Delaware Museum of Nature & Science facts for kids

Delaware Museum of Nature and Science

The museum in 2010
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Established	1957 (open to public May 13, 1972)
Location	4840 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 19807 USA 302.658.9111
Type	Natural history
Visitors	Over 65,000
Public transit access	DART First State bus: 52

The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science (DMNH) is a cool place to explore nature! It's located in Wilmington, Delaware. This museum was started in 1957 and first opened its doors to the public in 1972.

After being closed for two years, the museum reopened on January 1, 2022, with a new look and focus. It's famous for its huge collections of seashells, birds, and bird eggs. In fact, its bird egg collection is the second largest in all of North America! The DMNH is also the oldest natural history museum in Delaware.

Discovering the Museum's History

How the Museum Started

The main collection for the museum began when John Eleuthere du Pont was a kid. He loved nature and built up his own collection of seashells, birds, and bird eggs. Even before he earned a science degree, he dreamed of creating a natural history museum.

John du Pont went on many science trips to places like the South Pacific and the Philippines. He even helped discover two dozen new types of birds!

Opening Day and Early Collections

John du Pont's uncle, Henry Francis du Pont, gave land for the museum. This land was right across from the Winterthur estate in Delaware's beautiful Brandywine Valley.

The museum first opened in 1972. It was called the Delaware Museum of Natural History back then. Many members of the du Pont family and leaders from other museums came to the opening. It was a big deal because it was the first major natural history museum to open since 1910!

The museum first showed off du Pont's collection of about 1,000,000 seashells and 100,000 bird eggs. Scientists used these collections to study things like how chemicals affected wild animals. Today, the DMNH is one of the top fifteen museums in the United States for its collections of mollusks (like snails and clams) and birds.

Naming a Star: The Delaware Diamond

In 1999, the museum held a fun contest to name a star! A 12-year-old girl from Wilmington, Amy Nerlinger, won with her nickname "The Delaware Diamond."

The Delaware General Assembly (Delaware's government) even recognized this name. In 2000, the star became an official state symbol for Delaware!

Growing and Changing Exhibits

The museum got a big upgrade in 2005. They added more space for learning and new exhibits. These new exhibits included amazing displays about dinosaurs, different kinds of mammals, and even the famous scientist Charles Darwin.

In 2020, the museum closed for a big renovation project. It reopened in 2022 with its new name, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science. The new museum now focuses even more on the nature and geology (the study of Earth's rocks and land) of Delaware itself.