With its beautiful, iconic architecture, Orton Hall is an Ohio State landmark. Completed in 1893, it was constructed to house Ohio’s first natural history museum and the original University Library. The Orton Geological Museum’s renowned collection of fossils, minerals, rocks, building stones, and meteorites includes specimens dating to the early years of exploration in North America. The museum is home to the oldest mounted skeleton of a fossil animal in America, the giant ground sloth Megalonyx. Exploring Orton Hall provides an opportunity to glimpse at Ohio State’s early history, learn about some of the university’s cherished treasures, and experience the excitement of a modern scientific investigation on the fossils of a fascinating Ice Age mammal.

This year, the Orton Museum will again participate in Experience Arts and Sciences Day, sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Loren Babcock will present "Searching for the Giant Ground Sloth Megalonyx" and also lead tours of historic Orton Hall.

Presentations will take place in Orton Hall on Saturday, February 17, 2024, from 12:30 to 1:15 and 2:30 to 3:15. The museum will be open to visitors that day.