Seashell Collection

She sells seashells by the seashore . . .

 

This popular tongue twister and nursery rhyme may have been inspired by Mary Anning, a 19th century entrepreneur and pioneer paleontologist who did, in fact, sell seashells, along with fossils and other natural curios, to tourists who visited England’s seaside resorts. Despite her tenacity, she struggled financially, and as a woman was often robbed of credit for her scientific discoveries by her male counterparts.

 

Amateur collectors have often contributed to the advancement of science education, as was the case with Dr. William and Margaret Roessler of Terre Haute, Indiana. Over years of travel and classification, they amassed a personal collection of over 400 shells, including snails, conchs, clams, and other mollusks from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean regions. The loan of their collection, which was later converted as a gift to the museum, provided a wealth of beautiful and colorful “jewels of the sea,” which are used in museum programs and displays in places such as the Corteva Agriscience STEMLab.