This gallery introduces a new generation of people to Levi Mengel, founder and first Director of the Reading Public Museum. The gallery traces his life as a child growing up in Berks County through the founding of the Museum. It also presents the history of science at the Museum and traces the changes that have occurred throughout nearly 100 years of operation. This gallery contains an animated figure of Dr. Levi Mengel, which greets visitors. The Museum visitor will learn about the importance of scientific collections and the size and scope of the Reading Public Museum's holdings.

Levi Walter Scott Mengel
Levi Mengel was born in Reading, Pennsylvania to Mathias and Amelia Soder Mengel September 27, 1868. From his early childhood, Levi developed a strong interest in the natural sciences of Berks County. At the age of six, he started collecting rocks, minerals, butterflies, and other memorabilia. By the time he graduated from the Reading High School for Boys in 1886, he had assembled over 5,000 objects and specimens.

The objects displayed in this gallery are just a few of the many diverse items he accumulated. Levi received one microscope in the display case as a Christmas present from his mother in 1886. The second microscope displayed was made in 1740 or earlier and was originally owned by Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia. It was later sold to H.K. Deisher of Kutztown and then purchased by Levi Mengel in 1912.

Following his graduation, Levi went to work for Jones' Drug Store at Ninth and Penn Streets. Later, he worked as an apprentice for Steinmetz's Drug Store at Sixth and Penn. Levi then entered the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where he graduated in 1891. During his life, Levi Mengel received two honorary Doctorate Degrees. He received a Doctor of Science from Bucknell University and a Doctor of Laws from Albright College.

The Arctic Expedition
While studying at the College of Pharmacy, Levi was introduced to Dr. Angelo Heilprin, curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Science. Dr. Heilprin was so impressed with Levi's knowledge of insects, that he was invited to join the staff of the Academy as its entomologist for an expedition to West Greenland in the Arctic.

On June 6, 1891, Levi Mengel stood on the deck of the whaler Kite and waved goodbye to hundreds of people standing on the Baltic Street pier in Brooklyn. This departure marked the beginning of Lieutenant Robert Edwin Peary's extensive exploration of the northern Polar Regions and served as the catalyst for Levi's future endeavors. On board were two teams of scientists whose goal was to explore the vast interior of Greenland.

The North Greenland expedition team was led by Commander Peary. The party included his wife, Josephine; Langdon Gibson, his chief assistant; Matthew Henson, his personal valet; Eivard Astrup, adventurer; John M. Verhoeff, mineralogist; and Dr. Frederick Cook, ethnologist and surgeon.

Their task was to determine the northern extent of Greenland and find out whether it was an island or a continent. According to reports from the New York Recorder, June 7, 1891, Mrs. Perry was the first American woman to be part of an Arctic expedition.

The West Greenland team was led by Professor Angelo Heilprin and included Professor J. F. Holt, zoologist; Dr. W. E. Hughes, ornithologist; Dr. William H. Burke, botanist; L.W. Mengel, entomologist; Dr. Robert N. Keeley Jr., surgeon; Alexander C. Kanealy, correspondent for the New York Herald; and Frank Ashurst, an adventurer.

Their task was to explore the western coast of Greenland, study the terrain, collect natural history specimens, and observe and document the inhabitants. At the age of twenty-two, Levi was the youngest member of this team.

Throughout much of the expedition, Levi wrote letters to his parents and kept a daily journal of his activities and observations. These written documents (now part of the Museum's collection) provide descriptive details of Levi's most memorable experiences. On June 16, 1891, just ten days into the expedition, Levi fell through the ice but was rescued by Dr. Cook. Part of his entry for this day reads:

June 16, 1891. "... After dinner Lieutenant Peary invited me to accompany Dr. Cook and himself to visit an iceberg across the ice about five miles. I agreed. And we were ready in a few minutes. We were each provided with a gaff or boat hook. When we were about two miles and a half from the Kite I came pretty close to going under. We of [sic] course had to jump from floe to floe, and we were all upon a large cake of ice . . . We had to jump on several small pieces of ice and make hurried jumps. When my turn came, I jumped, but the ice was so far separated that I went into the water. I however fortunately caught my gaff between the ice and thus held myself until Dr. Cook pulled me out . . . "

On July 14, 1891, while trying to ram the Kite through the ice, a section of chain from the tiller broke off and hit Lt. Peary on the leg causing a severe fracture. Levi was present during this accident and assisted with moving the Lieutenant to a safe place. While he was helping, he reached down and picked up a fragment of the chain as a souvenir (on display.)

During the expedition, Levi collected butterflies, beetles, flies, bees, and spiders. He wrote to his parents and the Reading Eagle that he had collected the largest number of insect specimens ever from the Arctic region. These 23 specimens are now part of the entomological collection of the Reading Public Museum.

Besides the insects, Levi also collected many Esquimaux (native people of Greenland) materials including skins, walrus tusks, and miscellaneous ivory tools. He acquired a harpoon, a paddle, a lance, a Timiak (coat) and some coins from Greenland.

Upon his return from Greenland on September 5, 1891, a reporter for the Reading Eagle wrote: "The young traveler was met at the station by his father and mother, who would hardly have known their son had they accidentally met him on the street. He was attired in the clothes he wore on board the ship Kite and wore a slouch hat. When young Mengel went away he wore a small mustache, but now he has a heavy beard."

Teaching
For a short period after his return, Levi worked as a chemist for the Reading Company. His love for natural science, however, soon led him to his future profession as a teacher. From 1894 to 1902, Levi Mengel taught natural history, chemistry, and physics at the Reading High School for Boys (located at the time, on the southeast corner of 8th and Washington). During class, Levi would encourage his students to interact with objects and specimens from his personal collection. This exploration into sensory education laid the cornerstone for Levi's ambition: to create a museum where the senses are used to gain an accurate interpretation of the objects.

The Reading Public Museum
During a visit to the World's Fair in 1904, Levi obtained nearly 2,000 objects and specimens, which formed the nucleus for the Museum's collection. In 1907, the former High School for Boys became the Administration Building and the third floor of this building was made available for exhibition of the collection.

By 1911, the Museum was open for school children and the public. Exhibitions were originally located on the third floor of the Administration building, but as the collection grew, the Museum expanded to include all floors.

The Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery
In 1913, the Museum received its first painting "Desolate Winter" by Victor Shearer (located on the wall behind Levi). This donation set the stage for additional gifts of fine art and by the end of that year the name of the Museum was changed from the Reading Public Museum to the Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery.

In 1924, the Reading School District asked the citizens of Reading to approve a loan to construct a new building. After a campaign in which the school children participated, the loan was passed and the plans for a new building were drawn. The building was designed by Alexander Forbes Smith and built by Irvin F. Impink. The present site of the Museum was selected and donated to the District by Ferdinand Thun, Henry Janssen, and Gustave Oberlaender.

On April 1, 1927, Levi Mengel donated his personal collections to the Reading Public Museum.

The Reading Public Museum is the repository for over 200,000 natural history specimens collected from all parts of the world. This collection represents over 100 years of scientific collecting by many individuals from Berks County and serves as a reserve for exhibition and study. It includes over 152,000 insects, 3,300 mammals, 10,800 birds, 11,000 bird eggs, 549 nests, 10,000 herbarium specimens and 25,000 geological and paleontological specimens.

The Reading Public Museum was one of the first Museums in the country to be owned and operated by a school district. For many years, the Museum was part of the Reading School District's Department of Visual Education. As such, children from many grade levels were bused to the Museum and given tours as part of their curriculum.

Dr. Earl Poole, Levi Mengel's Successor
Dr. Earl Lincoln Poole was born October 30, 1891 in Haddonfield, New Jersey to John H. and Ida Dungan Poole. As a young man, Earl developed a strong interest in drawing. While in grade school, it was said that teachers encouraged him to color, which helped to keep him out of trouble.

Earl attended Central High School in Philadelphia where he sharpened his artistic skills. He won the John H. Packard Prize in 1909 and again in 1910. After high school, Earl attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was a Jessup Scholar at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.

In 1912, Dr. Levi Mengel, Director of the Reading Public Museum, had an opportunity to review some of Earl's work. Pleased with the quality of Earl's drawings, in 1914 Dr. Mengel offered him a position as the art instructor at the Reading Boy's High School. Earl accepted and came to Reading in 1915. After only one year, Earl was promoted to Director of Art Education for the Reading High School.

In 1920, Earl was transferred to the Reading Public Museum but still served as the Supervisor of Art until 1930. He was named Assistant Director of the Museum in 1925 and Director in 1938.

A man of many talents, Dr. Poole was an author, artist, sculptor, and naturalist. During his life, he produced over 100 publications including several books. He served as the illustrator for more than 40 books and saw many of his wildlife paintings exhibited in nationally recognized museums.

He was the founder of the Baird Ornithological Club and helped to establish the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Many of the Museum's models, habitat scenes, and early dioramas are the creations of Earl Poole.

Museum Today
Until 1992 the Reading School District managed the operations of the Museum. At that time a change of governance, management and monetary responsibility for the collections, buildings and grounds became the responsibility of the Foundation for the Reading Public Museum.

Today, the Reading Public Museum together with the Planetarium provides educational and cultural programs which reach thousands of people annually. The Comprehensive Collections include superb holdings in Asian, African, Islamic, Oceanic, Native American and Pennsylvania German art. Paintings from Western civilization range from ancient Greece and Rome through the Medieval and Renaissance to the modern age. The Natural Science collections represent thousands of specimens including many rare insects, rocks, minerals and mammals.

Permanent and temporary art and science exhibits with interpretive labeling, workshops, lectures, concerts, performances, girl scout sleepovers, summer camp, gallery talks, Planetarium shows, cultural festivals and numerous other events for all ages, gender and ethnic backgrounds are provided to meet the objectives of the Reading Public Museum's mission.

Museum Mission Statement
The mission of the Reading Public Museum, a dynamic center of lifelong learning, is to collect, preserve and interpret objects of art, science and civilization in order to educate, enlighten and engage current and future generations.

F.Y.I. - Early Reading and Berks County Scientific Societies
Before the development of the Reading Public Museum, there existed several scientific societies that served as forums for scientific discussion in Berks County:

The Reading Youth and Apprentices Institute (RYAI), (February to May 1836), was opened in response to the National Lyceum movement of 1831 to promote science and education through discussions and lectures. After only three months, its leading members chose to combine with the Philadelphia Lyceum, and the RYAI was eventually replaced by the Reading Cabinet.

The Reading Cabinet, (Fall 1836 to Fall 1849), was formed when RYAI disbanded, and many of its members joined the Reading Cabinet. Their mission was to disseminate scientific knowledge through public lectures. For 13 years, the Cabinet provided courses on subjects from anatomy to zoology. They had even started a small collection of natural history materials used during the lectures. When the Cabinet folded in 1849, all of their books, collections, and other materials were donated to the Reading Public Library.

The Reading Society of Natural Sciences, (January 1869 to May 1885), its mission was to disseminate science information through lectures. Some of Reading's most prominent citizens, such as Fred H. Strecker, David B. Brunner, and Daniel M. Bertolette, who were listed in the founding documents, were members of this Society. The original membership included 80 individuals but only a few of these people regularly attended the programs.

Unlike the earlier science organizations, the Society established a rigorous agenda. This included lectures on ornithology, ichthyology, mineralogy, microscopy, paleontology, geology, astronomy, botany, herpetology, and other topics.

For 18 years, the condition of the Society fluctuated. At times, when it appeared the Society would disband, renewed interest would prolong its life. By the spring of 1885, interest in the Society ended and it disbanded. The collections assembled over the years were sold to the Reading School District and some of these specimens eventually became part of the collection of the Reading Public Museum.

The Agassiz Association—Reading chapter #258, (1885 to 1890), was named after the famous Swiss-American family of natural scientists, and was established for studying natural history. It was the first Berks scientific association to allow women members and included Levi W. Mengel, Charles Muhlenberg, and many other interested naturalists. Some believe that the short life of the Association was due to its policy of allowing women members.

The Spencer F. Baird Association, (1887), was formed in 1887 for collecting mineralogical specimens. Spencer Fullerton Baird, born in Reading, was one of Americas' leading naturalists of the 19th Century. Due to conflicts among the members, the Association disbanded before the end of the year.

The purpose of the Baird Ornithological Club (1929 to Present) was to study and report on the bird life of Berks County. Spencer F. Baird was the second director of the Smithsonian. Although it started as a small grassroots organization, it has grown to include over 100 members.

Today, the organization meets at the Reading Public Museum, and provides many public lectures and programs regarding the birds of Berks County. An annual Christmas bird census is coordinated and reports to the National Bird Census. It also cooperated with the Museum in publication of its book A Century of Bird Life in Berks County.

Mengel Natural History Society, (July 1942 to Present), was created as an adjunct to the Museum. Its purpose is to provide additional programs for the public relating to natural science, including lab studies and field trips. They also publish and distribute information about the natural history of Berks County.

Today, the Mengel Natural History Society continues its purpose: The stimulation of interest and study in natural history and all its branches, the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, and the creation of the scientific spirit.

F.Y.I. - Interpreting Natural History
Early natural history museums often presented simple displays of mounted specimens accompanied by identification labels. They were “cabinets of curiosity." Little effort was given to interpretation and even less on putting the specimen into context. The elitist opinion was that if you did not understand science, the museum was not for you.

As natural history museums evolved throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, their emphasis shifted toward public education. New techniques for improved taxidermy provided better mounts and with the addition of illustrations and life size habitats, specimens were associated with their environments. These innovations allowed people to look at natural subjects in a new way.

These upgrades in presentation and philosophy gained momentum with each new generation, leading eventually to the present trend of hands-on and exploratorium type exhibits. The Reading Public Museum was among the earliest pioneer museums to incorporate hands-on learning. Levi Mengel started exploring the value of having students handle actual specimens during their visit to the Museum.

Natural History Collections are the preserved assemblages of organic (living) and inorganic (non-living) materials that document the biodiversity and natural resources of our planet. Natural history specimens and their associated data have always been and continue to be valuable resources for scientific research. They are used by a variety of science disciplines including medicine, toxicology, biochemistry, and even law enforcement. Today, only about 10% of all the types of living things have been collected and identified.

Study Mount Specimens are prepared to allow close observation and comparative study of the organism's physical attributes. When a skin is prepared, specific information is recorded about the animal including the date it was collected, who collected it, and the location where it was taken.

Live Mounted Specimens are prepared to resemble the organism as it would normally appear in the wild. They may lack significant scientific data and are primarily used in exhibitions or in educational programs.

Sculptures, models, dioramas, reproductions, and facsimiles are frequently used in exhibitions and noted on labeling as aids to portray original objects, specimens, events or subjects not otherwise possible.

Collections are most valuable when they contain authentic data about the objects in the collection. Scientists record the location, habitat, and environmental conditions at the moment they collect; also when the specimen is prepared for preservation, the physical parameters of the organism are recorded.