FOUNDER'S DAY AND

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NHSM is turning 94 years young. Come help us celebrate by "Rocking Out" on March 29.

When you think of mining, perhaps Pennsylvania coal, Nevada Silver, or California gold comes to mind, but probably not Baltimore. Maybe it should. Baltimore City and surrounding area were dotted with quarries mining any number of minerals and rocks.

Each specimen in the Natural History Society of Maryland tells a story. The mineral specimens tell the story of exploding stars, planetary formation, tectonic plates, as well as industry, technology, innovation and the building of a city.

Early curators of geology and minerals for the Natural History Society of Maryland, Charles Ostrander and/or Walter Price amassed an impressive collection of Baltimore minerals which formed the foundation of the publication they co-authored in 1940, The Minerals of Maryland, which remains a sentinel resource. Many of the specimens were collected from quarries that operated within the city limits in the 1800’s. These quarries have long been shuttered and developed over. The specimens in the NHSM collection represent some of the only examples of the geologic history of Baltimore.

Dr. Alan Pribula, retired professor of chemistry at Towson University, vice president of the Baltimore Mineral Society, and the current curator of minerals for the NHSM will focus on these historic, impossible-to-replace specimens and will give an update as to the present holdings of the NHSM collection. Special pieces from the collection will be on display and available for handling. Have a rock of your own that you would like to learn more about, bring it to the event, and let NHSM experts take a look and offer an opinion or two.

If you dig rocks – come geek out with other rockhounds at the Natural History Society of Maryland. There will also be cake! It is a birthday celebration. 94 years young.

The program is free for NHSM members and $7 for each non-member. For planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP at https://www.marylandnature.org/get-involved/events/event/founders-day-2023-the-maestro-of-minerals-charles-ostrander/

Minerals of Maryland by Charles Ostrander

The Pamphlet Minerals of Maryland was written by Charles Ostrander and Walter E. Price Jr. and was published by the Natural History Society of Maryland in 1940.

Charles Ostrander was the Curator of the Department of Mineralology at The Natural History Society of Maryland and was one the foremost experts on mineral collecting in Maryland in the Mid 20th Century. Many of the specimens he collected are still available for viewing at The Natural History Society of Maryland.

In this booklet, the authors document the minerals of Maryland and the localities where they were found. While many of these localites have been plowed over or buried to the annals of history, this booklet documents the richness of Maryland's Mineral Heritage

It is with great thanks and gratitude that The Natural History Society of Maryland has made this pamphlet available to The Baltimore Mineral Society so that it can be downloaded and read by the general public.

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