"On the last day of the world I would want to plant a tree.” — W.S. Merwin
  • Another one bites the dust

    (3)
    Posted on January 27th, 2008sherryCurrent Events, Mythology, Pop Culture

    Thanks to Rebecca Clayton at Pocahontas County Fare for finding out that another creationist museum seems to have financial troubles:

    DALLAS, Texas (AP) — A Texas museum that teaches creationism is counting on the auction of a prehistoric mastodon skull to stave off extinction.

    The founder and curator of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum, which rejects evolution and claims that man and dinosaurs coexisted, said it will close unless the Volkswagen-sized skull finds a generous bidder.

    “If it sells, well, then we can come another day,” Joe Taylor said. “This is very important to our continuing.”

    Heritage Auction Galleries says the skull is estimated to be 40,000 years old, and projects it will fetch upward of $160,000. The artifact discovered in La Grange in 2004 is believed to be the largest of its kind, Heritage spokesman David Herskowitz said….

    Claims on the museum’s Web site include that Noah took dinosaurs aboard his ark….”We’ve struggled so long here just to keep this thing going,” Taylor said. “We’re kind of losing interest. You can just tread water for so long.”

    As Rebecca said, it’s a case of natural selection. No ark in sight to rescue these drowners.

    Though I hate to think of a mastadon head going on the auction block to keep this place open.

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3 Responses to “Another one bites the dust”

  1. I agree. I think the thing that bothers me the most about this whole thing is the thought that a Creation “museum” of all places has hold of such a valuable archaeological artifact. Not so much in terms of the monetary cost, but in what letting actual scientists examine it might help us understand. Even if this skull can’t tell us much, it still deserves to be in the hands of people who respect it enough not to want to sell it, just so they can keep their dream factory open.

    Whoever ends up with it, I hope they’re equipped to properly take care of it. The only tragedy that could come of this closing is if the skull got destroyed because of carelessness or stupidity.

  2. I expect that whoever buys the mastadon head will be a better repository for it than a creationist museum! This is a spectacular exhibit piece, but it may or may not have important scientific value. Often, the most informative specimens are dull-looking critters in the museum’s back rooms, while the flashy stuff on public exhibition is actually rather boring. (I say this as a former museum entomologist, who once haunted the back rooms with the other dull-looking creatures.)

  3. Rebecca, i think it’s the fossils with six-inch teeth that most people come to see :)

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Sherry Chandler has received professional development funding and a Professional Assistance Award through the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supported by state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Kentucky Arts Council Sherry has also received an Artist Enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. kfw
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