Mission and History

The mission of North Museum of Nature & Science is to enable knowledge of nature and science by inspiring individuals, engaging communities, and connecting organizations.

The Museum was founded in 1953 by Franklin & Marshall College. Named for Lancaster businessman Hugh M. North, whose estate funded the building’s construction, the North Museum quickly became a destination in the community for introducing children to the natural world. Over time, dedicated staff and volunteers were among the earliest Museum professionals to embrace a philosophy of public science education.

The Museum’s collections trace their existence back to the 19th century and an active group of amateur naturalists in Lancaster County called the Linnaean Society. They collected specimens to document the flora and fauna of this region, and in time, their combined collections found a home at Franklin & Marshall College. Today, the North Museum’s collections include more than 360,000 objects in disciplines ranging from archaeology to zoology.

The North Museum became an independent non-profit organization in 1992, and in 2009, the Museum received its fourth re-accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Fewer than five percent of Museums nationwide earn this mark of institutional excellence.

North Museum of Nature & Science: DEAI Framework

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion

The North Museum of Nature & Science shares the tenants laid out by the American Alliance of Museums DEAI framework. The North Museum respects, values and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We believe that our strength lies in our diversity among the broad range of people and partners we represent and serve. We consider diversity and inclusion a driver of institutional excellence and seek out diversity of participation, thought and action. It is our aim, therefore, that our board members, staff, partners, and key stakeholders reflect and embrace these same core values.

Approach to Our Work
The North Museum of Nature & Science continues to be responsible and accountable to the community we serve. We aim to educate people of all races, nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds and represent their voices and communities within the museum.  Below are illustrative tenants and examples of our approach to this work.

We Mute Our Voice
We mute our own brand and individual voices professionally for a greater purpose and good when called upon to do so.

We Remove Bias in Educating the Public
We use our platform to educate the public on important issues by seeking out unbiased sources to share with our community.
One recent example of this was our public exhibit, Choosing to Participate, created by the Smithsonian Institute in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, whose mission is to raise questions about challenging conversations around race in the classroom and in the public. The exhibit asks each one of us to examine our true intentions and make decisions on where we stand. As the Facing History and Ourselves homepage states, “People Make Choices. Choices Make History.”

We Represent Communities In Their Own Voice
We continue to seek out opportunities to represent people of all backgrounds in our museum—in likeness, language, and perspective. This involves listening first and a reliance on community and industry partners alike.
Recently, this initiative brought the Smithsonian Institute exhibit, A Place for All People and NEA’s The Power of Children to the North Museum.

We Meet People Where They Are
We firmly believe that education is a fundamental right and should be accessible to all and actively seek to bridge socio-economic gaps that so often target specific communities. We actively seek funding in aid of this effort, with the same fervor with which we seek all funding, for the museum’s STEM education programs both inside and outside of the museum’s walls. This core tenant of approach involves creating access to STEM education programs by creating free and reduced cost opportunities to our community and also by bringing our programming to where it is needed most.