An Irreplaceable Record of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s collections date back to the 1830s, when a precursor to the Museum known as the Ark began to collect and display a collection of natural history specimens in downtown Cleveland. Over the past century, that collection has grown to include 2.6 million specimens that help both visitors and researchers study, connect with, and understand the natural world.
Our collections include specimens related to the anthropological sciences (archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology); biological sciences (botany, invertebrate zoology, and vertebrate zoology); and earth sciences (invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, vertebrate paleontology, and mineralogy), as well as a rare book collection, fine arts collection, the Harold Terry Clark Library, and the Museum archives.
As part of the Museum’s transformation project, our collections are in the process of being moved to a new, climate-controlled 14,000-square-foot storage facility, enhancing our ability to preserve and safeguard these objects for future generations.
To learn more about each of our collections areas, follow the links below. For information about accessing our collections, please visit our Policies & Procedures page.
