The Oren Root Collection
The Oren Root Collection is one of the earliest mineral collections
assembled in the United States. The collection of over 10,000 specimens,
many from New York, was conveyed
to Hamilton College starting in October 1834.
The collection is currently on long term loan to the New York State Museum
for the purposes of curation, conservation, and exhibition.
Oren Root (1803-1885) was born in Vernon, New York and graduated from
Hamilton College in 1833. He began his long professional association
with Hamilton in 1835 and he retired as Professor Emeritus of Mathematics,
Mineralogy and Geology in 1881.
The collection was assembled during field trips as well as by exchange
with other mineralogists. Root personally collected many of the New York
specimens during his visits to early mining and collecting sites throughout
the state. These specimens represent superb examples from important historical
sites now long abandoned or depleted. Some represent the only preserved material
for modern mineralogical research.
This loan is the continuation of a long tradition of cooperation between
Hamilton College and the New York State Museum dating back to the 19th century.
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