RE-DISCOVERING AN HISTORIC COLLECTION – A REPORT OF PROGRESS ON OVER 40 YEARS OF CURATION AT THE WORKING MEN’S INSTITUTE IN NEW HARMONY, INDIANA

New Harmony, Indiana was, at one time, arguably second only to Philadelphia as a scientific hub. With prominent scientists like William Maclure and Thomas Say making the little western outpost their home base, the town was briefly a scientific-socialist utopia. Even after the collapse of the utopian ideal, the town was still home to vibrant scientists, collectors and educators, and even briefly the backdrop for the first iteration of the United States Geological Survey, led by David Dale Owen.

The physical collections from these early years have not fared well. David Dale Owen’s geological specimens were mostly destroyed in a fire and much of Thomas Say’s entomological collection was consumed – by insects. However, scientific researchers have long suspected that important types might be hiding in the collections of the Working Men’s Institute, established after William Maclure’s death as a library and museum.

In fact, a two-day visit by Indiana University and Indiana Geological Survey geologists in May of 1976 revealed type and figured specimens established by Indiana State Geologist E. T. Cox, among other treasures. In May of 1990, Indiana State Museum curator Ron Richards, fresh from re-cataloging the museum’s own historic collections, began the process of processing, identifying and cataloging the thousands of mussels, fossils, rocks and biological specimens in storage.

Now, in 2018, some 10,000 mussels have been cataloged by experts, and as the petrological specimens are processed, tantalizing discoveries continue to turn up. With no catalogs, review of the historic literature is vital. For example, a cone-in-cone structure labeled “Tutinmergel Keaths[?] Rapids DeMoines River Coal Measures” appears to be a duplicate of a specimen submitted by David Dale Owen to the Smithsonian Institution. As the processing and cataloging of specimens continues, more links to historic surveys and publications may be made.