This is Mazon Monday post #180. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected].
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The Grundy County Historical Society Museum is a hidden gem in Morris, IL. Their mission is to house, preserve, and exhibit objects pertaining to Grundy County's history: cultural, social, geological, and anthropological. Established in 1923, they had a centennial celebration on May 7th, 2023. The building is located at 510 W Illinois Ave, in Morris, IL.
We stopped by the museum recently and had a nice discussion with the museum's curator, Debbie Steffes. She's very knowledgeable and nimble with the microfilm reader. Here, she is showing us the George Bedford display. He was an amateur photographer. His many photographs have helped document the history of Morris and the surrounding area during the early 1900's. The boxes under her arm are some of his glass negatives. He was also an early Mazon Creek fossil collector.
As Mazon Creek fossil enthusiasts, we were mostly interested in their fossil displays. They have quite a few very nice specimens, including an absolutely gorgeous Annularia inflata with eight whorls!
An Asterophyllites equisetiformis with twelve whorls!
Who doesn't like Alethopteris?!?
Lycopodites meeki
Other Mazon Creek fossils on display.
This case contains fossils from ESCONI member Walter Lietz and his friend Wilbur "Wib" Louis. There's also a small Tully Monster donated by Keith Holm.
They have a bucket of concretions from the garage of J.C. Carr, who is another early Mazon Creek fossil collector from the 1800's.
Jeremy Zimmerman and I in front of the Mastodon display. By the way, there have been numerous Mastodons discovered in Grundy County and around Morris.
After you get a chance to visit the museum, wander on over to the Tully Monster Pub and Grill. It's located just a few blocks away at 104 Liberty St.
