HISTORY OF THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE GEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS

Geology is a tradition at Rensselaer. A circular dated 1927 reads "it is now required that each student takes two short mineralogical courses to collect minerals for his own use, for the purpose of improving himself in the science of mineralogy and geology". Amos Eaton (1776-1842) took his students on long field excursions into the mountains of New England and along the Erie Canal. James Hall (1811-1898) put together an outstanding fossil collection for which the alumni donated the funds to provide the building, known as the Cabinet Building.

The period between 1859 and 1894 was the tenure of Henry B. Nason (1831-1895). Nason was the de facto curator of the vast mineral collection at Rensselaer. Nason acted as agent for Rennsselaer in acquiring specimens and with Hall arranged and labeled them. The extended geological field trips Nason lead each term were extremely popular. T he largest party ever thrown by the Institute was in commemoration of Nason's 25th year on the faculty. Nason's interest in mineralogy had a profound influence on the scientific advance of mineralogy. Washington A. Roebling of Brooklyn-Bridge fame took Nason's course at Rensselear. Inspired by Nason he embarked on a study of systematic mineralogy. The Roebling collection was donated to the National Museum of the Smithsonian Institute.

Nason's dedication to Rensselaer is memorialized by his private collection of 5,000 rocks and minerals which he donated to the Institute in 1883.

The fossil and mineral collections became an important treasure of the Department of Geology. A former gym at the university housed the collections. In the 1970-80' the administration needed space and decided to disperse both the fossil and mineral collections. The fossil collection consisted for the most part of the James Hall collection and was donated to the New York State Museum in Albany, New York, where it was sold as "James Hall Fossils at $3 a clip". The James Hall fossil collection has completely vanished. The mineral collection has in small part survived, but exhibits are dispersed. Former geological display cases, located in Rensselaer buildings, now house mostly extraneous material unrelated to geology.