Stacks of boxes holding portions of collections at the Weis Earth Science Museum as they are prepared for transit to the History Museum at the Castle. October 28, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — The Weis Earth Science Museum in Menasha is currently in the process of being packed up and moved to the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton.
“It is a slow but steady process. It takes time to properly pack the materials in a way that is safe both for the specimens, as well as potentially people at the Castle, when we ultimately unpack them,” said Museum Collection Specialist Chase Shelburne.
The Weis closed in May. Since then, about 60% of the specimens that were on display have been packed. But it’s just a fraction of what the Weis collection contains, according to Program Specialist for Natural History Amelia Zietlow.
“As we’ve been moving, we’ve been discovering a lot of specimens underneath the cabinets that were not featured previously, so we’re doing our best to integrate some of the cooler specimens that were hidden. Well, not intentionally,” she said.
While many specimens are still being documented and transported from the Weis, some are already on display at the History Museum, with a full exhibit featuring minerals and fossils set to open next year.
“There are pieces that people can see. We’re excited to show them right now, and then we’re beginning the process of adding more and more as we go along,” said Executive Director Dustin Mack. “Particularly, the gems and minerals and geological features.”
Zietlow plans to have rotating collections of previously unseen specimens.
“We’re doing a Halloween event, where we’re going to have the sharp and scary sides of skeletons out on a table. So claws, teeth, horns, things like that,” she said.
The History Museum at the Castle plans to be fully moved out of the Weis space by the end of this year.
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