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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Many of the original museum collections began with the Victorian passion for
collecting and classifying the wonders of nature, although a number of
museums began earlier in the industrial revolution as centers for the
promotion of technology.  In Philadelphia, there is a fascinating early
science museum, the Wagner Free Institute.  Founded in the 1850's, it still
exists and is a very interesting place to visit, but easy to miss as it is
not located along "museum row."  It is literally a museum of a museum, still
filled with its Victorian cabinets of neatly mounted specimens,
systematically arranged by classification.  They were chartered to offer
free education to adults and they continue in that mission, but also offer
programs for children.  Check them out at
http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/index.shtml.

Dave Smith
Da Vinci Science Center
Allentown, PA

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