A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum facts for kids
Thomas D Shaffner Hall, home to the museum as of 2011
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| Established | 1902 |
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| Location | Houghton, Michigan |
| Type | Museum |
| Owner | Michigan Technological University |
The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum is a super cool place to explore rocks and minerals! It's located on the campus of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. This museum is special because it's the official mineral museum for the entire state of Michigan. It's also part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, which celebrates the area's mining history.
The museum is named after Professor Arthur Edmund Seaman. He worked at Michigan Tech a long time ago, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was also the museum's curator, which means he was in charge of the collections, from 1928 to 1937.
The museum's collection of minerals started way back in the 1800s. By 1890, it already had 27,000 different rock samples! Today, the museum has more than 36,000 amazing specimens from all over the world. Many of these rocks come from Michigan, especially from the Lake Superior area. Outside the museum, there's a special Copper Pavilion. It holds a huge copper boulder that weighs 19 tons! This boulder is so big, it holds a Guinness World Record for being the largest copper boulder ever found. It was pulled right from the bottom of Lake Superior!
Discovering the Museum's Journey
The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum first opened its doors in 1902. It started in a room called the Qualitative Laboratory in Hubbell Hall at Michigan Tech. Just a few years later, in 1908, a whole new building was built just for the museum. The museum took up the entire second floor of this new building.
In 1931, the museum moved again, this time to Hotchkiss Hall. The very next year, in 1932, it was officially named the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum to honor Professor Seaman.
On June 17, 1976, the museum moved to the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resource Center at Michigan Tech. This building was built where Hotchkiss Hall used to be. In 1990, the Michigan Legislature made the museum the "official Mineralogical Museum of Michigan." This was a big deal!
In 2005, Michigan Tech bought some old buildings at the Quincy Mine site. The idea was to move the museum there. They even fixed the roof of the machine shop. But then, Michigan Tech decided to build a brand new building instead. So, they sold the old buildings back to the Quincy Mine Hoist Association.
Finally, in 2011, the museum moved into its current home, the beautiful Thomas D Shaffner Hall. This new building is across from the Advanced Technology Development Complex. It's named after Thomas Shaffner, a Michigan Tech graduate who gave a lot of money to help build the new museum. Since 2015, the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum has also worked with the University of Michigan. They now help take care of and share the University of Michigan's amazing mineral collection too!
Images for kids
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This silver-copper mineral specimen was once part of the museum's collection.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Mineral de A. E. Seaman para niños
