World's First Dinosaur Skeleton

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WORLD'S FIRST DINOSAUR SKELETON--NEW WEB SITE

An extensive new Web feature takes viewers back in history and down
into the 30-foot ravine where the world's first nearly-complete dinosaur
skeleton was found in 1858 in New Jersey along the eastern coast of the
United States.

The Web Site is located at:

http://tigger.jvnc.net/~levins/hadrosaurus.html

The excavation site is the spot where the animal now known as "Hadrosaurus
foulkii" was found and presented to the world as proof that dinosaurs really did
exist. The actual place where the bones were found has changed little in 137
years: a heavily wooded ravine with a stream cutting through thick layers of
bluish-gray marl where ancient seashells and other fossils can still be found
after heavy rain storms.

Hadrosaurus foulkii, the first mounted dinosaur skeleton ever put on display,
was a major public sensation in the latter 1800s. By the turn of the century,
however, the fossil and its Haddonfield excavation site faded from view--and the
general interest--in the wake of more stunning dinosaur finds throughout the
world.

A recent series of events has focused new attention on the historic
significance of this, the discovery site of the world's first dinosaur skeleton;
the ground zero of modern paleontology.

In October 1994, the New Jersey site was declared a National Historic Landmark
by the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Parks Service. The Borough of
Haddonfield, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and the Department of
the Interior are collectively planning a ceremony at the site on October 26,
1995 to celebrate the new Landmark status.

The World-Wide Web Hadrosaurus foulkii feature is a serious, adult-oriented
reference work with twelve illustrated sections. Professionally written and
photographed, it is designed as a total background orientation for news
reporters and others involved in the upcoming October National Landmark
dedication ceremonies.

It's also of interest to anyone curious about the very beginnings of our
society's enduring fascination with giant prehistoric reptiles.


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Hoag Levins
levins@tigger.jvnc.net
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