And this weekend, they will celebrate their founder.
Dawn Roberts, senior director of collections for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, joined ABC7 Chicago Wednesday to talk more about it.
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The Chicago Academy of Sciences was founded on Jan. 13, 1857 and has been dedicated to studying and sharing knowledge about local nature ever since, including opening the first public museum in Chicago in 1869, according to the museum's website.
The event is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 2430 N. Cannon Drive in Chicago.
Visit naturemuseum.org for more information.