A Dream to Create

By Rosalie Triolo

Photo Courtesy The Libby Museum of Natural History

A “Renaissance Man,” is how Catriona Lennon, director of the Libby Museum of Natural History in Wolfeboro, describes Dr. Henry F. Libby. “He was a dentist, naturalist, painter, writer, and sculptor. In 1908, Dr. Libby designed and helped build the Libby Museum. Perplexing engineers, he used whiskey barrels filled with cement for the foundation. No beams were used in the construction of the ceiling, which is held up with tie rods. And to this day there is no central air conditioning, yet the inside of the museum is cool. The air is circulated through vents located on the lake side front of the building. The cooling winds from the lake are sucked into the vents and carried up through a false wall in the back of the building. The completion of the museum was four years later in 1912.” 

Dr. Libby led a fascinating life. His skeletal collection of Puma, Bear, Orang-outang, and humans is displayed in a glass case on the side wall to the right of the large moose. He details, “The anatomical structural comparison of these creatures is for the purpose of awakening the mind to further pursuit of the study of evolution and possibly to help strengthen the arguments of use and disuse of types of teeth.” His Treatise on the Neglected Phase of Dentistry promoted preventive dentistry and the removal of wisdom teeth. 

As you wander through the museum, Dr. Libby’s fondness, and passion for all aspects of nature is evident in the number of his collections of animals, birds, and artifacts. When you walk in the front door of the museum, a large Moose with an impressive rack upon its head is probably the first thing you will notice created by Steve Jandreau, Taxidermist. 

Not far from the Moose exhibit is a New Hampshire Wildlife exhibit by Steve Berry, Taxidermist. Showcases filled with various samples of minerals, for example, Dark, Light, Yellow, Red and Orange pieces of Granite which is composed of Quarts, Feldspar and Mica and quarried here in New Hampshire – thus the state’s name - “The Granite State.” 

Ms. Lennon noted, “Dr. Libby is credited with the invention of the original white gypsum plaster plaques which meet the essential needs of natural history mountings, since they do not shrink, crack, swell, warp or discolor. The handwriting on the plaques is that of Dr. and Mrs. Libby. Also take notice of the twin flowers on the lower corner on many of the plaques, which symbolizes their love for each other.”

One of Harvard University’s most valued and irreplaceable treasures in the world today is a one-of-a-kind exhibit - the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of plants, specifically the “Glass Flowers” Exhibit. Dr. Libby’s creation of the white gypsum plaques upon which to mount the glass flowers continues to be used at The Agassiz Museum’s Glass Flower exhibit at Harvard University.

The events at the museum this summer include “Wildlife Encounters” Live Animal Shows, Wednesdays at 2 through August 11. The event is free. “Wildlife Encounters” Live Animal Shows are taking place outside this year. The variety of wildlife includes, reptiles, mammals, birds and more.

A remarkable collection exhibit of oils and watercolors by Rebecca M. Fullerton of Scenes of New England and White Mountains began in June and can be viewed through the end of July. Fullerton resides in the hillside town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire, where parts of the town are within the White Mountain National Forest. She concentrates on landscape painting in the realist and impressionist traditions of the New England mountains and the White Mountains in particular.

Photographs by wildlife photographer, Joseph Callanan, will run from August through September to Columbus Day. Joseph (Joe) Callanan is an avid wildlife photographer and naturalist. He spends much of his time working healthy habitats in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts where he photographs wild animals going through their daily routine. His wildlife presentations are fascinating and educational as he relates stories of his encounters with Bald Eagles Owls, Loons and Hummingbirds and on the wilder side Black Bears and Moose.

Regrettably, Children’s Programs will not be available this summer.

Dr. Libby was born in 1850 on Tuftonboro Neck. He married Hattie E. Horne in 1875. They had one child, a son, Arthur Allen Libby. Dr. Libby passed away in 1933, at which time the Museum and surrounding land was bequeathed to his family with the stipulation that the Museum be opened each summer to visitors. When the family could no longer manage the costs and care of the Museum, the Town of Wolfeboro became the stewards of its care. In 1998 the Museum’s building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The restoration of the Libby Museum continues, and so too does the need for fundraising via an online “Go-To Fund,” and the Friends of the Libby Museum, Inc. which was established by the descendants of Dr. and Mrs. Libby. 

Individual contributions by local residents of the area that are interested in continuing the restoration of the Museum’s building are most welcomed. Other projects are the replacement and repair of glass cases and casters, the continued support of the “Live Animal” shows, and the restoration of the Carder Antique Fan Collection. What is involved in restoring antique fans? It takes hours of tedious diligent work. First the fan is removed from the frame, then cleaned and damages repaired, and lastly backdrops replaced.

The Libby Museum of Natural History is located at 755 North Main St., Wolfeboro, NH. Contact 603- 569-1035, visit thelibbymuseum.org., or thelibbymuseum.com. For contributions, The Friends of Libby Museum can be reached at www.friendsofthelibbymuseum.org. 

Dr. Henry F. Libby’s dream was to create a place to “flash before the eye, the mystery and drama of life…and appeal to the imagination.”