{"id":64968,"date":"2026-01-21T09:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=64968"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:58:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:58:37","slug":"mini-museums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/mini-museums\/","title":{"rendered":"Fossils to Fortepianos: The Hill\u2019s \u2018Mini Museums\u2019 and Collections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The next time you visit Ithaca, check out exhibits on Chimes history, 19th-century machines, sparkling gemstones, and so much more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re strolling on campus and a visitor asks \u201cWhere\u2019s the museum?,\u201d you\u2019ll probably think first of the Johnson Museum of Art<\/a>\u2014whether due to its impressive holdings, its unique architecture, or the panoramic views from its upper floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Johnson is far from the only venue on campus to showcase thought-provoking exhibits and collections. There are at least a dozen others; some are tucked away and only accessible by request or private tour, while others host rotating displays that give glimpses into their larger collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are tucked away and only accessible by request or private tour, while others host rotating displays that give glimpses into their larger collections.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the Hill\u2019s \u201cmini museums.\u201d Have you visited\u2014or even heard of\u2014them before? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: Most of the museums and collections have websites, which are linked at the top of each section.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chimes Museum<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history of Cornell\u2019s beloved bells is showcased on the sixth floor of McGraw Tower\u2014offering an ideal break for anyone climbing those 161 steps to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In past years, the \u201cmuseum\u201d was merely a series of informational panels about the Chimes and tower\u2014but it\u2019s in the midst of a major upgrade, with numerous artifacts now on exhibit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"part
Joe Wilensky \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The items include a 404-pound, E-flat bell from 1939 (replaced in 1982); levers from a former playing stand; and a pair of clock hands that graced the tower from the 1970s to the \u201990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the upgrade process, the museum will be accessible only to classes and for private tours (contact chimes@cornell.edu<\/a> for information). Once completed in spring 2026, it will be open during Chimes concerts; check the concert schedule<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fashion + Textile Collection<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chronicling how people dressed, lived, and worked over the centuries, the collection<\/a> comprises more than 10,000 garments, textiles, and accessories that span from the 1700s to today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They range from lavish gowns to an Elvis costume to firefighters\u2019 protective jackets\u2014even a judicial collar worn by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg \u201954.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its public-facing displays include a few curated exhibits each year in gallery spaces on the terrace level of the Human Ecology Building (as well as online).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Museum of Vertebrates<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once housed in a three-story display space in the Arts Quad\u2019s McGraw Hall, the museum can now be found at the Lab of Ornithology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An NSF-funded resource for teaching and research, it\u2019s overseen by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Collections are divided into ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology, and mammalogy (more commonly known as fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and mammals).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"reptile
Museum of Vertebrates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The primary repository for Cornellian-collected vertebrate specimens from around the world, it houses more than 1.5 million specimens and 10,000 genetic samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the museum does not typically mount public exhibits, staff are available to provide information, and tours can be scheduled for classes and other groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Anthropology Collaboratory<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The new facility\u2014which unites many of the University\u2019s anthropology collections and laboratories previously located throughout McGraw Hall\u2014opened in 2025<\/a> in the lower level of Olin Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"exhibits
provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It comprises Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities, artifacts from ancient Peru, ethnographic items from the Philippines, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exhibits rotate, and currently include stone tools of the Lower Paleolithic age and a mummy\u2019s sarcophagus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Wortham Military Museum<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Established in 1973 and managed by Army ROTC, the Barton Hall facility is named for Capt. Howard Wortham 1914, who served with distinction in the Quartermaster Corps. After a significant renovation, it reopened on Barton\u2019s third floor<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum preserves the University\u2019s collection of military artifacts, including uniforms, photographs, tactical manuals, and correspondence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"one
Provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Displays honor prominent Cornellians who served in the armed forces, including Col. Frank Barton 1891\u2014one of the first two alums to earn a U.S. Army commission, and the University\u2019s first ROTC commander\u2014and Brig. Gen. Robert Stack 1920, best known for taking Nazi leader Hermann G\u00f6ring into custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through March, the museum is hosting part of a multisite exhibit, \u201cFit for Duty: Form and Function in Military Dress<\/a>\u201d with the Fashion + Textile Collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To arrange a visit, stop by the Army ROTC office or email armyrotc@cornell.edu<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Insect Collection<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The collection comprises 7 million specimens that represent some 200,000 species\u2014about a fifth of the world\u2019s catalogued insect fauna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"flying
CALS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s typically only open to researchers, it has mounted public exhibits in the past, including \u201cFrom Nabokov\u2019s Net,\u201d on butterflies collected by the famed Cornell professor (which now lives online<\/a>). It also co-sponsored the \u201cSix-Legged Science<\/a>\u201d display at the Paleontological Research Institution\u2019s Museum of the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each fall, the collection provides materials for Cornell\u2019s popular Insectapalooza<\/a> festival, hosted by the entomology department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Heasley Mineralogy Museum<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Residing in the atrium of Snee Hall, it offers a dazzling array of minerals, fossils, cut and polished gemstones, and instruments used in lapidary (gem cutting and polishing) work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a
Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Displays feature representatives of the collection\u2019s thousands of minerals, as well as gems. (The \u201cdiamonds\u201d on display, however, are glass replicas of well-known specimens, including the famous 45-carat Hope diamond.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the collection\u2014including items purchased by Ezra Cornell in 1868\u2014formed the University\u2019s original Museum of Geology and Mineralogy, once housed in McGraw Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fuertes Observatory Museum<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Operated and overseen by the Cornell Astronomical Society<\/a>, the museum is open along with the observatory: most Fridays from 8 p.m. to midnight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"telescopes
Provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It includes a historic 103-year-old telescope, other astronomical instruments, and a stunning photographic gallery of the night sky taken from the observatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renovated in recent years, the museum also features a section devoted to famed astronomy professor Carl Sagan, including his work on the PBS show \u201cCosmos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Reuleaux Collection of Mechanisms and Machines<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 19th-century models were developed for research and teaching, and to illustrate fundamental principles of kinematics\u2014the geometry of motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acquired by A.D. White in 1882, the models are now housed in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Most of the collection\u2014more than 300 items\u2014are on display throughout Duffield Atrium and Upson Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"models
Cornell Engineering<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The models helped shape engineering education on the Hill, allowing students to visualize and manipulate mechanisms\u2014reinforcing concepts like converting circular motion into linear motion, which was critical for designing steam engines, clocks, and other machinery of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collection can also be viewed via the Kinematics Models for Design Digital Library<\/a>, an open-access, multimedia resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rock Parks<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Overseen by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (shared by Engineering and CALS), the parks comprise a weighty collection of specimens representing the geology of New York and New England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"students
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There were originally two rock parks\u2014each dating from the 1970s\u2014spread out in front of Kimball, Thurston, and Bard halls. In 2022, both were moved to the southeastern part of the quad and rearranged to better align with how faculty use them in their teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of the 40 rocks has a label describing its composition, where it was procured, its uses, and its age, with some more than a billion years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Center for Historical Keyboards<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More a collection than a museum, the center is a world-renowned repository of vintage instruments, from pipe organs to fortepianos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While much of it resides at its official home at 726 University Avenue, some of its most impressive pieces can\u2019t be moved\u2014like the massive pipe organs in the Sage and Anabel Taylor chapels and instruments in Lincoln and Barnes halls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Joe Wilensky \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The collection<\/a> includes original instruments\u2014the oldest is from the 1700s\u2014as well as historically accurate replicas, all kept performance ready; its newest holdings are 1960s synthesizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The instruments draw students and faculty, from composers to engineers to physicists, to study their sonic properties and craftsmanship. They\u2019re regularly used for performances; details can be found on the center\u2019s events page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Wilder Brain Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The famed collection<\/a> dates to 1889; its namesake, Prof. Burt Green Wilder, was a former Civil War surgeon and one of Cornell\u2019s founding faculty. At its peak, it likely contained more than 1,000 specimens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, a selection of eight notable brains, including that of infamous Ithaca \u201cgenius murderer\u201d Edward Rulloff, is displayed in a Uris Hall showcase\u2014a popular stop for campus visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the collection\u2014no longer scientifically useful, but a historical curiosity\u2014numbers about two dozen, kept in a storage room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Top: A display of historic lantern slides of planets and galaxies at the Fuertes Observatory. (Cornell Astronomical Society)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published January 21, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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