Wish Upon a...Glowing Rock?

Just off the Oval, on the Campus of The Ohio State University, there is a massive structure known as Orton Hall. The building, made of stone, stained glass and more than a little imagination, is not what I think of when I think of Geology. While many of us probably had rock collections as children, few of us are quite so enamored with the topic as adults. Unless of course the rocks are shiny and come in lovely little boxes!

Orton Hall, built in 1893, is on the National Registry for Historic places and one glance at the stately building tells you why. However, it is not the building that I am here to publicize, though it surely deserves the attention. Instead, I want to share a little about the Orton Geological Museum tucked inside. This small treasure, about the size of two large classrooms, is a delight. It is simple and without pretense.

As a child I enjoyed the "giant" dinosaur skeleton and the fossils. As a teenager, I enjoyed the curtained off area where you can see minerals glow under black lights, (I'm sure I'm not the only one who has kissed their sweetie while pretending to become more geologically educated.) As adult, I return with my own children. They, like I so long ago, exclaim at the dinosaur and love the glittering rocks. I like to imagine them coming back on their own someday and passing the pleasure on to yet another generation.

Like the layers of the Earth, things tend to change very slowly here. It is a peaceful, happy place that has, as its sole purpose, the desire to pass on the love of geology. There is a museum store full of delightful inexpensive rocks, fossils and even shark's teeth (for 25cents!), but it is closed until around August 1st. It is closed, and I'm not kidding, because the museum's curator is, "digging dinosaurs in Minnesota".

I ask you to consider a trip to this quiet throw back to another generation. Bring some change for the parking meters behind the building, call ahead to make sure it will be open and maybe, make a wish on a glowing rock! If you are very lucky, maybe your wish will come true!

Go to: http://www.geology.ohio-state.edu/facilities.php to get more information.