Harvard professor Louis Agassiz oversaw the construction of the University Museum building to house a museum of comparative zoology; the building was completed in 1859. Its collections soon expanded beyond comparative zoology into other natural sciences. In 1901, Alexander Agassiz, son of Louis Agassiz, formally established a Geological Museum. In 1966, the Mineralogical Museum (formed separately) and the Geological Museum merged.[2]
Collection
The museum's collection is the oldest University collection in the country. It was established by Benjamin Waterhouse, co-founder of and professor at Harvard Medical School, in 1784. In 1805, the collection held 1,600 specimens.[3][2][4] Today, the museum holds 400,000 specimens.[5]
References
^"The Museum". Harvard Museum of Natural History. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
^ ab"History". Mineralogical & Geological Museum. Retrieved June 26, 2022.