The Northern Maine Museum of Science is a natural history

Natural history

Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

 museum in Presque Isle, Maine

Presque Isle, Maine

Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census...

. Located on the campus of the University of Maine at Presque Isle

University of Maine at Presque Isle

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is part of the University of Maine System. Located in Presque Isle, UMPI offers studies in social and life sciences, business, recreation, education, and natural sciences. Its campus radio station is WUPI....

, it was founded in the early 1970s when Leroy Norton, an Aroostook County

Aroostook County, Maine

Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...

naturalist donated a significant number of pieces, including sea shells and local forestry examples. It expanded again in the 1970s when it received a large portion of the defunct Portland Museum of Natural History. It is located in Folsom Hall on the UMPI campus.