Wagner Free Institute of Science

10/19/2026

This Thursday, October 22, from 6 - 7:30pm, geologist and author John Jengo will join us at the Wagner to talk about his new book, "Scenes of Visionary Enchantment," an in-depth exploration of the geology of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Wagner staff member Abigail interviewed Jengo about his book and long interest in Lewis and Clark. Read the full interview, and register for the talk here:

Join us Thursday, 10/22/26 from 6 - 7:30pm for a free talk & book signing on The Geology of the Lewis & Clark Expedition by John Jengo.

10/16/2026

Join us next Thursday, October 22nd at 6pm for our upcoming weeknights lecture & book signing: "The Geology of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" with professional geologist John W. Jengo.

The significance of Lewis and Clark's geological observations have been vastly overlooked by expedition scholars, overshadowed by the captain's landmark discoveries in geography, botany, zoology, and ethnology. During this Weeknights at the Wagner talk, Jengo will detail how Lewis and Clark created an accurate account of the geology of the region and admirably fulfilled Thomas Jefferson’s instructions to document the “mineral productions of every kind” of the American West.

Jengo's presentation will also be richly illustrated with dozens of photographs of the acclaimed 8,000-mile-long Lewis and Clark Trail (seen here) that he captured over a nearly 30-year period of travel, research, and discovery.

A Q&A and book signing of Jengo's "Scenes of Visionary Enchantment: The Geology of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" will follow the talk. Read more about the event and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weeknights-at-the-wagner-the-geology-of-the-lewis-clark-expedition-registration-1999288891895?aff=oddtdtcreator

Images:
Missouri River Breaks at Hagadone Homestead, MT
Horse Heaven Hills of the Columbia Plateau, WA
White Cliffs of the Missouri, Lookign Upstream from Eagle Creek Camp

10/16/2026

Meet Bob Eskind, our library and archives volunteer!

Bob is one of our special project volunteers here at the Wagner. A retired museum professional, Bob has been steadily working to sort, identify, and catalogue a donated collection of 8,000 - 10,000 lantern slides. The collection came from the now-closed Philadelphia Commercial Museum (aka Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center)—one of the places Bob used to work. These slides were originally used to illustrate lectures on all kinds of topics, and date from 1911 - 1940. Thanks to Bob's ongoing work over the past several years, we've been able to present some of these slides at our annual Lantern Slide Salons!

At last week's salon, Bob gave a presentation on vintage advertisements by the United Fruit Company and the Philadelphia Inter-State Dairy Council that featured popular role models of the time, such as athletes and aviators. Bob's engagement with the Wagner's lantern slides dates back decades—he first visited the museum in 1979, when he was a University of Texas student conducting research for a paper on lantern slides. We're very grateful for his continued support, dedication, and expertise on this project!

10/03/2026

October is Archives Month Philly (), where everyone is invited to celebrate archives, the work of archivists, and the rich history of Philadelphia at events across the city.

Get in on the fun this year by attending the Wagner's 2026 Lantern Slide Salon on Wednesday, October 7th from 6 - 7:30pm!

This year, we'll showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (), the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia (), Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (), Commercial Museum Lantern Slide Collection, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science!

Admission is free to everyone. Registration is recommended but not required. Learn more and register ahead of time on Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-philadelphia-lantern-slide-salon-tickets-1998914027666?aff=email

10/02/2026

We’re back in SJU Department of Biology’s Biodiversity Lab to learn what the lab does and meet some of the specimens they study!

Want to learn more about turtles—and even meet some? Come to the Wagner’s First Saturday Open House TOMORROW, October 3rd from 12 - 4pm.

Grace will be bringing some of her turtles to the Wagner to for a presentation at 1pm and again at 3pm on turtle life cycles, species differentiation, and what the Wagner’s reptile collection can teach us about our shelled friends. Family-friend activities, like shell-inspired collage and exploring the museum, will also be available throughout the day.

Admission is free to everyone and donations are welcome to support our mission. Registration is recommended but not required. Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-first-saturday-open-house-turtles-registration-2001259209167?aff=FB

09/28/2026

Grace Roth, Lab Manager at SJU and Wagner Geokids fellow brought us into the Biodiversity Lab where we met some of her coworkers🐢.

Join us for our October First Saturday Open House: Turtles! this Saturday, October 3rd from 12 - 4pm. Meet live turtles from the Saint Joseph's University Biodiversity Lab (including endangered species and hatchlings!), use collage to learn about the different kinds of shells animals have, and browse the Wagner's collection of reptile specimens.

Grace will also be giving a presentation at 1pm and 3pm on turtle life cycles, species differentiation, and what the Wagner's reptile collection can teach us about our shelled friends.

Admission is free to everyone and donations are welcome to support our mission. Registration is recommended but not required. Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-first-saturday-open-house-turtles-registration-2001259209167?aff=FB

**DISCLAIMER: The turtles shown in this video may not be the exact turtles that are present during the Staurday event. But there will definietly be turtles at the event. And you can meet them.

09/24/2026

Join us Wednesday, October 7th from 6 - 7:30pm for the 2026 Lantern Slide Salon! In the spirit of lantern exhibition culture, this salon will bring together unique and rarely-seen images presented in the context for which they were originally created.

This year we'll be showcasing glass lantern slides from special collections of the The Academy of Natural Sciences, the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, PHS Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Commercial Museum Lantern Slide Collection, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science!

Admission is free to everyone and donations are welcome to support our mission. Registration is recommended but not required. Learn more and register ahead of time here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-philadelphia-lantern-slide-salon-tickets-1998914027666?aff=FB

09/21/2026

Join us this Friday, Sept 25th from 7-9 pm for our North Philadelphia History Festival event—a screening of two documentaries on jazz legend John Coltrane. Coltrane on Screen Part I will feature two films with rare performance footage and special interviews: Giant Steps, and The Coltrane Legacy. RSVP for the event here: https://nphf.eventive.org/schedule/6a9860b52d5d3f6a7d63ef9a

Presented by Scribe Video Center, the North Philadelphia History Festival (NPHF): The John Coltrane Edition is a multi-site celebration of African American and Puerto Rican cultural history in North Philadelphia. From September 25-27th, 2026, the festival will explore the creative and spiritual legacy of John Coltrane (1926-1967) through a series of exhibitions, video installations, and live experiences led by artists, historians, filmmakers, and others. All events are free and open to the public. Learn more about the festival at https://scribe.org/nphf.

09/18/2026

Thanks to all who came out to our September First Saturday Open House: Printmaking—When Science Meets Art! We had so much fun screenprinting in the yard, learning all about Gyotaku from Fish Print Fish Club, and exploring the museum!

Missed the event? Don't worry, our next open house is Saturday, October 3rd and the theme is TURTLES! Read more about the event & register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-first-saturday-open-house-turtles-registration-2001259209167?aff=FB

09/16/2026

We are so excited about our new donation to our library and archives: a set of over 400 watercolor illustrations of mammals and birds by Ludwig Buchhorn!

Have questions about using our library and archives for research? Reach out to our Special Collections Librarian Lynn at [email protected].