Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems facts for kids
The Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems is a super cool place inside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's home to an amazing collection of minerals and gems.
With over 1,300 sparkling rocks and gems, many people think Hillman Hall has one of the best mineral displays in the whole United States. It's a great spot to learn about the Earth's treasures!
How the Collection Started
The museum's journey with minerals began with a collection of about 550 specimens. These were first loaned by a professor named Gustave Guttenberg. After he passed away in 1896, the museum bought his collection. This became the very first part of what you see today!
Over the years, many generous people added to the collection.
- In 1904, Andrew Carnegie, who started the museum, donated about 12,000 minerals from William W. Jefferis.
- In 1902, John L. Lewis gave 2,600 beautiful gems.
- The museum also gathered ores and metals that were important to Pittsburgh's industries. This included things like tin, lead, copper, and even coal and petroleum.
A big step happened in 1969 when Henry Hillman started giving money. His donations helped the museum buy new specimens and build the special hall we see today. The current exhibit opened in 1980 and was made even better in 2006-2007.
What You Can See in the Hall
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Hillman Hall shows off more than 1,300 specimens. These are carefully chosen from the museum's much larger collection of over 30,000 minerals! The hall is set up into different areas, each teaching you something new:
- Lithology and Processes: This section explains how different rocks and minerals are formed and changed over time.
- Crystallography: Here, you can learn all about crystals and how they grow into their amazing shapes.
- Mineral Properties: This area lets you explore the different physical features of minerals, like their hardness or how they break.
- Fluorescence and Phosphorescence: Get ready for a glow show! This part displays minerals that can glow in the dark under special lights.
- Locality Suites: See how many different kinds of minerals can come from just one place on Earth. It also shows how these minerals were important to ancient civilizations.
- Pennsylvania Minerals and Gems: This section highlights some of the best minerals and gems found right here in Pennsylvania.
- Systematic Collection: This display organizes minerals into groups based on their chemical makeup, like a giant family tree for rocks!
- Masterpiece Gallery: This gallery features some of the most beautiful and impressive mineral specimens from all over the world.
- Wertz Gallery: This is the museum's special gem collection. It has almost 530 pieces, including a display about birthstones.
Images for kids
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Native sulfur, Baja California
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Autunite, Washington state
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