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All the United States Ohio Celina Langsdon Mineral Collection

Langsdon Mineral Collection

A county library in rural Ohio houses one of the finest mineral collections in the world.

Celina, Ohio

Added By
Sam
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Deep blue chalcanthite from Poland   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
Deep blue chalcanthite from Poland   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
Crocoite and “beryl in matrix” (sword-in-the-stone thing)   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
Wide variety of shapes speak to different, unique formation processes   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
Realgar from Hunan Province, China   James St. John
Cinnabar on dolomite from Hunan Province, China   James St. John
Shelf after shelf of minerals in custom-made display cases   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
I mean, that’s true, but also maybe underselling it a bit?   SamM / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A geode looks like a normal rock — but Jesus, Marie, it's not just a rock, because it in fact contains a dazzling mineral display concealed within its interior. Similarly, Celina, Ohio seems like a fairly standard city of 10,000. However, hidden in the back of the unassuming Mercer County Library, you'll find a mineral collection with almost a thousand specimens from all over the world.

The collection was amassed by Ron and Ruth Langsdon, residents of nearby St. Marys who spent 15 years collecting minerals from the comfort of their own home. Having never gone rockhounding in the field, they instead worked with mineral dealers to build a personal collection that numbers in the thousands. In 2006, upon deciding that they wanted to share their finds with the public (and presumably looking to clear out some space at home), they donated part of their collection to the county library so that they could be enjoyed by current and future generations alike.

The Langsdon Mineral Collection contains not only a a glittering array of colors, shapes, and sizes, but also remarkable items from mines now closed as well as rare specimens from China and India heretofore unidentified by Western mineralogy textbooks. It rivals the mineral collections of major museums in terms of quality, and is listed as one of the most notable public mineral collections in the world, alongside places like the Smithsonian and London's Natural History Museum.

Starting with an initial endowment of roughly 300 specimens, the library's catalog now contains over 900 items (all donated by the Langsdons) and the displays have been expanded to branch libraries in Marion, Mendon, and St. Henry.

Related Tags

Rocks Gems And Jewels Museums And Collections Hidden Geology

Know Before You Go

Tours are sometimes available, and the collection can be viewed for free during library hours.

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Added By

SamM

Edited By

RHyzer

  • RHyzer

Published

May 5, 2016

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  • https://www.dailystandard.com/date/2006/05/06/news/headline1.htm
  • http://www.seemore.org/where-to-play/museums/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_collecting
Langsdon Mineral Collection
303 North Main Street
Celina, Ohio, 45822
United States
40.551219, -84.571457
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Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 240
Stories 22

Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 240
Stories 22

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