Overlooked Collections 5: Burpee Museum of Natural History
The next museum I want to focus on in this series is the Burpee Museum of Natural History, a smaller natural history museum in Rockford, IL. The Burpee is notable for a few reasons: they house the fossils of Jane and Homer (a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops horridus, respectively) and they host PaleoFest, an annual paleontology conference which features auctions, panels, and discussions. The Burpee is also overshadowed by the much larger Field Museum, which is just two hours away in Chicago.
Location: Rockford, IL, USA. ~90 miles from Chicago.
Admission: $10 for adults 13 and over, $8 for children between 4-12, free for children up to 3 and for members.
Covid-19 Operations: The Burpee is currently open every day from 10 am-5 pm. Online reservations through Eventbrite are highly recommended, however walkins are welcome. Masks were not required at the time of my visit but were highly recommended for unvaccinated visitors.
Date of Opening: Opened to the public in May 24th, 1942.
Date of Visit: July 24th, 2021.
Overview: The Burpee Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum with an emphasis on paleontology, featuring multiple galleries containing real fossils and replicas. Two special paleontology exhibits focus on Jane, a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, and Homer, a subadult Triceratops horridus. Other paleontology galleries focus on local paleontology in Illinois. There is also a fossil prep lab that, at the time of visiting, was closed for renovations. In addition to these paleontology galleries there are two anthropology galleries (one of which is temporary), taxidermy displays, an entomology exhibit, and live animals. The Burpee is part of Rockford’s Riverfront Museum Park, which also includes the Discovery Center Museum and Rockford Art Museum.
Open Permanent Exhibits: Jane - Diary of a Dinosaur, Homer’s Odyssey - From Badlands to Burpee, Ordovician Sea, Carboniferous Coal Forest, The First People, Survival of the Smallest, Windows to Wilderness, SPROUTS Learning Lab.
Closed Permanent Exhibit: Fossil Lab (closed for renovations, not due to Covid).
Temporary Exhibit: East Africa. Opened summer 2021, no date given for the opening or closing.
Strengths: The Burpee is a must-see destination for people interested in paleontology, featuring two relatively complete subadult dinosaur fossils and many rare fossils unique to Illinois. The First People exhibit, focused on indigenous people of North America, is thoughtful in the language it uses and features many pieces of art that are attributed to specific indigenous artists (including their tribal affiliation). Signage has the right amount of detail, not being too wordy or omitting important context. Staff are friendly and seem to enjoy answering questions.
Weaknesses: East Africa feels somewhat thrown together, with information on the Maasai people lacking beyond basics. Some of the live animal habitats are inappropriate for the species they house.
Notable Pieces/Displays: Jane, a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex fossil from Montana. Jane is the most complete subadult Tyrannosaurus fossil on public display. Homer, a subadult Triceratops horridus fossil from Montana. A display of all known American ceratopsian species. A Triceratops ontogenetic display. Tully Monster fossils. Artwork by indigenous artists.
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