The Georgia State Museum

Information No. 7

Georgia Department of Forestry and Geological Development

DIVISION OF GEOLOGY
Richard W. Smith, State Geologist Atlanta, Georgia

THE GEORGIA STATE MUSEUM FILE COPY

By
G. W. CRICKMAY AND LANE MITCHELL

DO NOT SELL

Reprinted from Forestry-Geological Review, Vol. 6, Nos. 5 and 6.

19 36

HISTORY AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE STATE MUSEUM

Soldier Roster Commission ------ 403 that the grain of each matches in a con-

Superior Court offices ___________.422-423 tinous pattern. The ore minerals include

Temporary offices of Forestry

bauxite and aluminum products (N. W. 6),

By

Division _____________________.408-410, A.B. iron ores, both soft oxides (N.E. 14, N.W.

Agricultural exhibits consist of displays 3) and hard sulphides (N.E. 13), gold

G. W. Crickmay

of cotton, grain, fruits, nuts, and soils in (north corridor near N. W. 13) and gold cases S.E. 11-12, and S.W. 18-20. Par- nuggets (S.E. 6), manganese ores (north

The Georgia State Museum was started ticularly noteworthy is a cotton stalk from corridor near N.E. 14).

in 1896 when material collected for the northern Fulton County upon which there Paleontology (study of past life of the

Georgia exhibit at the Cotton States and are more than 700 open bolls, said to be earth) is represented by a number of fos

International Exposition of 1895 was turned over to Professor W. S. Yeates, State Geologist. Lacking any suitable mu-

a world's record (S.W. 18). Forestry of the State is represented by
a complete collection of tree sections showing the bark and character of wood cut

sils ranging from very ancient forms of life to very recent (S.W. 12, 15, and N.W.
7, 10). Space does not permit additions to

seum in which to display these collections to advantage, they were placed temporarily in the corridors of the fourth floor of the Capitol, where they remain today. The Georgia exhibits at the Universal Exposition at St. Louis in 1904 were later added to the museum. These two collections became the nucleus of what has grown to be a very complete display of the natural resources of the State. The collection includes exhibits of Agriculture, Forestry, Mineralogy, Economic Geology, Paleontology, Ethnology, Entomology, Education, and Game and Fish.

and polished (S.E. 1-2, S.W. 2, and exhibit in front of cubicle A). Each tree section is tagged with a map showing the distribution of the species in the State. Exhibits of rustic furniture are to be found in the north corridor near case N.E. 14, and a maple mantle in the east corridor between rooms 427-428.
The mineral collections contain specimens of nearly every mineral known to occur in the State. These are arranged along the northeast corridor in cases N.E. 5-12, according to chemical composition. Special mineral cases include an ex-

the fossil exhibits even though these highly interesting records of life in ages past have much popular appeal Three exhibits of particular interest are ancient trees of the type which make up part of some coal beds (N. W. 7), petrified tree trunk (N.E. 1), and teeth of prehistoric horse, mammoth, and mastodon (S.W. 12).
Ethnology (study of prehistoric man) has unfortunately not had the undivided interest of one department, and therefore the exhibits in this fi..eld are limited to a few implements, bowls, pipes, and arrow heads (S.W. 13, N.W. 4). The recent ex-

Figure 1 is a plan of the fourth floor of hibit of gem stones S.E. 5), the William cavations at Macon have shown that Geor-

the State Capitol showing the position of B. Pitts mineral collection (S.E. 4), school gia has a wealth of ethnological material

exhibition cases and offices. The floor in museum collectiol:\ ~S.E. 3), fluorescent which is worthy of preservation and dis-

the diagram is divided arbitrarily into four minerals (N.W. 2). 1Rocks and miscellan- play New material is constantly being

quadrants, northeast (N.E.), northwest eous minerals ar~ to be found in cases unearthed but without an adequate mu-

(N.W.), southeast ( S.E.), and southwest N.W. 4, 7, and ro and S.W. 14 and 16. seum for its preservation Georgia stands

(S.W.), and the cases are labelled conse- Of special interest is the Social Circle to lose specimens which can never be re

cutively in each quadrant. The central meteorite (N.W. 13).

placed or duplicated. When a Georgia

part is surrounded by four cubicles which Economic Geology is one of the main State Museum is built it should be provided are labelled A, B, C, and D. The room interests of the Division of Geology and with a hall of ethnology.

numbers are in oblique figures.

thus it is to be expected that commercial Entomology has exhibits showing the

Offices:

minerals of the State should receive a destructive work done by insects, parasitic

Entomology _________ _4.31-433 large share of available space. The col- plants, and other pests to the crops and

Forestry _

434-435 lections include displays of non-metallic forests of Georgia (S.E. 710). The dis-

Game and Fish ------------------------411-413 minerals with products manufactured from play is intended to show the various types

Geology ____

__425-426 them; kaolin and products (N.W. 5, 8), of pests and disease so that proper control

House Gallery _ _ _ _ _......A, 08-410 clay, brick, and tile (N. W. 9), asbestos methods can be applied but the effective-

Industrial Relations, offices.....-418-421 and lubricants (north corridor near N.E. ness of the exhibit is marred by the fact

hearing room______ 424 13), building stones cut in eight-inch cubes that the cases themselves are so old that

Ladies' Room

427 of which each face is differently finished they, too, show the injurious activity of

Library Commission ______________.400-402 (in front of cubicle C). Marble columns insects. Most of the cases in the museum

Men's Room __

407 are in the north corridor. Of particular are more than thirty years old, and it is

Pensions ------------- - -404-406 interest is a large slab of polished marble Jlong past time when they should be re-

Prison Commission _

414-417 (N.E. 3) which consists of four pieces placed by modern steel cases.

l Senate Gallery ----------.-- 428-430 sawed from the same block and mounted so Educational cases (in cubic C) con-

Page 2

sist of specimens of work done by pupils thence east by the agricultural cases to to high schools and colleges of the State is

in public schools.

the east corridor where we go north to also in this case.

Game and Fish exhibits include a large the State Geologist's office, the original Next we see a complete collection of tree

collection of native birds (S.W. 1, 5, 7-9, starting point.

sections showing the hark and wood of

17), a habitat group (S.W. 4) showing With our direction of travel now decided each of the trees native to Georgia. A

several animals against their native back- on and with occasional .reference to the map attached shows the distribution of the

ground, and a collection of bird eggs floor plan of the State Museum, we should species throughout the State.

(S.W. 3). There is an instructive case on not enc-ounter any trouble in seeing every An old mantle in the east corridor shows

snakes and snakf!_-bite remedies (S.W. 10). thing in the museum. Let us then get back use of Georgia maple and verde antique

Whales a:t:e strictly neither game nor fish to our starting point and begin the tour. marble.

but the collections contain two whale jawbones (cubicle D) which attract much at-

The gold case (S. E. No. 6) contains a number of gold nuggets purchased by the

In cubicle D is a model of the home of Alexander Stephens, Vice-President of the

tention

State some years ago. These nuggets were

A state museum has inestimable value if found in river beds, either ancient or mod

it displays to advantage the resources and ern, where they had collected through the

natural history of the state. It advertises centuries after being washed out of the

Confederacy. The home at Crawfordville, Georgia, is now the site of a State Park. On the floor beneath this exhibit are large

and it educates in a way that can not be duplicated by the written report, and it

rocks containing them. exactly as found in the

The nuggets are stream bed, with

whale bones found in the Georgia Coastal Plain. At the end of this hallway opposite

affords a safe depository for historic and surfaces polished and rounded by action office 431 are some cases containing

prehistoric records. The poorly lighted of the water. One theory suggests mounted butterflies and other entomologi-

corridors of the Capitol do not constitute a that gold dust might accumulate cal specimens. To the west in the hallway

good museum, and it is high time efforts were made towards the erection of a per-

and b ecome compressed 1nto a 1arger nugget by the pounding of rocks and gravel

1unning over toward the elevator are several blocks of marble and a case of assort

manent museum built on proportions com- but no one knows that this is the case. It ed minerals (N. E. 2, 3, 4). Now let us

mensurate with Georgia's wealth of natural history. A museum is one of those things whose value can not be expressed in dollars and cents. It may be expensive to build but no state which has gone to this expense has ever failed to maintain and add to the museum. Much of our Georgia

seems more likely that large lumps of gold were detached from their -original hiding places and carried into the rivers to be polished and rounded. Most gold today is recovered from hard rock mining and the usual quartz gold ores show no free gold

turn about and face the wall behind us. There hanging on the wall is a beautiful slab of creole marble, cut from a slab in four pieces and arranged so that the center pattern is symetrical. Many people imagine seeing the design of a frog or tur tie in this piece. At world fairs this slab

material finds its way into the large mu- to the naked eye. The ore in this case has won several gold medals.

seums of the north because there is no showing little threads and masses of gold Now we shall proceed down the east cor

state museum. A case in point is the re- is very unusual ore. The gold coins were ridor by the mineral cases. The specimens

cent finds ,of mammoth and mastodon near minted in the United States mint which in these cases (N. E. 5 through 12) rep-

Savannah. Museum staffs in other states used to be at Dahlonega.

resent nearly every mineral ever found in

are eager to obtain specimens from this Back of the gold case is the semi-precious the State. The minerals are classified ac-

find but the material retained for exhibi- stone case (S. E. No. 5) . Here we see the cording to chemical composition in the

tion in Georgia remains packed in boxes examples of Georgia stones which can be most widely accepted manner called the

in a stable. For forty years the Georgia cut and polished for jewelry, No very val- Dana System which groups minerals as

exhibits have been resting in a temporary uable stones have been found in Georgia, native elements, sulphides, oxides, carbon-

position waiting for appropriate action un"less reported finds of diamond and ruby ates, silicates, etc. Our direction of tr!l.vel

from the State Legisature. Is it to remain have some truth in them. The gem case makes us view this arrangement in reverse

this wa.y? Or is Georgia to demonstrate shows forms of quartz as rock crystal. order. To call attention to a few of the

that she is equally or more progressive smoky quartz, amethyst, rose quartz, ruti- mineral specimens: for instance, as we pass

than her neighbors?

lated quartz, chatoyant and opalesent by the first case (N. E. 5) we see barite

quartz, agate, jasper, and opalized wood. and talc and kindred minerals. The second

A PERSONALLY CONDUCTED Other gem stones displayed are beryl, gar- (N. E. 6) contains the mica, garnet, kyan-

TOUR THROUGH THE

net, moonstone and staurolite. The case ite, and tourmaline. In the next (N. E. 7)

STATE MUSEUM

also contains specimens of flexible sand- is the asbestos, feldspar and calcite. Then

By Lane Mitchell

stone, lighting-formed sand tubes called in case N. E. 8 we find the maganese ore, fulgurites, and a tiny meteorite. A glass pyrolusite, and the aluminum ore, bauxite, replica of the famous Jonker diamond is and the iron ores. Case N. E. 9 cGntains

Starting with the cases immediately in also included.

world famous rutile crystals from Graves

front of the State Geologist's office (425) In case S. E. No. 4 you will see the Mountain and some near gem quality co-

our tour shall progress down the east cor- Pitts' collection of polished stones. Mr. rundum. Amethysts and other quartz

ridor by the Senate balcony to the north Wm. Pitts. formerly of Georgia, now col types predominate in the next two. cases

side of the building, thence alongside the lects stones from all over the world and (N. E. 10 and 11). In the last case (N. dlassi!ied mineral cases to the northern- cuts and polishes them. , His collection in E. 12) we find pyrite Gr pyrites, the sulmost corridor, thence west by the marble this museum contains petrified wood slabs, phide of iron which is so commonly mis-

columns and meteor to the large display beautifully polished slabs of colored stones, taken for gold and hence called ''fools'

cases in the western corridor to the eleva- and numerous st'Ones cut in gem fashion. gold!' '

tor, thence east to the display of economic Among these a.re several Georgia stones, Turning west here along the northern-

geology where we reverse directions and tM most notable being the red corundum most corridor we pause at another case (N.

go through booth housing the display of which but f.or the flaws would be a real E . 13) of sulphide minerals, principally py

Flourescent Minerals. Being again beside ruby.

rite; and see an instrument inciuded in the

the eleV-ator, we shall go south past the The next case contains some unusually case of a type which was fraudulently ex

House of Representatives' balcony to the pretty mineral specimens which have been ploited and sold to the public as a divining

south end of the building passing by the brought into the State Geologist's office. rod/ an instrument capable of -locating bird cases to the archaeology and paleon- A compl'ete set-up of one of the small mu- p1ec:icrus metals by some magical ~properly

seums furnished by the Division of Geolo~rv claimed f ol' it . As a matter of fact there

402

Page 3

431

409' ,

~
S.W.~S~E~ .

' 429

410,

2

5@)

6~
412 -
[!]
7

428 , 427 426 425
424 423

FIGURE I-FLOOR PLAN OF STAT MUSEUM

Page 4

is no such instrument worthy of faith by contain clay and odd mineral specimens. Going south now in the western corridor,

the public. Hazel sticks, mineral finding The cases in this ha1lway alongside the we pass by cases (S. W. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

needles, and all other divining rods, "doodle wall (N. W. 7 and 10) also contain odd 11) containing stuffed birds and animals

bugs," or water witches are fakes and have assorted specimens of rocks, minerals and and one (S. W~ 10) containing an educa

no real value to the honest seeker of min- fossils. Case N. W. 4 immediately oppo- tiona! exhibit of rattlesnake bite remedies.

eral deposits.

site the elevato~ also contains several inter- Shells, shark teeth, ancient elephant and

Along the wall of the northernmost cor- esting Indian relics and artifacts.

horse b'Ones and other fossils from the

ridor are cases containing some of the ore Turning east in the corridor running Coastal Plain of Georgia are found in case
minerals. You will notice that the ~ld across the building from the elevators we s. w. 12.

ores are principally iron stained vein see a stand containing numerous blocks Arrowheads, Indian artifacts, and Civil

quartz and it is doubtful if you can see of stone. These blocks represent most of War relics are in case S. W. 13.

one particle of gold in all the specimens. Georgia's commercial building stones fin- The next three cases (S. W. 14, 15, 16)

w. Modern refining methods can, however, re- ished in several different ways on the dif- contain more rock and fossil specimens.

move the particles too fine to be seen and ferent faces of the cubes.

The large corals in case S. 15 are skele-

concentrate them into larger quantities. The classical columns standing upright

A petrified tree trunk comprises exhibit N. E. 1. In cubicle C are educational

tons of creatures which once lived in the sea that covered the area now northwest

along the center of this hallway are all cut cases, sandstone and granite

from Georgia marble. The largest meteor ever found in Geor-

and a

stuffed alligator.

specimens,

Georgia. The fossil plant in the same case is of a type that once flourished in a warm

humid climate and later was converted into

gia comprises exhibit N. W. 13. This Here we turn and go through the en- coal such as we burn today. Both of these meteor is composed of iron and mckel and trance to the Fluorescent minerals exhibit. fossils came from northwest Georgia where

fell in the vicinity of Social Circle, Geor- Directions for operating this display are remains or casts of creatures and plants

gia. No one saw it fall and it was deter- painted on the cabinet windows. The ultra- that lived in Paleozoic time are found.

mined to be a meteor by its nickel content, no earthly alloy containing such a large quantity of nickel as is present in meteors. The weight of this large meteor is 219 lbs.
Case N. W. 11 contains shells, marls and limestones.
The large upright cases in the west cor-

violet rays from the lamp are changed when they strike the minerals in this case into visible light and the rays reaching the eye are of brilliantly colored light. In ordinary light these same minerals have quite a different appearance as can be seen.

The cotton stalk in case S. W. 18 is claimed to contain a record number of bolls. 715 open bolls on this stalk were counted. The specimen came from north Fulton county and was grown in 1912.
Agricultural exhibits and soil specimens are displayed in the large upright cases

ridor contain exhibits of mineral products. Now as we go down the west corridor in the southernmost corridor (S. W. 19 and

Case N. w. 12 contains fire brick and re- we see some unusual geologic specimens on 20 and S. E. 11 and 12).

fractories made from Georgia clays. Case top of the storage cabinets. Further along, Going north in the eastern corridor we

N. W. 9 contains Georgia terra cotta, in case S. W'. 1 we see birds of Georgia pass by cases containing various pictures

whereas case N. W . 8 shows use of Georgia and (S. W. 4) a possible scene in warm and specimens of insects and their destruc-

kaolin in china ware and paper coating. south Georgia.

tive work.

The next case shows modern aluminum In the corridor running to the east is a Opposite office 425 we reach our original

ware as made from the metal extracted case (S. W. 3) showing eggs of Georgia starting point. Questions will be gladly

from Georgia bauxite.

birds and displaying some of the literature answered in the office o.f the State Geolo-

Cases N. W. 5 and 4 beside the elevators of the Game and Fish Department.

gist.