Ste. Gen Museum showcases dinosaurs and discovery at Farmington Luncheon
Models of the Missouri State Dinosaur, Parrosaurus missouriensis, can be seen in an exhibit at the Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center. Photo courtesy of the Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center
Mindy Watts, assistant director of the Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center captivated attendees with an overview of the museum’s unique offerings at the Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce’s July business luncheon. The museum, located in a century-old former general store and silent movie theater on the square in historic Ste. Genevieve is described as both a historical and educational hub.
Watts captivated attendees with stories of dinosaur digs, movie props, Civil War relics, and personal engagement with thousands of school children—many of whom leave the museum with fossils they unearthed themselves.
“Our motto is ‘where the curious learn,’” said Watts. “We don’t want kids just reading about history. We want them to touch it. “Our mission is to preserve the past for future generations while fostering opportunities to learn, discover, and inspire.”
The museum, housed in the historic Ketting building—once a general store and silent film theater—features
Mindy Watts, Assistant Director at the Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center gives a presentation about the many educational opportunities available at the center. Lisa Brotherton-Barnes
a wide range of exhibits organized into thematic galleries. These include the Hall of Giants, which features eight life-sized dinosaur models created by curator Guy Darrow, including a 35-foot dinosaur, and a T. Rex skull made of metal that young visitors can touch. Darrow, who is internationally recognized for his lifelike models, maintains an active dinosaur lab on-site, where visitors can observe and interact with real fossil work.
The museum is also the official home of Missouri’s state dinosaur, the Parrosaurus missouriensis. Uncovered in 1940 in Glen Allen, its bones are still being unearthed at a dig site in Bollinger County. Darrow and retired University of Missouri–St. Louis professor Mike Fix works on those fossils in a glass-walled lab inside the museum, often answering children’s questions through an open window as they work.
One of the more unexpected parts of the presentation involved the ancient cultures gallery that features a Belize temple mask—an original artifact used to protect sacred temple areas.
The focus gallery showcases a Jurassic Park 3 prop incubator, featuring a baby dinosaur model “hatching” from one of its eggs.
Exhibits cover a broad range of topics. The Great Gallery includes displays on shipwrecks, the Civil War, and trading posts native to the region. A newly completed exhibit chronicles the history of the Weingarten POW Camp, which held Italian prisoners during World War II. “It was a massive camp, complete with a hospital, a shoe factory, and even artistic creations made by the prisoners,” Watts said.
The exhibit includes rings and paintings created by artists who were among the prisoners. Watts said that David Fiedler’s book “The Enemy Among Us” discusses the POW camps in Missouri, including the one in Weingarten.
The museum also explores local history, with one gallery dedicated to the James Gang’s robbery of a Ste. Genevieve bank vault in the late 1800s, and another to ornithologist John James Audubon and his relationship with Ferdinand Rozier, Ste. Genevieve’s first mayor. That exhibit includes preserved birds that Audubon himself had mounted and verified with hospital X-rays.
Beyond the exhibits, the museum’s dedication to educational outreach is robust. Watts shared that the team hosted over 2,000 children last year on field trips from across the Parkland area and Southern Illinois. To make these trips accessible, the museum runs a Learning Center Education Fund, providing schools with 25% to 100% off admission based on need.
“Some schools can barely afford the bus,” Watts said. “Thanks to individual and corporate donations, we were able to offer one small group from Southern Illinois a completely free visit.”
Field trips include access to a fossil dig station, where children chisel fossils out of simulated stone and take their finds home. Another recent addition is an interactive light table featuring dinosaur X-rays, allowing kids to match skeletons to species.
Watts emphasized that the museum receives no state or federal funding, relying instead on local contributions and donors. “The mining gallery, for example, is sponsored by Mississippi Lime Company, but the bulk of our funding still comes from individuals,” she said.
The museum also hosts a monthly speaker series, held at the ORS event center in Ste. Genevieve, where recent guests have included author David Fiedler, who discussed Missouri’s WWII POW camps. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the series.
One innovative fundraising project is the Generations Tree, an artistic exhibit paying homage to the families and businesses that helped shape the region, while supporting the museum’s operations through donor recognition.
The museum’s leadership team is also proactive in building connections, recently visiting the St. Louis Science Center to exchange best practices. It was, according to Watts, “a fantastic learning experience” that reinforced their commitment to professional standards and innovation.
Watts closed the presentation with gratitude to the Farmington community for their support and an invitation to visit. “I love working with the kids,” she said. “This isn’t usually my thing—being out front talking—but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to share what we’re doing.”
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum is located at 360 Market St. in Ste. Genevieve. For ticket information or a virtual tour, visit the website at stegenmuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page.
Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a Daily Journal and Farmington Press staff writer. She can be reached at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.
