University of Rochester, to put together a "cabinet" collection of scientific specimens. Ward's cabinet, conceived of as a teaching tool comprised mostly of geological and mineralogical specimens, was installed by 1864 and was housed in Main Building. In 1865, Sanborn Tenney was hired as Vassar's first professor of Natural History, as well as the first curator of the Collection. In 1874, the college decided to move the Collection to the nearby Calisthenium and Riding Academy in order to create more space in Main. On February 22, 1875, the newly named Vassar College Museum of Natural History celebrated its grand opening.

The Museum became home to numerous historically and scientifically important artifacts and included a comprehensive assortment of books about birds, the subjects of which ranged from the aesthetic lure of birds to scientific discussions of migration, anatomy, and physiology. One of the greatest possessions in the collection was a specimen of the extinct bird the Great Auk. The Vassar Auk was of particular importance because it was the specimen that John James Audubon had used in his descriptions of the bird.

In 1918, in order to create more classroom space, the Museum was moved to the New England Building. The museum in the New England Building extended from the first floor to the third, with collections being displayed both on the stair landings as well as in the central hall of the third floor. The impressive collection included nearly 3,000 mounted birds, a majority of the North American species, most of which were gathered together by James Orton and Poughkeepsie resident Jacob P. Giraud.

In 1979, multiple factors, including the poor state of the collection and a need for more classroom space, spurred the decision to start phasing out the museum. With its closure, the remaining collections were distributed among various national and state institutions. In 1992, what was left of the museum was moved to the first floor of Ely Hall. In April 2006, the museum, now called the A. Scott Warthin Museum of Geology and Natural History, celebrated its re-opening, complete with a newly renovated space and new display cases.

Source: "Natural History Museum," Vassar College Encyclopedia, 2007.

Chronology of Museum Curators

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains correspondence between Natural History Museum administrators, other museums and educational institutions, and vendors and collectors. Also included are annual reports, inventories and lists of specimens kept by the museum, clippings about the museum, advertisements for and descriptions of various anatomical and biological specimens and models, records of specimen loans and purchases, and floor plans for a proposed addition to the New England Building.

Arranged alphabetically.

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Encoded by Emma Gronbeck, October 2023.

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