Wagner Free Institute of Science

Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is dedicated to providing free public education in science. Its programs include free courses and lectures, field trips and science lessons, and museum tours. The evening science courses are in their 167th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Wagner also has a strong commitment to children’s scien ... ce education and offers a range of programs for school groups and through partnerships with neighboring schools and community groups. The Museum houses more than 100,000 natural history specimens, a collection begun by founder William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by the pre-eminent scientist Joseph Leidy in the 1880s. Completed in 1865, the Wagner’s National Historic Landmark building is essentially unchanged since the late-nineteenth century and includes a Victorian Exhibition Hall filled with fossils, shells, minerals, and mounted animal skeletons and skins displayed in original wood and glass cabinets. The Museum is open to visitors Tuesdays – Fridays, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and on the first Saturday of the month, from noon to 4 PM, year-round. It is also open for evening and weekend programs during fall, winter, and spring.