What
is The Oakes Museum?
The Oakes Museum is a 10,000-square-foot museum of natural history
located in Grantham, Pennsylvania on the first two floors of Messiah
College's Jordan Science Center.
What
is there to see at The Oakes Museum?
The Oakes Museum houses a collection of Smithsonian-quality African
and North American mammals, bird eggs, fish, seashells, minerals,
insects and fossils. An anchor of the museum is the 200-specimen
collection of African mammals which is the largest of its kind in
Pennsylvania. It features 75 full mounts, including an elephant,
hippopotamus, zebra, giraffe and forest nyala.
The North American mammal collection has more than 100 specimens
including a Kodiak Island bear, great elk, American bison and a
musk ox. Full mounts of mountain sheep, goats and mountain lions
are also displayed.
The museum has more than 200 bird nests and 17,000
bird eggs, which is the largest collection of bird eggs in Pennsylvania.
The egg collection contains rare and valuable specimens, including
irreplaceable South American tinamou eggs and passenger pigeon eggs.
The cataloged collection of birds includes 250 full-mounted specimens.
The museum also features six dioramas created by renowned artists
Jerry Connolly and John Schreffler. Jerry Connolly is a career wildlife
artist who has painted more than 130 diorama backgrounds and wildlife
scenes in more than 30 museums nationwide, including the Smithsonian
Museums of Natural History and Technology, the William Penn Museum,
and the Carnegie Museum. John Schreffler is a commercial artist
who studied scientific preparation of animals under Watson Perrygo,
the chief preparator of natural science at the Smithsonian Institute.
He has worked for the Pennsylvania state museum as an artist and
preparator for more than 30 years, completing 25 full-size dioramas.
Why
is it named "The Oakes Museum"?
The Oakes Museum is named for generous support of Galen and Beulah
Oakes of Massillon, Ohio. Galen Oakes is a 1948 graduate of Messiah
College and a long-time member of Messiah's board of trustees, and
his wife is a 1949 graduate of Messiah.
What are the museum's operating hours?
The museum is open to the public the first four (4) Saturdays of the month - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., except on holidays adn college closures.
School and tour groups are scheduled year round by
appointment.
[ school and tour groups ]
Admission Prices: $6.00 - Adults; $3.00
- Children (4 - 12); Sr. Citizens (55+) - $3.00; Children
3 & under are free
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How
is the museum staffed?
The
Oakes Museum is directed by Ken Mark. In addition, the museum
is staffed by an educational coordinator, and
dozens of trained paid and volunteer docents made up of Messiah College students. When the museum
is open on Saturdays, 4-5 trained volunteer docents are on duty at all times.
There are eight volunteer curators for each major area of the museum,
which are made up of Messiah College professors and local educators.
What is the mission of the museum?
The Oakes Museum is an educational outreach center of Messiah College.
It promotes understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of natural
resources and wildlife through different educational programs. Some
of the museum programs are exhibits showcasing the natural history
of North America and Africa, campus and regional workshops for students,
training for educators and general learning opportunities for the
public. The museum encourages lifelong exploration and discussion
of nature as well as human responsibility for its care.
How
were the animals in your collection acquired?
All of our mammal specimens came from private collections that
were donated to the museum for use in our educational mission. The
bird eggs and nests were primarily collected in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries when such collecting was both legal and popular.
They stand as irreplaceable evidence to many bird species that can
no longer be disturbed. The insect collections help to teach about
the diversity of insects found in this region, which enhance the
regional educational programs.
How
is this museum different from other museums?
Aside from the rotating display areas and the more than 40,000 total
specimens at The Oakes Museum, we have the ability to customize
the experience for each group that visits. We bring the specimens
to life through sound, docent interaction and exceptional dioramas,
and connect visits with the natural ecosystems around campus. Visitors
expecting to see just another college museum or participate in a
typical field trip will be amazed at The Oakes Museum experience.
How
does the museum benefit the students of Messiah College?
The Oakes Museum directly benefits Messiah College students by providing
them with an exceptional learning environment for the sciences,
the arts, business and education. We also serve faculty who have
special course needs and provide students with unique internship
opportunities at the museum.
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