Montshire Museum of Science
Encyclopedia
The Montshire Museum of Science is a small, hands-on, self-guided science museum
located in Norwich, Vermont
, in the United States
. It has roughly 150,000 visitors annually. The museum, including the building and nature trails, is located on over 110 acres (445,000 m²) of land. It has exhibits on anatomy, math, astronomy, mechanics, and natural history, among others. Its live animal exhibits include a hive of honeybees that is connected to the outdoors and a colony of leafcutter ants. Outside of the museum building, there is a two acre (8,000 m²) Science Park including a scaled model of the solar system (Pluto is located a two-mile (3 km) walk away), and exhibits on light, sound, and motion; among the sound exhibits there are "Whisper dishes" (parabolic dishes 40 feet (12.2 m) apart) and a musical fence built by Paul Matisse, grandson of painter Henri Matisse
.
The Montshire Museum was first established in 1976 across the Connecticut River
in Hanover, New Hampshire
, and moved to Norwich in 1989. The name Montshire is taken from "Vermont" and "New Hampshire". It was opened after Dartmouth College
's natural history museum, from which the Montshire received its original collections, was closed.
In addition to its year-round exhibits the Montshire runs numerous educational programs for children, adults, and teachers.
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
located in Norwich, Vermont
Norwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has roughly 150,000 visitors annually. The museum, including the building and nature trails, is located on over 110 acres (445,000 m²) of land. It has exhibits on anatomy, math, astronomy, mechanics, and natural history, among others. Its live animal exhibits include a hive of honeybees that is connected to the outdoors and a colony of leafcutter ants. Outside of the museum building, there is a two acre (8,000 m²) Science Park including a scaled model of the solar system (Pluto is located a two-mile (3 km) walk away), and exhibits on light, sound, and motion; among the sound exhibits there are "Whisper dishes" (parabolic dishes 40 feet (12.2 m) apart) and a musical fence built by Paul Matisse, grandson of painter Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
.
The Montshire Museum was first established in 1976 across the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, and moved to Norwich in 1989. The name Montshire is taken from "Vermont" and "New Hampshire". It was opened after Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
's natural history museum, from which the Montshire received its original collections, was closed.
In addition to its year-round exhibits the Montshire runs numerous educational programs for children, adults, and teachers.