History of Hillman Hall

Mineralogy at Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the first mineralogy exhibits at the museum was produced by Professor Gustave Guttenberg, a curator at the Academy of Art and Science, who loaned his entire personal mineral collection of 550 pieces to the academy. After his death in 1896, the museum purchased these pieces and they became the core of the permanent mineralogical collection.

As early as 1897, the museum accessioned its first world-class mineral specimen–a pseudomorph of hemimorphite after calcite. This Joplin, Missouri, specimen was a gift of A. L. Means.

During its first years, the mineral collection expanded principally through gifts. The museum acquired ores and metals representing the industries of the Pittsburgh region—the ores and manufactured products of tin, lead, copper, antimony, and bismuth. Local examples of steel products, specimens of oil-bearing rock and crude petroleum, and of coal, coke, and graphite also were included.

Carnegie himself added to the growing collection with several gifts, the most important in 1904 when he purchased the extraordinary mineral collection of William W. Jefferis of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Jefferis had started collecting in 1837 and for sixty years had devoted himself to developing one of the finest private collections in the country at that time. A friend and constant correspondent of noted mineralogists such as George J. Brush, James D. Dana, Isaac Lea, and Benjamin Silliman, Jefferis furnished specimens for illustrations in many mineralogical publications and textbooks, in particular, James D. Dana’s famous System of Mineralogy.

Jefferis’ large collection contained countless calcite, fluorite, and barite specimens from classic English localities as well as particularly fine suites from other European locales, and from New York and Pennsylvania. After 1900, important collectors and institutions maneuvered to obtain his collection before it was put on the market. But Carnegie was not to be denied, and in 1904 he purchased the collection for the Carnegie Museum for approximately $20,000.

The records show that another institution offered more at the last moment, but Jefferis, a banker, honored his previous agreement with Carnegie. Two boxcars transported the approximately 12,000 specimens by railroad to Pittsburgh. With the acquisition of the Jefferis Collection, the museum attained stature as a mineral museum and repository. In 1906, Jefferis died shortly after he expressed in a letter to George F. Kunz his pleasure and gratification that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History had acquired his life’s work.

During the first part of the twentieth century, the museum’s mineral collection grew largely through donations, with some purchases. Between 1900 and 1905, Douglas Stewart (the presiding caretaker of the mineral collection from 1901 to 1926) acquired a donation of 2,600 gem specimens from the leader of the United Mine Workers, John L. Lewis, and purchased over 1,000 mineral specimens from the noted mineralogist and dealer George L. English.

Between 1906 and 1908, the prominent Pittsburgh collector Norman Spang donated approximately 100 specimens, one being a 75-pound, perfectly terminated quartz crystal from Switzerland. By 1907 Stewart had installed exhibit and storage cases allowing 4,500 specimens to be exhibited in a Hall of Mineralogy and 9,000 to 10,000 specimens to be stored systematically for reference. In 1919 the pioneer of petrographic microscopy in the United States, Dr. M. E. Wadsworth, Dean of the School of Mines at the University of Pittsburgh, gave his collection of rocks to the museum.

Douglas Stewart’s sole position at the museum for many years was as the Custodian of Mineralogy. In 1923 he also became Director of the Carnegie Museum, a position he held until his death in 1926. For decades after Stewart's death, responsibility for the mineralogical collection fell to several professional and amateur mineralogists. For years, in a pattern unfortunately familiar to many natural history museums, no need was felt for a separate curator of mineralogy; the mineral collection was administratively grouped with related areas such as Geology and Paleontology.

In 1927 geology professors Charles R. Fettle of the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Henry Leighton of the University of Pittsburgh were appointed Honorary Curators. In 1937 Invertebrate Paleontologist Dr. I. P. Tolmachoff was named Acting Curator of Mineralogy and then Curator of Geology and Mineralogy in 1943. David M. Seaman, an assistant to Tolmachoff, succeeded him from 1945 to 1949 and Invertebrate Paleontologist E. R. Eller followed Seaman until 1969. During these four decades, the collection developed very slowly, with the addition of specimens acquired through field collecting, trading, and purchase.

Although upgrading the exhibit specimens and the gallery space (Mineral Exhibition Hall) had been the primary focus during Seaman’s tenure in the 1940s, his successor dismantled the exhibit hall in the early 1950s and most of the specimens were placed in storage. A decade later, under the same curator, the collection's emphasis shifted back to the acquisition of exhibit-quality specimens, as well as gem materials. Some specimens were placed on public exhibit. In the latter part of the 1960s, geologist Delbert L. Oswald, working as a Research Associate under Eller’s guidance, assisted in the development of a small exhibit of minerals. Also during this time, the museum administration began discussions about establishing a major mineral exhibit.

In 1969, the President of The Carnegie, James M. Walton, spoke with one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent businessmen, Henry L. Hillman, about the early stages of a capital campaign fund. Their discussion centered on the steps to be taken to upgrade the existing exhibits and the program areas where new exhibits could be introduced to enhance the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Mr. Hillman, a trustee of the museum, is a lifelong Pittsburgher. He earned a degree in geology from Princeton, and at the time of his discussion with Walton was serving as the executive officer in the family business started by his father. He recalls that he had gone to see a commercial display of minerals that was presented at a Pittsburgh department store. He was impressed by the number of people who were attracted to and fascinated by the mineral specimens. With this experience in mind he expressed to Walton an interest in supporting a new mineral exhibit designed to present "minerals in the manner of sculpture and shown for their beauty as well as physical properties and economic uses."

For the next decade, the generosity of Henry L. Hillman and The Hillman Foundation, Inc. made it possible for The Carnegie Museum of Natural History to acquire exhibit-quality specimens for the new hall. Delbert Oswald, working in the mineral section at that time, became Associate Curator and devoted full attention to enhancing the mineral exhibit collection and developing the hall. In the early 1970s, during the first few years of this effort, the noted mineralogist Dr. Frederick H. Pough was retained as a consultant to assist Oswald.

The mineral section of the museum became increasingly active and gradually took on a new autonomy within the museum. Not only did The Hillman Foundation provide funds through a capital fund grant for the renovation of space allocated to the new mineral hall, it also provided funds for a specimen acquisition program. A masterpiece pegmatite assemblage from the Little Three mine in California and a 70-gram platinum nugget from the Soviet Union were purchased at this time, as was what is very likely the world’s largest single crystal of rutile, a 24-pound mirror-faced specimen from Graves Mountain, Georgia.

Supported by The Hillman Foundation, the museum acquired a 19-piece gold collection from the Harvard Mineralogical Museum and the Dr. Frederick H. Pough gem collection of nearly 800 specimens. The Pough Gem Collection represents over thirty years of personal selection and is 50% comprised of rare and highly unusual gem species. Many of the gems currently on display in Wertz Gallery of Hillman Hall are from the Pough Collection.

Along with the increase in purchased accessions, the mineral section witnessed an increase in donor interest, which brought in many new specimens suitable for exhibition in the mineral and gem hall. The J. Allen Thiel and J. P. Gills Rough and Cut gem collections were donated, as were the collection’s finest Brazilian aquamarine crystal and its finest bejeweled aquamarine and diamond brooch.

After eleven years of specimen acquisition, planning, and construction, the Hillman Hall of Minerals & Gems opened in September of 1980. The concept of presenting mineral specimens as sculptures was adhered to, and the beautifully designed exhibit hall provides a basic understanding and appreciation of minerals–scientifically, educationally, and aesthetically.

Oswald retired from the museum shortly thereafter, and for several years the mineral section and its exhibit hall were directly under the auspices of Dr. Mary R. Dawson, Vertebrate Paleontologist and Chief Curator of Earth Sciences. In 1982 geologist Richard A. Souza was hired to oversee the mineral section’s exhibition and education programs and the management of some 23,000 specimens. During the eight years that followed, Collection Manager Souza worked closely with Ronald W. Wertz, President of The Hillman Foundation, to develop one of the most active and successful specimen acquisition programs of any major natural history museum in North America. The goal was to acquire some of the world’s finest specimens in a variety of species while also filling in species and locality voids and significantly upgrading the other species on exhibit.

In 1987 The Hillman Foundation worked with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to establish The Carnegie Mineralogical Award. This national award is given annually at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show to an honored recipient in recognition of outstanding contributions that have promoted mineralogical preservation, conservation, and education–the ideals embodied in the Carnegie’s Hillman Hall of Minerals & Gems.

Numerous grants vitalized the mineral section’s programs. In 1988 the Carnegie’s President, Dr. Robert C. Wilburn, and the Trustees launched the Second Century Fund campaign with a goal of $125 million. As part of its contribution to this fund, The Hillman Foundation established an endowment for the Hillman Hall of Minerals & Gems to provide for continuing improvement of and operating support for the mineral program. This contribution also provided funding for a mineral conservation and preservation laboratory and a permanent curatorial position.

Also that year portions of all eight meteorites that have ever been found in Pennsylvania were displayed for the first time in Hillman Hall. For more information on Pennsylvania meteorites click here.

In 1992, twelve years after the opening of Hillman Hall, Marc Wilson took over the management of Hillman Hall. Under Wilson’s stewardship and with the continued support of The Hillman Foundation, the museum’s century-old mineral collection has blossomed. New exhibits have been developed and specimens upgraded to include an abundance of world-class minerals and gems.

Among the hall’s improvements since Wilson’s arrival is the complete makeover of the Pennsylvania Minerals exhibit. Obtaining the best available Pennsylvania specimens has long been a goal of the Section of Minerals and this exhibit represents the roots of the Carnegie’s mineral collection. The exhibit currently displays specimens from the Bryon Brookmyer collection, on loan to the museum.

In 1995, Amber was added to the gemstones section. Beautiful as well as educational, the exhibit shows the two types of amber–succinite and retinite. Also included are two types of a common amber substitute, copal. Amber and copal are shown in their rough forms, and as freeform polished specimens and jewelry. Insects embedded in amber demonstrate how life forms become fossilized in the resin.

The evolving nature of the hall was evident in late October 1996, when Wilson unveiled a new exhibit of Pseudomorphism in Minerals. One example is the museum’s first world-class mineral, accessioned in 1897–pseudomorph of hemimorphite after calcite, now on display in Masterpiece Gallery. Over the past century, this pseudomorph has not been surpassed, and it remains perhaps the most significant specimen in the collection.

Another addition to Hillman Hall occurred in 1997 with the opening of the Minerals of the Former Soviet Union exhibit–some 30 spectacular minerals from the recently acquired collection of 250 high-quality specimens. Minerals from the former Soviet Union have only recently begun entering western collections as a result of the fall of Communism.
The Micromineral exhibit, installed in 1999, utilizes a microscope to give the viewer a closer look at minerals not easily seen with the naked eye. This innovative technique makes it possible to display minerals that would otherwise never be viewed by the public.
The year 2000 brought two renovations to Hillman Hall exhibits. The Fluorescence and Phosphorescence exhibit received spectacular new specimens and presentation to show how minerals “glow” under ultraviolet light. The Twinning in Minerals exhibit uses beautiful minerals to show how crystals can become twinned.
The year 2002 saw the unveiling of the Quartz exhibit. Because quartz, the most common mineral on earth, can be classified as a silicate or an oxide, it was decided to take all quartz specimens out of the Systematic Collection and create an exhibit of its own. This display features specimens of quartz with diverse colors, crystal habits and inclusions from localities around the world. Also in 2002 the Museum received a donation of a mineral collection from James E. Moresby White, a Pittsburgh resident who had been collecting since the 1950s.

A proposal was made in May of 2004 to expand and improve Hillman Hall and in 2006 the renovations and expansion project began. Many changes were made to the hall including both additions of and removal of exhibits. Most of the jewelry and gemstones were taken off exhibit for use in their future home of Wertz Gallery of Gems and Jewelry. This new addition of Hillman Hall will include a permanent Birthstone exhibit as well as changing exhibits of gemstone, jewelry and gem crystals.

Hillman Hall no longer contains an exhibit on meteorites, but visitors can enjoy improved exhibits on Lithology (the science of rocks), an expanded Masterpiece Gallery and new exhibits on locality suites to complement the already existing exhibit on the Former Soviet Union. These suites feature minerals from England, Romania, India and Bulgaria. A beautiful new entrance greets visitors with stunning specimens as they enter and exit the hall. Also displayed near the entrance are “Sliced Minerals”; backlit slabs of beautifully colored minerals and crystals. Look for many of your favorite exhibits which will still grace the hall such as the Systematic Collection, Quartz, Twinning, Fluorescence & Phosphorescence, Pseudormorphism, Radioactivity, and Microminerals.

Still on the drawing board are plans for a computer station in the hall to give visitors access to complete information on any specimen on exhibit. Under Marc Wilson’s expert guidance, Hillman Hall will continue to develop to meet the interests and needs of its visitors. Your support in the form of donations, whether monetary or specimens, is always appreciated and helpful in our continuing effort to keep Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems one of the finest mineral exhibits in existence.

Carnegie Gem and Mineral Show

Carnegie Museum of Natural History will not present the Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for 2008. At this time we do urge gem and mineral lovers to visit the newly renovated Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems and the brand–new Wertz Gallery: Gems and Jewelry. Hillman Hall has undergone a tremendous renovation affording it to exhibit more dazzling minerals and gems –– many of which have never been on display –– than ever before. Wertz Gallery is the new permanent home for the sparkling collection of Carnegie gems as well as a space for traveling exhibits. During 2008, Wertz Gallery will be featuring a dynamic roster of temporary exhibits including Time Machines: Watches from the H.J. Heinz Collection and Setting Trends: National Jewelry Institute Designer Showcase.

Back to Hillman Hall