Mace Brown Museum of Natural History

The Mace Brown Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum on the College of Charleston campus housing more than 30,000 vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. The collection includes dinosaur bones, Oligocene mammals, and marine specimens from the South Carolina Lowcountry region.

The museum was established in 2010 when collector Mace Brown donated his extensive fossil collection to the College of Charleston. This donation led to the creation of a research and educational space within the institution's new science building.

Student geology majors operate the museum and guide visitors through exhibits, gaining hands-on experience in science communication. This direct interaction with future scientists offers visitors a chance to see how collections are studied and interpreted.

The museum is located in the college's science building and is open Thursday through Tuesday for visitors. Admission is free, though donations are welcomed to support the ongoing work and maintenance of the collection.

The collection contains holotype specimens of Coronodon, Cotylocara, and Inermorostrum, rare fossils that serve as scientific reference standards. A special highlight is the fully mounted skeleton cast of Dorudon atrox, an early whale species that reveals how these marine mammals first evolved.

Location: Charleston

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Address: Calhoun Street

Opening Hours: Thursday-Tuesday 11:00-16:00

Phone: +(843)9535589

Website: https://geology.cofc.edu/natural-history-museum

GPS coordinates: 32.78484,-79.93965

Latest update: December 14, 2025 09:42