Abundant Treasures: Discover the stories of the region at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History

Millions of years ago, Southeast Missouri was covered in ocean. After that, dinosaurs of the Tyrannosaurus Rex variety roamed the land. Fast forward, and more than 70 varieties of river and woodland fur-bearing mammals called the region home. All of this, in addition to the present-day minerals, animals and people who make up the area.

A mannequin is seen with a World War II exhibit Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

These are some of the stories you can hear, see and touch at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill, Missouri.

A dinosaur is seen with animals on display Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

“We really are trying to save history — save natural and people history — and let people enjoy it, give them a showcase for all of the types of treasures we have,” says Eva Dunn, museum president. And Dunn would know: she was born and raised in the area before leaving with her husband for 20 years because he was in the military. While stationed in North Carolina and Georgia during this time, Dunn says they always compared the places they lived to the beauty of their home in Marble Hill. It is the beautiful scenery of rolling hills, fall foliage and springtime blossoms of the area that called them to move back.

The museum is housed in one of the buildings that used to be the Will Mayfield College, a preparatory school students attended for high school and two years of college from the 1880s to the Great Depression. While it was open, Dunn says the school graduated more teachers than anywhere else in the state. It closed when the girls’ dormitory was destroyed by a fire and the Great Depression hit. The Bollinger County Library is housed next to the museum in another building that was part of the college and formerly housed the museum. The two buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places and were restored in 2015 with NAP tax credits and volunteer work.

An interior room of the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History is seen Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, in Marble Hill, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

The museum was organized by the Will Mayfield Heritage Foundation in 1998 and officially became a 501c3 entity in 2004. The museum found its home at the Will Mayfield College thanks to a group of local business people looking for something to do with the college buildings. Although the museum used to focus on the Missouri dinosaur, two years ago, they decided to take the museum in a different direction and focus on the diverse treasures found throughout the region. Now, the museum includes history and artifacts from a 70-mile radius service area, from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, to the Bootheel, to eastern Illinois.

A tour through the museum provides many opportunities to discover the rich history of the region: in the front room that focuses on local history, the museum currently houses a World War II exhibit featuring artifacts from that time period donated by or on loan from people of the region. This display also features World War II-era toys for children to play with. The room also features a display about the local AhNiYvWiYa tribe of American Indians.

Mannequins are seen with a Civil War display Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

The room that was once the chapel of the college hosts exhibits that feature the geology and natural history of Southeast Missouri. It includes exhibits that pay tribute to Southeast Missouri’s minerals, petrified wood and animals. The rich logging history of the area is represented through a vintage chainsaw exhibit and the cuts of different types of wood found locally. In this room, there is also a Civil War exhibit that documents the area’s skirmishes and the burning of the courthouse at the Battle of Dallas, the name of Marble Hill before it got its present-day moniker.

The hallmark of the chapel room, however, is perhaps the taxidermy found there: a beaver, skunk, black bear, bobcat, fox and more pay homage to the wildlife found in the region. This is also the place where full-size dinosaur replicas can be found.

For Patricia Welker, museum administrator who has lived in Marble Hill all her life, the best part of offering the museum to the community is seeing people learn from what the region has to offer.

“I just really enjoy being able to help save the artifacts and see the people as they enjoy seeing the different items we have on display or enjoying our programs,” she says.

The second level of the museum is dedicated to artists of the region and namely to the late Tom Reynolds, a sculptor, artist and writer, whose sculptures and paintings can be viewed at the museum. Dunn says there are plans in the works to host the work of a local artist each month or quarter in this area of the museum. The second level also features a kids’ activities room where children can dig for bits of fossil and dinosaur bone replicas.

Many of the items in these exhibits can be touched, a hands-on learning experience the curators say is important to provide to visitors.

“A lot of the other museums in our area and actually nationally have gone into having touch items in their museums,” says Jeanie Layton, secretary to the museum board and board member since 2002. Layton’s father was originally from Bollinger County, and Layton moved to the area in 1986. “They realize it’s a necessary component, that people don’t just come to be spectators because you can do that online. If you’re actually going to go somewhere, I think you want a more immersive experience. So that’s something that we try to do.”

It is teaching and passing history on in this way that is the purpose of the museum, a purpose meant to supplement traditional education for adults and children alike.

“It’s an add-on for education. It’s a good way to broaden your expertise — your knowledge — and it’s a fun endeavor,” Dunn says. “But mostly, we don’t want things to get lost. … It’s just saving what is here.”