History of the Delaware Academy of Science and the Iron Hill Museum
We owe a debt of gratitude to Peg Hoffman for this summary and all she has done for the academy and the museum.

The Iron Hill Museum is owned and operated by the Delaware Academy of Science, Inc., a nonprofit organization. The first formal meeting of the Delaware Academy of Science was held on June 11, 1962. The goals of the new academy were the promotion of science, science education, research, interdisciplinary fellowship, and cooperation with the state of Delaware in scientific matters. Corporate status of the academy as a nonprofit organization was granted on September 12, 1963.

In 1964, a Visiting Scientist Program was established in the secondary schools in the Seaford, Delaware area. Also, a Junior Academy of Science Program was initiated. The Junior Academy of Science Program ultimately evolved into the Junior Science Symposium. The successful Visiting Scientist Program was extended to all secondary schools in the state in 1965 with funding by the National Science Foundation and administration by a business office at the University of Delaware. Federal funding was discontinued for the Visiting Scientist Programs in 1967, and the academy continued the project with its own funds for a short while.

In 1967, under the leadership of Mr. Robert L. Melson, the Iron Hill Museum was established as a natural history museum project by the Delaware Academy of Science in cooperation with several natural history organizations. The museum has become a vital part of the academy's science education efforts through in-house programing and outreach efforts to the schools of the area, serving nearly 10,000 children annually. The physical facilities, consisting of a one-room school house on two acres of historic Iron Hill near Newark, Delaware, were made available through an agreement with the Newark Special School District. Two more acres of adjoining land were purchased by the county in 1971 and made available to the museum.

In August 1986, the academy hired its first full-time paid employee as its Coordinator for the Iron Hill Museum. The Coordinator's duties included provision of a greatly expanded slate of in-house and outreach programming. In January of 1989, the Delaware Academy of Science gained approval for membership affiliation with the American Academy for the Advancement of Science.

The Iron Hill Museum has continued to flourish with the aid of grants from governmental and private sources. Its contributions to the schools and community have steadily gained more recognition. The museum, its educational functions, and its many other activities have been well regarded by the public during a history of service spanning more than thirty years.

Help the museum continue to educate our community by becoming a member of the Delaware Academy of Science: click here.