| The History
of Anniston Museum of Natural History
Mission Statement
The Anniston Museum of Natural
History is a nationally accredited museum with the purpose of
enhancing public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of
living things and their environments. The Museum preserves and
studies collections that relate to humankind and the natural
environment and interprets these through interdisciplinary
exhibits and programs. The Museum is committed to providing
educational, recreational, and economic benefits which will
improve the quality of life for diverse audiences.
Our Origins
Pre-history
began on the Boardwalk in Atlantic
City, New Jersey, where William H. Werner established his
Wonderland Museum (1882 – 1910), offering his life’s work for
public view.
Breathtaking
paintings served as the backdrop for incredible specimens. This
would become Mr. Werner’s legacy.
In 1915, H. Severn
Regar began exhibiting his personal collection of historical
objects and biological specimens in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
The collection
included more than 1,800 ornithological specimens collected in
the late 19th century by Pennsylvania naturalist
William H. Werner.
The Early Years (1929 – 1965)
 In
1929 when Mr. Regar moved his textile business and family to
Anniston, he offered his collection as a gift. City leaders
gratefully accepted. He made only two requests: that the city of
Anniston pay shipping costs and that exhibition space be
provided to allow citizens to view the collection. In autumn of
1929, Annistonians raised $3,500 to transport the collection to
their southern city; later they approved a $35,000 bond issue
for a two-story addition to the city’s Carnegie Library at the
southeast corner of Tenth Street and Wilmer Avenue. Mr. Regar’s
collection was installed in a wing of the City Library and
became the responsibility of the Library Board. Regar Museum
officially opened to the public on August 31, 1930, where it
remained until 1965.
New Leadership
and Ideas (1965 – 1976)
The mid-60s proved
pivotal for Regar Museum. When city and county libraries merged,
a combined library facility was constructed. Anniston City
Council saw this as an opportunity to structure a Board of
Directors dedicated exclusively to Museum matters and
operations. Initial members were John B. Lagarde, G. B. Daniell,
Jr., Farley Berman, Mildred Goodrich, and Edward Coleman. The
collection was transferred to Calhoun County War Memorial
Building at 1407 Gurnee Avenue, which had housed the county
library. Though conditions proved inadequate, it served as a
temporary home until 1976.
 The
new Museum Board immediately recognized the significance of the
Museum collection. Extraordinary offerings are the pair of
Egyptian mummies of the Ptolemaic Period and an abundance of
mounted birds, eggs, and nests, with numerous species of extinct
and endangered birds. This avian collection was reputed to
comprise the oldest diorama collection in the United States. A
long-range plan was initiated to share this important
collection.
Anniston Museum
of Natural History (1976 – present)
John B. Lagarde,
Chairman of the Museum Board, offered to donate his collection
of mounted African animals to the Museum if funds could be
raised to build a new facility. This opportunity, with growing
community interest in Museum educational offerings, was the
stimulus for a major fund drive begun in 1974. Public
subscription quickly generated more than $500,000 and the City
of Anniston pledged $300,000.
When federal
surplus land adjacent to Fort McClellan became available to the
city, special permission was granted to build the Museum
facility there. This 185-acre site was subsequently named
John B. Lagarde Interpretive Park. The building was
designed by the architectural firm of H. Shelby Dean and Richard
H. Fox; construction began in January 1976. The facility was
named Anniston Museum of Natural History, and the
collections were transferred in December 1976.
 Exhibit
construction was the primary objective in the first years at the
new location, with the Africa and bird exhibits completed
first. A 1976 master plan detailing seven major halls was
meticulously executed and completed 24 years later in 2000.
Exhibits were planned, designed and constructed in-house by
Museum staff, and were created to allow the public to view the
progress. A Changing Exhibit Gallery allows a constant variety
of exhibits – either curated by Anniston Museum staff from our
own vast collection of non-exhibited
holdings, or exhibits from museums
around America.
 Beyond
these Museum walls, staff members and volunteers cultivated a
museum of flora and fauna in natural surroundings, in
situ. Beautiful gardens, hiking trails, and aquatic life
afford visitors views of nature in both nocturnal and diurnal
settings,
which serve as resources of great beauty
and educational value.
 In
1991, Anniston Museum of Natural History was accredited by
American Association of Museums. In 2002, the Museum was
awarded status as an affiliate of Smithsonian Institution – the
first in Alabama to receive this designation.
Our Future
Since 1930, more
than 2 million visitors have walked the halls of Anniston Museum
of Natural History. We will strive to serve millions more as an
important source of education, recreation, and culture. The
natural history collection – our reason to exist – will continue
to provide our guests the opportunity to view nature in its pure
form.
Museums embody
what a culture values most and
preserve what it considers most meaningful. |
