Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania

     The Everhart Museum was established in 1908 by Dr. Isaiah Everhart.  At that time there were only eight other public museums in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Everhart's museum was the only one located in northeastern Pennsylvania.  Dr. Everhart wanted to bring the world to Scranton and to present it to his community.  I suppose he accomplished his goal in 1908.  In 2016, the museum doesn't seem to work.
     Part of the problem is that the institution is both a natural history museum and an art museum.  With the exception of the Bird Gallery, the collections are small and not very impressive.  The current traveling exhibit, Fairy Tale Art, is a combination of pieces on loan from Smith Kramer Fine Art Services and assorted stuff pulled from the museum's collections - taxidermied big, bad wolves, a red cape, fairy figurines, a fun house mirror, hair sculpture, and other items.  Making the connection between the things pulled from storage and the fairy tale theme was a stretch at times.
     I think this museum is best for young children.  I doubt most adults would find it engaging.  Hours vary, so visitors should check the schedule.  http://everhart-museum.org/
     Admission fees are $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for students over age 12 and seniors age 60 and over, $3.00 for children ages 6-12, and free for members of the military and children age 5 and under.
     Photos are permitted only on the first floor.

Dr. Isaiah Everhart used $40,000 of his own money to construct the building.

The statue of Dr. Everhart was dedicated on May 20, 1911.  Dr. Everhart died five days later.

Every natural history museum needs a dinosaur. 

The bird collection was quite nice.  Dr. Everhart was a skilled taxidermist.

They call this "Visible Storage."  They are letting visitors know that the museum has lots of items besides  the permanent displays.  And, I suppose, they had to do something with this room so it wouldn't be empty - just pile in a bunch of unrelated items!

 
     Since no pictures are allowed in the fine art gallery, here are links to some of the artists and their work.

     Jodi Harvey makes sculpture out of old books.  Her mermaid was part of the fairy tale exhibit.
http://www.boredpanda.com/paper-book-sculpture-art-jodi-harvey-brown/

     Kelly Jelinek does faux taxidermy.  That means she covers taxidermied animals with upholstery fabric, making them different creatures entirely.  Her work was also part of the fairy tale exhibit.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/02/upholstered-faux-taxidermy-kelly-rene-jelinek/

     John Willard Raught was born in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, a small community bordering Scranton.  His many paintings of collieries are gray and depressing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willard_Raught

     If you think you might have an interest in hair sculpture, skip the Everhart.  Instead, go to Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri.  This museum was featured on CNN's "Somebody's Gotta Do It" with Mike Rowe.
http://www.leilashairmuseum.net/