Montshire Museum of Science

Montshire Museum of Science
Science Park area of the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich Vermont
Map
Established1976
Location1 Montshire Road
Norwich, Vermont, US
Coordinates43°42′01″N 72°18′18″W / 43.7002°N 72.305°W / 43.7002; -72.305
TypeScience museum
AccreditationASTC
Visitors150,000[1]
FounderDr. Robert Chaffee[1][2]
DirectorLara Litchfield-Kimber[1]
Public transit accessAdvance Transit Green Route, plus 9-minute walk
Websitewww.montshire.org

The Montshire Museum of Science is a hands-on science museum located in Norwich, Vermont, United States.

Description

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

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

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Montshire Museum: History & Overview". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Levin, Ted (June 8, 2009). "Levin: Exhibit curator retires". Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Trail Finder: Montshire Museum trails". Trail Finder. 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "Montshire Museum: Exhibits". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  5. ^ Corriveau, David (January 27, 2017). "Montshire Museum Designs Exhibit About How Music Gets Made". Valley News. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "The Musical Fence". www.paulmatisse.com. March 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Montshire Museum: Montshire Outside". www.montshire.org. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Gregory (1976). "'Save the zebra! Save the zebra!'". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine: 23. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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