Still Digging
The greensand pit where the Victors dug for fossils in 1982 is the backdrop for the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum today. PHOTOS: DEBORAH BOERNER EIN
A father and son recreate a 1982 fossil digging adventure. By Naomi Ingraldi
There are worlds to explore in our own backyard. On a hot summer Saturday, while waiting with the CU Maurice River tour group for the opening of Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, a gentleman approached carrying a wooden box and folder. The box contained bones that were dug at the site more than 40 years ago. He tells us he’s hoping that a paleontologist at Edelman can identify his discoveries.
Frank Victor, 79, of Cape May County, and his son David, 56, were back at the site they explored when it was still the Inversand Company. Frank brought with him a yellowed 1982 newspaper article from the Philadelphia Inquirer that prompted his initial visit to the site. The article, titled “Good Earth of New Jersey: A Rich Legacy” had piqued his interest as he read it all those years ago. Armed with a pickax and plastic bag, father and son headed to the site to search for fossils. Frank recalls the “pit” as being very primitive, although Inversand Company was actively excavating.
Frank Victor and son David on their return visit to the Mantua site. BELOW: Frank Victor with his collection from 1982.
“None of this was here,” he exclaimed of the 123-acre grounds and building, which prior to its opening earlier this year, Smithsonian Magazine called “one of the most anticipated museums in the world.” The building is flanked by two inactive marl quarries. One abandoned mine creates a small lake and the other a large mostly dry pit.
Ennead Architects designed the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum (EFM) of Rowan University and it is likely the nation’s largest zero-net-carbon museum. The firm’s designs have won numerous prestigious recognitions.
In 1982, the only commercially active greensand pit in the United States was operated by the Inversand Company . Greensand, also known as glauconite, formed in marine environments millions of years ago when the area was submerged under a sea. The sediment is rich in glauconite, which gives it a distinctive green color. The continuous mining and draining of the greensand since the 1920s has yielded a trove of fossils from the Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago). Workers and researchers have been finding fossils at Inversand since the 1930s.
Frank and his son ventured to the Edeleman quarry to dig again for fossils. This time they took up the plastic beach buckets and shovels provided by museum staff. Designated “dig” areas were roped off. Frank was amazed at the transformation of the Fossil Park.
“It’s fabulous. The folks at Edeleman made the pit accessible, even for someone who is physically challenged,” Frank said in commending staffers for their knowledge and engagement with the multitude of children who visit the park.
A paleontologist took Frank and his box of fossils to the research area on the lower level of the museum. A vertebrae from a mosasaur dinosaur and several large bone fragments were identified. Great finds…right in our own backyard.
CU Maurice River members take advantage of the opportunity to dig for fossils.
Edelman Fossil Park and Museum is located at 66 Million Mosasaur Way in Mantua. It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
