The Trophy House
The Trophy House, located in North Abington Township, was built to house
Mortimer B. Fuller, Jr.'s African specimens collected in 1930 while he
was on safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. At the time, game was plentiful
and trophy-taking was an accepted way to expose people at home to the wonders
of African wildlife. The collection offered a view of African animals not
often seen outside of zoos or museums.
Mr. Fuller donated the entire collection to the Everhart Museum in 1982
where it was on display for the education and enjoyment of the public.
In 1997 discussion began between the Fuller family and the Everhart to
explore the possibility of returning the exhibit, on a loan basis, to The
Trophy House so it could again be displayed there. The Museum enthusiastically
agreed, and the collection was returned in the summer of 1998 and restored
to its original location.
His collection was mounted by James Clark who, in Mr. Fullers words
"was the foremost taxidermist of African species and [he] mounted the African
collection of the American Museum Of Natural History in New York City."
Most recently, the trophies were meticulously repaired and re-hung by today's
experts in the field, Jonas Brothers. It is also of special interest that,
because of its large size, the actual skull of the elephant is on display
as part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard University.
|
