History
The Museum began as the Boston Society of Natural History in 1830, founded by a collection of men who wished to share scientific interests. In 1864, after the Society had gone through several temporary facilities, a building was purchased in the Back Bay area of the city and dubbed the "New England Museum of Natural History." It was more commonly called the Boston Museum of Natural History in the 19th century, and this name occurs frequently in the literature. A great deal of scientific work was done, especially around geology, and the results of this work can be found in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History which are now freely available online. A library and children's rooms were added to the Museum around 1900. It was renamed the Museum of Science in 1939, under a dynamic new Director.
The Boston Museum of Natural History of 1830/1864-1945 is not to be confused with the private Warren Museum of Natural History (1858-1906, in Chestnut Street). The contents of the latter, including the first intact mastadon, were removed to the American Museum of Natural History of New York City in 1906.
After World War II, the Museum of Science building was sold, and the museum was reestablished elsewhere, again under the name "Boston Museum of Science". Under the leadership of Bradford Washburn, the Society negotiated with the Metropolitan District Commission for a 99-year lease of the land now known as Science Park. The Museum pays $1 a year to the state for use of the land. Construction and development began in 1948, and the Museum opened in 1951, arguably the first all-encompassing science museum in the country. In these first few years, the Museum developed a traveling planetarium, a version of which is still brought to many elementary schools in the Greater Boston area every year. They also obtained during these early years "Spooky," a great horned owl who became a symbol or mascot of the Museum; he lived to age 38, the longest any great horned owl is known to have lived. Today, a number of other taxidermed specimens remain on display, teaching children about the animals of New England and of the world.
The Science Park/West End MBTA station was opened in 1956, and the Charles Hayden Planetarium in 1958.
Many more expansions continued into the 1970s and 1980s. In 1999, The Computer Museum in Boston closed and became part of the Museum of Science, integrating some of its displays, although the collection moved to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
A major renovation and expansion took place during 2005 and 2006. In 2010, the Charles Hayden Planetarium was closed for renovation.
Read more about this topic: Museum Of Science (Boston)
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