A Day Out at Pember Library & Natural History Museum

I went off to visit family in Upstate New York and as a result started going out to all the little places hidden in the small, mountain-side towns nearby. One of the museums I remember going to as a very small child is the Pember Library and Natural History Museum – located right in the middle of the town my grandmother lives in. This museum is above a decent sized library, which is open, for free, to the public. The library itself is on a donation if you want basis, with a large collection of taxidermy animals, many of which you’d never see in this small town.

The Pember Library and Natural History Museum was actually started by Mr. Pember – a fur tradesmen who felt the town needed a library. He ran successful trades all over the United States, and collected some of the furs and taxidermies he was coming across. He then worked with the town to fund and open the library, placing his own collect upstairs and slowly collecting other animals, eggs, insects and more to display. Inside the Natural History Museum, there is a small section talking about the history of the library and museum, with pictures and documents from that time. This is such a nice addition, really showcasing the history of the building you are standing in and how this whole museum came to be.

Walking around the museum, there is an impressive collection of taxidermy animals – birds, bears, smaller rodents all line the inside of glass cases – forever preserved. Each animal has a small sign, stating what they are, and some of them are marked as endangered or saved or even extinct animals, which is really interesting to see. When you walk around, you can find yourself really looking at these creatures – and I was wondering how a penguin or some of these huge birds ended up in upstate New York! In the middle of the room, there are glass topped display cabinets full of shells, collections of various birds eggs and bugs for you to look at. When I was a child, I remember seeing the butterfly boxes and being amazed that there were so many butterflies – I had thought there were only one kind, monarchs. There are also beetles, insects and dragon flies all perfectly preserved.

The Pember Library and Museum of Natural History does have a rotating display which at this time contained fashion through fur and feathers – showing off when select pieces throughout history where fur and feathers were predominantly used in fashion. It’s set up much like the history of Pember display, with cards telling the history, and little tokens emphasising it.

Seeing these little local museums is quite interesting after having visited so many abroad. It’s neat to see what locally is considered something to feature and how local history plays such a big role in what is currently there.

You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!

24 thoughts on “A Day Out at Pember Library & Natural History Museum

  1. MELANIE EDJOURIAN says:

    It sounds like there were plenty of things there to see. I think that this would be a place my kids would find interesting.

  2. Risa Lopez says:

    Ever since I was a kid, I am a fan of museums. I love discovering new things and histories of anything. If I could go there I would also take a lot of pictures. Love your shots as well. They are beautiful.

  3. Catherine says:

    Museums are so much fun to explore especially during the winter since it’s an indoor activity. Looks like a fun place to check out!

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