WORCESTER — John Quincy Adams had just made himself at home in the Oval Office as the sixth president of the United States, the "Trail of Tears" was approved by Congress, and Hawaii's first hotel welcomed tourists. And here in Worcester in 1825, the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History was founded. Now called the EcoTarium, it remains one of the oldest natural history museums in the country.
"It's fascinating," said Noreen Johnson Smith, president and CEO of the EcoTarium. "With John Quincy Adams entering the White House, there was really this sense of showing off Massachusetts. The Worcester community is entirely responsible for this place, which is a complete gem. It's a great city to live in, play in and learn in."
In 1825, the collection consisted of only two items: a sperm whale tooth and a taxidermized white-breasted nuthatch. That collection has grown to the hundreds of thousands over the course of nearly two centuries. Its most recent acquisition is a 7-foot tusk of a narwhal.
By 1884, the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History merged with the Worcester Natural History Society and would welcome a scientist named Thomas Edison to demonstrate his brand-new electric lighting system as the first traveling exhibit to visit.
Between 1885 and 1893, the society ran a natural history summer camp on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond, a precursor to the fantastic educational camp programs now running. On Monday afternoon, the museum's "closed" sign hung from the door while summer campers had the facility to themselves. This summer alone, the EcoTarium will see more than 700 campers.
In the late 1990s, the organization adopted the EcoTarium name and opened several new attractions including the first "tree canopy walkway" in the United States to open to the public. Two decades later, the Wild Cat Station opened and remains one of the largest mountain lion exhibits in all of New England.
Sultan and his sister, Freya, were found in Half Moon Bay, California, and brought to the Oakland Zoo. The pair of mountain lions were brought to the EcoTarium and are thriving on Harrington Way.
History remains palpable as visitors wander through the 45 acres of the museum and green space. The dinosaurs in the back of the property come from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and were made for the Sinclair Oil Co. A small replica of an 1863 C.P. Huntington steam locomotive runs around the property, taking visitors on a 12-minute ride with views of the entire area.
Behind closed doors, the EcoTarium also houses hundreds of collections of shells, taxidermized animals, extinct species and so much more. All of which is being itemized, sorted and labeled; a project led by Collections Management Specialist, Martin Christiansen, for the last several years.
The outside of the museum's main concrete building may look familiar and that's because it was designed by Edward Durell Stone , whose other works include the Washington Central Trust Building, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and so many more.
Its next big endeavor is a massive 7,200-square-foot expansion, complete in the style of Durell Stone. The expansion off Sundial Plaza will allow the organization to host larger traveling exhibits.
"Exhibitions that may have only come to New York or Boston in the past will now come to Worcester." Smith said.
And it isn't just its campus that's expanding. Thanks to Sens. Elizabeth Warren. D-Mass., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester , funding will be available to bring visitors closer to the stars.
With both an observatory and a planetarium on site, the new $865,000 of funding will allow images from the organization's observatory to be directly displayed for all to see in the planetarium.
"We have always been very forward-thinking," Smith said, walking past an exhibit on tackling extreme heat in Worcester. "Take a look at this exhibit, it's all about combating noise pollution in the city. In this exhibit I find a lot of intergenerational interaction. First the kids run over and begin to play with it, followed by the parents or caregivers, It's really fun to watch."
Right now, there are 18 different programs for accessibility to the EcoTarium and its programs, as the organization continues to promote access to the wealth of knowledge for all.
The organization also lends a hand to Mass Wildlife and is in their 40th year of being a part of a massive turtle conservation effort to save the Northern red-bellied cooters . In fact, they were recently involved in the 5,000th turtle release.
Kelcey Castrogiovanni, manager of zoology at the EcoTarium, said 67 animals are being cared for, along with the turtles, who take up a lot of the zookeeper's time.
"We change ¾ of their tanks water every single day, with a deep clean every two weeks or so," Castrogiovanni said, adding she doesn't mind the dirty work.
Because the EcoTarium is part of the Mass Wildlife initiative, the organization looks at specific variables for the turtles health.
"This year, we actually looked whether or not their growth rate was impacted by the number of people that visited their tank," Castrogiovanni said, explaining while the results aren't finalized, it appears the number of visitors didn't impact the turtles growth one way or another.
Earlier this year, the EcoTarium awarded Thomas W. French of Princeton the 2024 Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award for his work not just with the turtles but recognizing him as a founder of Mass Wildlife's endangered species program.
“Tom started the state’s endangered species program, and the state’s turtle conservation program in which the EcoTarium is a partner.” Smith said, “Tom led efforts to restore the peregrine falcon and bald eagle populations in Massachusetts and demonstrated courage and dignity when confronting opposition to conservation efforts.
"When I took this job in 2022, I was asked two questions," Smith said with a chuckle. "First, 'Are you bringing back the polar bears ?' And second, 'Are you bringing back jazz?' I knew I wasn't going to bring back the polar bears, but I thought I can definitely bring back the jazz."
Jazz on Sundial Plaza returns this summer with a performance at 5:30 p.m. July 12 with the smooth sounds of the Carlos Odira Trio and Ron Smith & the G Notes .
As for the polar bears, the organization said it's simply not a possibility in the future. Its previous polar bear, Kenda, was born at the EcoTarium in 1983 and lived there for nearly three decades before she was euthanized after a major health decline. Over her lifetime, she was a mainstay for the museum, drawing in crowds to her habitat, which gave visitors a glimpse at her swimming underwater. The polar bear habitat is now home to mountain lions Sultan and Freya.
Shark Week is also set to return to the EcoTarium July 16-21 with a trio of planetarium screenings of shark-related films. If teeth aren't your thing, the EcoTarium also hosts a breakfast with its otters twice a month. It's also working on an Oktoberfest celebration and has a few weddings booked on the property.
"I met a little boy a couple weeks ago," said Danielle Fisher, PR spokesperson for the EcoTarium. "He had been fishing locally with a magnet and found a rock. He brought it to the museum and wanted to know what we could tell him about the rock. It's just so wonderful that we (the EcoTarium) were this boy's first thought, to bring his discovery here and want to learn more."
While researchers come from all over the world to measure things and view some of the items in its collection, Smith said it's important to remember "you don't have to be a professional scientist to explore or research things," and that's what the EcoTarium is all about.
T&G engagement editor Sarah Barnacle is getting to know Central Mass. by exploring some of the best places to go and things to do in Worcester County. If you have an idea or suggestion, please email sbarnacle@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester County Wonders: EcoTarium continues to expand ahead of 200th anniversary
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