The Paul Mayer lecture to the Grundy County Historical Society (open to everyone, member or not) will focus on Mazon Creek fossils. The lecture will happen Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the Morris, IL, public library. The library is located at 604 Liberty Street in Morris. Google it for exact directions. Parking is on-street though the library has a small parking lot at the north end of the library building. Mr. Mayer, of The Field Museum, is well-known to ESCONI members.
The Grundy County Historical Society's Museum (GCHS) already has a small, but very fine selection of Mazon plant fossils, some of which were collected before the Museum's inception in 1923, including a part and counterpart Annularia spinulosa (formerly A. stellata) concretion well over 12 inches in length. The Field is loaning, for exhibit, a number of animal specimens specifically collected by and then donated to it by two Grundy County residents and noted Mazon collectors, Judge Bedford and Mr. Green. Bedford, at one time, had many of his Mazon fossils on display in shadowboxes in the front windows of the Morris, IL, bank.
This new exhibit is being designed by ESCONI member Joan Bledig and Brenda Larson of the GCHS Museum and will be in place for viewing by April 22 . This is not a permanent exhibit; it will remain in place for only one year. The GCHS Museum is located at 510 W. Illinois Ave. It is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Private tours are available on other days and are encouraged. Call 815-942-4880 to make an appointment for your tour.