Midgley Museum
| Midgley Museum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location |
1001 Sequoyah Drive Enid, Oklahoma, USA |
| Coordinates | 36°23′22″N 97°53′26″W / 36.3895°N 97.8905°WCoordinates: 36°23′22″N 97°53′26″W / 36.3895°N 97.8905°W |
| Website | http://www.midgleymuseum.org/ |
The Midgley Museum is a city-owned museum located in the city of Enid, Oklahoma.
The museum's exhibits include a large mineral and rock collection that features a 7,000-pound petrified stump and fluorescent rocks that must be viewed under a black light.
History
The items displayed in the museum were collected by the Midgley family that came to the United States from England in the 1870s.[1] Wheat and hay farmers, the Midgleys collected exotic rocks while traveling to sell their harvests.[1]
The family commissioned Texas stonemasons to construct a home from rocks they had excavated.[1] They donated their collections and the home as a museum to the city of Enid.[2]
Operation
The museum is operated by the Northwest Oklahoma Masonic Lodges.[3]
Exhibits
The house itself is a large part of the display, as it is made from the rocks and minerals the Midgleys collected over the years.[1] In the front yard, there is a 7,000-pound petrified tree stump found near Woodward, Oklahoma.[1] The fireplace is made from priceless fossil stone and a glass-encased gypsum selenite, the largest removed from Oklahoma's Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.[1]
The entire mineral and rock collection includes more than 30 types of exotic rocks, fossil stones, crystal, agate, sandstone, and petrified wood.[4]
Black light room
A closet in the house is filled with fluorescent rocks on display under a black light.[4]
Trophy room
The trophy room includes a stuffed buffalo, Royal Canadian elk, and a moose, and javelinas.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Midgley Museum" http://www.lasr.net/leisure/oklahoma/garfield/enid/att5.html, LASR.net - Leisure and Sports Review (accessed April 24, 2013)
- ↑ Midley Museum (The Rock House) http://www.midgleymuseum.org/ (accessed April 24, 2013)
- ↑ Midgley Museum - VisitEnid.org http://www.visitenid.org/visitors/things-to-do/cultural-heritage/m.directory/82/view/18 (accessed April 24, 2013)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Midgley Museum www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/30152, RoadsideAmerica.com (accessed April 24, 2013)