Owners of Stones and Bones will turn over all artifacts for the project

The Independent

The second floor of the Sarnia Library will become a natural history museum as early as 2028.

The county and the owner of Stones and Bones Museum, Allison Richards who owned the museum with her late husband, Jim, have come to an agreement which will see over 4,000 artifacts turned over to the county. In turn, the county will create a new museum space for the collection on the second floor of the library.

Richards and the count have been planning the move for more than a year. The donation allows for the long-term preservation and public accessibility of one of the region’s unique natural history collections and tourism attractions.

The donation includes approximately 4,650 natural history specimens including fossils, dinosaur bones and casts, mounted animals, and rare geological specimens.

The museum in downtown Sarnia will remain open this summer. Then, at the end of the year, the county will take over the collection. Officials are planning to renovate the second-floor space at the library. Those plans are in the works now and its not clear yet how much they could cost.

Officials, in a news release Wednesday, said a campaign to raise money for the renovation is also being planned. It’s expected the new museum in the library could open as early as 2028.

“For more than 30 years, Jim and I shared our passion for natural history with the community and watched generations of visitors discover something new each time they came through the doors. Knowing that the collection will continue on, be protected, cared for, and made accessible in a new way through the County of Lambton, is something truly special,” said Richards in a news release.

“I’m grateful that Jim’s legacy, and everything we built together, will continue to inspire curiosity and wonder for years to come.”