The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, originally called The Dayton Museum of Natural History, celebrates 50 years of public museum operations at its Ridge Avenue/DeWeese Parkway facility this year. To learn more about the origins of the facility on Ridge Avenue and the history of the Museum, click here.

50th Anniversary Exhibit:
Through Gem-Colored Glasses: A Reflection of the World through Dayton’s Eyes
September 20, 2008—January 4, 2009; Fraze Gallery.
Included with Regular Admission
The Collections of the Dayton Society of Natural History will serve as the springboard for a special exhibit to highlight many unique items curated over the last 50 years. Items that will be on display include:

• Pointy Turkish dog collar from the 1970s; donated by Joan Kastenholtz.  Used to protect goat and sheep herding dogs from wolf attacks.

• Large trilobite Isotelus maximus, (2nd largest in the state), donated by Tom Johnson.  Collected at Caesar Creek. (Largest trilobite collected in the state is at the Smithsonian.)

• Galileo telescope (one of four exact copies made of the original Galileo telescope); donated to the Museum by the assistant of the scientist who made the copies.

• Dayton meteorite fragment that is 4.5 billion years old. Local lore says that it landed in the 1890s at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds; the main meteorite is stored at the Smithsonian. This is one of the most unusual meteorites: in addition to the usual iron, it has two phosphate minerals that occur nowhere else in the solar system!

• Walking cane of ivory and ebony owned by J. Morton Howell.  Howell was the first U.S. Ambassador to Egypt in the early 1900s, and was given Nesiur (the Museum’s resident 2500-year-old mummy)and other ancient Egyptian materials as “mementoes” of his time in Egypt.  Howell donated Nesiur and her sarcophagus (plus other materials given to him by Herbert Winlock at excavations at Dier el Bahri conducted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art) to the then Dayton Museum of Natural History.  He gave us first dibs on one of two mummies; the other one and her sarcophagus went to the Ohio Historical Society.  The cane was donated to us last year by Howell’s great granddaughter, Mary Howell Cromer, who had kept it as a keepsake of her great grand-dad.

• Plus many more items from Ohio and around the world!

To read A Brief History of the Dayton Society of Natural History click here.

50th Anniversary Events
Community Open House
October 5, 2008
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will open its doors for a special event to thank and acknowledge all those who helped to start the Museum in 1958, and for all those that sustain it today. Enjoy the Museum, free of charge on this special day to honor 50 years of learning and serving the community at the Ridge Avenue facility.

50 Years of Memories
By talking to long-time Dayton residents, we have learned that many people have fond and vivid memories of their experiences in the Ridge Avenue facility.

Do you have a specific memory of your experiences as a child or with your children/grandchildren at the Museum during the past 50 years?

How has the Museum changed over the years? What were your favorite parts of the Museum in years past and today?

Do remember your reaction when the Museum first opened? How is the Museum important to you and/or your family?

Do you have any memories of the people who have worked/volunteered here over the years? Who were they and how did they impact your life?

At this time, we invite you to share your memories by responding to the prompts listed above. We also encourage you to share old photos taken at the Museum. Write to us at the Dayton Society of Natural History, 2600 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton OH, 45414, attn: 50th Anniversary Memories or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it