History of the Georgia Museum of Natural History

A black and white photograph of a museum exhibit showcasing fossils and collections
The museum in the Library Building, 1875. Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. 

Cabinets of Curiosities

The Georgia Museum of Natural History originated in the early 19th century. Josiah Meigs, President of the University of Georgia from 1801 to 1810, collected natural history specimens, starting the natural history collection.

From 1821 to 1859, three different buildings housed the museum: Philosophical Hall from 1821 to 1823, New College from 1823 to 1832, and the Ivy Building from 1832 to 1859. 

A black and white photograph of New College showing the front of the building. A handwritten label at the bottom of the photograph captions it as New College, home of Modern and Ancient Languages, English, and Agriculture.
New College, 1899. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. 

The museum was housed in New College until a fire in 1832 destroyed the collections. Following the fire, the university built the Ivy Building to house the library and a new cabinet of minerals. The Ivy Building housed the museum until 1859. In 1862, the collection of curiosities finally became a museum with the opening of the library.

In the library building, now the Hunter-Holmes Academic Building, the museum for the natural history collection had the entirety of the third floor.

The turn of the century saw the creation of the new Science Hall, where the biological collections were stored. The collections were beginning to split up as the university expanded. The nineteenth century showcases the University of Georgia’s care for research in natural history.

A Museum Unsettled

A black and white photograph of Science Hall, showing the building with trees in front. A handwritten label at the bottom of the photograph captions it as Science Hall, with the first floor housing the Chancellor’s Office, Dr. White’s office Faculty room. The second floor houses Dr. Herty’s office and the Chemical Laboratories, etc. The third floor is where Dr. Campbell’s office and the Biology Department are located.
Science Hall, 1899. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

The 1900s began with dispersal and tragedy for the Georgia Museum of Natural History. In the late 1890s, Henry Clay White, a professor of Chemistry, took over the Natural History department, which caused the collections to scatter throughout the campus. For the next decade, the university significantly expanded the campus. 

Science Hall was a major addition, as it housed the biology and chemistry departments. The library building still stored the previous museum specimens, but the biological collections were moved to Science Hall. 

A black and white photograph of the front of Baldwin Hall
Baldwin Hall, where the Biology Department and Collections moved to in 1939 for nearly two decades

In 1903, Science Hall burned down in a fire, and everything inside was destroyed, including the biological museum collections stored there. The university shifted its focus to rebuilding the damaged biology and chemistry departments. The museum had no funding, and the university was not focused on rebuilding the lost collections.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the university still did not allocate funding to the collection. In 1937, the newly hired Geology professor, Dr Geoffrey W. Crickmay, brought the department a large geological collection. This collection, along with other donations, pushed smaller departments to continue to grow their collections. The expansion of smaller departments and their collections, like botany, entomology, and zoology, continued into the 1950s and 1960s. The collections continued to grow across the campus, and the university noticed. 

A unified home

In 1978, the University of Georgia Museum of Natural History was officially founded. Dr. Joshua Laerm was appointed as director. This was a major step in the recentralization of the collections. But the work did not become easier after formal recognition. The museum did not receive any state or university funding and did not move to a central location for a decade. In 1986, the museum finally received $36,817, the first known report of funding.

The museum grew throughout the early 1990s under Dr. Laerm’s leadership. Through successful grants, department collections continued to grow. Dr. Elizabeth Reitz, who took over in 1997, continued to advocate for the museum.

Reitz created the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History, a booster organization composed of community members and faculty that raises awareness for the museum.

Screenshot of an official document that reads: GEORGIA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA DESIGNATED. No. 30 (House Resolution No. 412). A RESOLUTION Designating the Museum of Natural History at the University of Georgia as the State Museum of Natural History, to be known as the Georgia Museum of Natural History; and for other purposes.

In 1999, the Georgia General Assembly proclaimed the museum the official State Museum of Natural History, renaming it the Georgia Museum of Natural History. This designation did not come with financial support. Dr. Byron Freeman led the museum between 2004 and 2024, when the current director, Dr. Victor Thompson, took over.

With Dr. Thompson’s leadership, the museum has recently undergone major renovations to increase exhibit space and showcase the diverse collections acquired over the last two centuries. 

This webpage was written with the help of Spring 2026 GMNH Intern Joe Leggo.