From Joseph Kubal – 

There is a small archaeology museum housed at nearby Wheaton College.  I have arranged for ESCONI members to tour the museum on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.  We are to meet in the lobby of the Billy Graham Center Museum located at 500 E. College Avenue, Wheaton, IL 60187-5593.  Dr. Adam Miglio, Museum Curator, will explain the artifacts housed in this modest facility, discuss collecting in Palestine, explain how archaeology adds to Biblical scholarship, and answer questions that participants may have.  There is no cost to visit the museum.  

If you need additional information, please contact Joseph D. Kubal at SMKubal0712@gmail.com or call me at 630-983-6159.  There is no need to RSVP for this trip, just show up.  Some information about the museum is located at http://www.wheaton.edu/Academics/Departments/Theology/Archaeology-Museum.

In addition, I probably am going to the nearby Wade Library, 351 East Lincoln, which is also on the Wheaton College campus.  It opens at 9:00 a.m.  It contains C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe cabinet which may have instilled the idea for The Chronicles of Narnia’s “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”  Other displays include an original map of Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s (The Lord of the Rings) writing desk.  See http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter/.  Again, there is no cost to visit.

Finally, the Billy Graham Center Museum itself will be open to interested visitors after our visit to the archaeology museum.  More information is available at http://www.wheaton.edu/bgcmuseum.  There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome.  Some come and make a day of it.

And, of course if you did not make the ESCONI Ancient Elephants Marathon Field Trip that was run in March, 2012, you could visit the Wheaton Science Center, (also on-campus), http://www.wheaton.edu/Buildings/Wheaton-Science-Center, which houses “an unique, interactive atrium museum featuring the [11,000 year old] Perry Mastodon [that was found in nearby Glen Ellyn], a geology exhibit, a natural history exhibit, a Foucault pendulum, and additional exhibits.”  The Wheaton College Science Center is on the southwest corner of the intersection of Howard and University Avenues.  Admission is free.