Wagner Free Institute of Science

Why go

Wagner Free Institute of Science earns time because it offers a rare chance to see scientific specimens arranged in an older educational system. Its central thread is a nearly intact Victorian natural-history hall with fossils, minerals, shells and mounted animals. Wood-and-glass cases preserve the hall's 19th-century teaching layout. Specimens progress through natural categories, making classification itself part of the display.

What to look for

• Wood-and-glass cases preserve the hall's 19th-century teaching layout.
• Specimens progress through natural categories, making classification itself part of the display.

The full story

Wagner Free Institute of Science is best understood through a nearly intact Victorian natural-history hall with fossils, minerals, shells and mounted animals. The Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum in Philadelphia. It was founded in 1855 by William Wagner, a merchant, philanthropist, and gentleman scientist of the time, who sought to offer free educational courses to all who would seek to learn about the natural world. Wagner began offering free lectures on science at his home, Elm Grove, a colonial farm estate on the outskirts of Philadelphia in 1847. To illustrate the lectures he drew on a collection of specimens he had gathered since his boyhood. All of the classes were offered with an open admission policy that allowed women as well as men to attend. These lectures became so popular that by 1855 he moved them first to a public hall to accommodate the rapidly growing audience, and later to its permanent home designed by Philadelphia architect John McArthur, Jr., who would go on to design Philadelphia's City Hall. Wagner continued to lecture and to lead the unique institution until his death in 1885. The Board of Trustees then appointed Joseph Leidy, a biologist of international reputation, to head its scientific and educational programs. Leidy's appointment ushered in an active and productive era in which the Institute's mission and programs were greatly expanded.

Useful to know

• The exhibition hall requires a flight of stairs and has limited weekday hours.
• Register ahead when possible, then allow an hour for a slow self-guided circuit.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.