New York State Museum facts for kids
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The Cultural Education Center hosts the New York State Museum
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| Established | January 6, 1836 |
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| Location | Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York, United States |
| Type | State museum of natural history, anthropology, and history |
The New York State Museum is a special place in Albany, New York, United States. It's not just a museum; it's also a research center! You can find it on Madison Avenue, right next to the Empire State Plaza and facing the New York State Capitol.
This museum is filled with amazing art, old tools and objects (artifacts), and natural items (ecofacts). These items help us understand how New York State has grown and changed over time. This includes its culture, nature, and even its geology (the study of Earth's rocks and soil).
The New York State Museum is run by the New York State Education Department. It is the oldest and largest state museum in the United States! It used to be in the State Education Building. Now, it takes up the first four floors of the Cultural Education Center. This huge building is also home to the New York State Archives and the New York State Library.
In 2020, the museum had to close for a while because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the museum staff kept working hard behind the scenes! They offered fun online programs and virtual exhibits. The museum opened its doors again on May 17, 2021, with some changes to its hours and exhibits.
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History of the New York State Museum
The New York State Museum started way back in 1836. It was first called the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey. Governor William Marcy created it to study all the minerals and natural resources in New York State.
Later, in 1870, it became the New York State Museum of Natural History. From 1912 to 1976, the museum was located in the State Education Building. Then, it moved to its current home in the Cultural Education Center. This move happened when the Empire State Plaza was finished. The new location opened on July 4, 1976. About 15,000 people came to the opening ceremony, which even included a performance by the singer Don Mclean!
In 2015, the museum announced its biggest makeover ever. They planned to update a huge area of their exhibit space over three to four years. The museum stayed open during this time, even though some parts might have been closed for a bit while they were being worked on.
Important People Who Worked Here
- Frederick James Hamilton Merrill – museum director (1894–1904)
- John Mason Clarke – museum director (1904–1925)
- William Martin Beauchamp – archaeologist (1884–1910)
What You'll See Inside the Museum
Most of the museum's main exhibits are on the first floor. This floor has really tall ceilings, so it can fit huge things! You can see a real subway car, old fire engines, a recreated Mohawk Iroquois Longhouse, and even a mastodon skeleton. There are also smaller areas on the first floor that show different art, science, history, and culture exhibits that change over time.
The museum has a theater where they hold presentations and talks, like weekly lecture series. There's also a special center for student visitors near the main entrance. If you want a souvenir, the Museum Store is right by the main lobby. They sell gifts, cool mineral samples, and books about New York State's science, history, and nature.
The second and third floors are usually not open to the public. The second floor has education and youth services. The museum's staff, including researchers and exhibit designers, work on the third floor.
The fourth floor has a working carousel that was built a long time ago, between 1912 and 1916. You can even ride it for free! This floor also has exhibits about different regions and historic cities in New York State, like Buffalo and Rochester. The walls on this floor are made of windows, so you get an amazing view of the Empire State Plaza and downtown Albany. That's why this area is called "Windows on New York"!
Museum Research and Programs
The New York State Museum is also a place where scientists and historians do important research. They have several programs that help us learn more about the geology, plants and animals, ancient cultures, and history of New York State and beyond. Here are some of their programs:
- The Center for Stratigraphy and Paleontology (CSP) – This group studies the layers of rock (stratigraphy) and the history of fossils in New York State. They also help people find information about what's underground. Plus, they work to protect and share the museum's huge collections of fossils and underground samples.
- Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP) – This program does historical and archaeological research for New York State. They help other state groups follow rules about protecting old buildings and important historical sites. This is part of a federal law called the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
- The Laboratory for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics (LCEG) – This lab uses DNA to study how animals and plants have changed over time. They can look at the genetic differences between living things. The lab also has a "Genome Bank," which stores frozen plant and animal DNA for future studies.
- The Wildlife Science and Conservation Initiative – This program looks at how human activities and changes to natural areas affect the behavior and lives of carnivores (meat-eating animals). They mostly study carnivores in New York State, but they have also worked in places like Panama and Tsavo, Kenya.
Amazing Collections and Exhibits
The New York State Museum has huge collections of rocks, fossils, historical items, and art. Their collections about human cultures are especially big. They include items collected by famous anthropologists like Lewis H. Morgan and Arthur C. Parker. Researchers can study these collections. The museum also has another storage building in Rotterdam, New York, for items not currently on display. This includes artifacts from the September 11 attacks.
Main Exhibits You Can Explore
- The Adirondack Wilderness – This exhibit explores the Adirondacks. You can learn about their geology, ancient plants and animals, and how things like logging and mining have changed the environment. It also shows how people are working to protect the area today.
- The American Stoneware Collection – In 2014, the museum received a collection of 19th-century American stoneware. This exhibit shows old stoneware jugs, crocks, pitchers, jars, and water containers.
- Ancient Life of New York – A Billion Years of Earth History – This exhibit features some of the oldest fossils in the eastern United States, some over a billion years old! You can see ancient blue-green bacteria, fossilized tree stumps and spiders from Gilboa, New York, trilobites, and armored fish.
- Birds of New York – This display shows over 170 different types of birds that live in New York, set up to look like their natural homes.
- Black Capital: Harlem in the 20s – This exhibit explores the art and culture of the Harlem Renaissance from the 1920s. It shows how this important time in history developed and how it influenced art and culture later on.
- Carousel – On the fourth floor, you'll find this full-sized carousel. It was built between 1912 and 1916. It used to be in Cuba, New York, until the museum got it. It works perfectly, and you can ride it for free throughout the day!
- Cohoes Mastodon – See the skeletal remains of a huge mastodon that was found in Cohoes, New York in 1866. It's now in the South Hall of the museum with a new display and interactive tools to help you learn about it.
- Fire Engine Hall – This exhibit shows historic fire fighting vehicles from the 1800s and 1900s.
- The Governor's Collection of Contemporary Native American Crafts – A collection of modern crafts made by Native American artists.
- Metropolis Hall – Learn about the history of New York City in this exhibit. You can see a complete R9 New York City Subway car! There are also recreated storefronts like a Chinatown herbalist shop and a Little Italy barbershop. You can even see a copy of the famous brownstone stoop from the Sesame Street TV show.
- Minerals of New York – This display features amazing minerals from the museum's collection, all found in New York State.
- Native Peoples of New York – This exhibit focuses on the history and culture of Native American groups in New York State. It covers everything from the very first people who lived here (around 10,000 BCE) to Native groups living in New York today. You'll see ancient tools (like pottery and stone tools), realistic dioramas, small models, and a full-sized copy of an Iroquoian longhouse.
- Research Gallery – This area highlights the exciting work that the museum's researchers are doing right now.
- Windows on New York – Located on the fourth floor, this display shows the history and special features of many different regions across New York State.
- The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response – This exhibit tells the story of the World Trade Center and the events of September 11, 2001. It shows the amazing efforts to help people, the work to find evidence at the Fresh Kills Landfill, and how people reacted to the attacks. You can see many items from the site, including parts of an Engine 6 ladder truck and the flag that flew next to the North Tower.
See also
