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Nylander Museum Facts

Founded:
The Nylander Museum was dedicated in 1939. Olof Nylander himself served as the first curator-director until his death in 1943. The Museum was structured as a department within the municipal government of Caribou.

Collections:
The personal collections of Olof Nylander constitute the majority of that of the Museum, though additional acquisitions and donations over the years have swelled the Museum's collections' ranks as well. Geology, archaeology, paleontology, taxidermy, shells, and butterflies form the major categories of the Museum's displays. The Nylander Museum also holds an archives. The collection of the Museum is so comprehensive and impressive that both the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Canada have tried to acquire the rights to the collection over the years.

Facilities:
The Museum is housed in a white clapboard structure built in 1938 under the Works Progress Administration.