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
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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.