CONTEMPORARY EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN GEOLOGY IN NEW HARMONY, INDIANA

The Working Men’s Institute (WMI) in New Harmony is the oldest continually operating library in Indiana. WMI was established in 1838 by William Maclure, “Father of American Geology” to establish a place for the common person to further their knowledge and education. In addition to William Maclure, other notable geologists that lived and/or worked in New Harmony in the 19^thcentury included: David Dale Owen, Richard Owen, Gerard Troost, Edward Cox, and Joseph Norwood, James Sampson. Other naturalists that worked in New Harmony included Charles Alexander Lesueur and Thomas Say. The town was also visited by Charles Lyell, James Hall, and Maximilian, Prince of Wied. Due to a remodeling project in 2007, the former exhibit highlighting the historic connections of New Harmony to the development of American geology located in the Keppler House was dismantled and placed into storage.

A new exhibit at the WMI entitled “New Harmony: Crossroads of Geology” was completed in August 2014 that emphasizes the importance of New Harmony to the development of American geology. This contemporary exhibit includes a discussion of the geologic map of the eastern United States published in 1809 by William Maclure, the first in the world. Panels also highlight the evolution of the geologic time scale, localities in the vicinity of New Harmony important to early geologic studies, and contributions of David Dale Owen, Richard Owen, Edward Cox, and James Sampson to the westward expansion of the United States in the early 19^thcentury. Additionally, several panels in the exhibit are dedicated to modern geologic studies taking place in southern Indiana, such as seismic monitoring of the Wabash Valley Fault Zone. Finally, the exhibit also displays various rock, mineral, and fossil samples from the natural science collections of the WMI.

Not only is the WMI open to the public, but it is also visited by numerous school groups on field trips from the Tristate area (Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky). In addition to the new geology exhibit, teaching kits and guides for K-12 teachers are available for use in their classrooms from WMI. Exhibits and outreach activities like these in New Harmony are vital to expanding the visibility of and creating public interest in geology, and establishing the importance of geology to economic development as well as to our everyday lives.