If a student or visitor looks up when they visit the new JHS science lab, they'll see a few gigantic bones in a display case. What most people don't know is bones are from a Mastodon discovered on a farm just outside of Jamestown in 1871. A portion of the Mastodon tusk, part of its jawbone, and some of its teeth are now displayed due to the work of Records Management Coordinator Pam Brown and protected in a specially designed case by Jamestown School's maintenance workers Larry Muntz and Bob Martin. This case will help preserve, and safely protect, these fragile fossils for generations of viewing by Jamestown students.
"We really wanted to get these artifacts back in the classroom so all students could see this piece of history," said Science Coordinator Dave Currie.
The American Mastodon, which resembled a wooly mammoth and measured nine to 10 feet in height, lived from about 3.7 million years ago until about 10,000 BC. The Mastodon bones found on Joel I. Hoyt Esq.'s farm and given to the Board of Education in 1871, showcase to JHS students one of the earliest "settlers" in our county.
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"It is so important for our students to see portions of our county's and school district's history," said Mrs. Brown. "Dr. Samuel G. Love, a professor at Jamestown Collegiate Institute at the time, but would later become a Jamestown Schools Superintendent, was called in to examine the bones and write a detailed report on the findings. That, along with the donation to the district, is an important piece of history for students, staff and the general public to know about our district and area."