This program is offered at no charge, but does not include Museum admission.

About 550 million years ago, a large volcanic island arc began to form. 450 million years ago, a proto-North American plate collided with that island arc. This collision, known as the Taconic Orogeny, formed the Taconic Mountains and was the beginning of what we call Vermont.

Fast forward to around 1824, when loggers began finding a cotton-like rock on Belvidere Mountain in Lowell and Eden Vermont. This strange rock would develop into one of the more important industrial products of its day. While collecting this ore, miners found amazing crystals, some of which have become world famous.

This illustrated lecture will explore the development of Vermont geology and share the history of major mining operations in Vermont with special emphasis given to the Belvidere Mountain quarries.

A reception including light refreshments will follow the talk.

Ken Carlsen, an Eagle Scout, graduated from Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts in 1963 and Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, in 1967. He taught Earth Science at Mt. Anthony Union High School for 38 years. While doing graduate work at Michigan Tech University, he realized that if students could travel to the sources of and have first hand experiences with earth science topics, they would have a better understanding of the material. As a result, he introduced rock cutting and polishing as part of the earth science curriculum, started a lapidary club and a lapidary class that is still part of the academic program today. Ken also organized field trips to places like Hawaii and Iceland, where students could engage directly with geology, astronomy, and biology.

Since his retirement in 2005, Ken has written or contributed to articles in Rocks and Minerals Magazine, The Mineralogical Record, United Kingdom Journal of Mines and Minerals, and the book American Mineral Treasures. He  has lectured and exhibited his work at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, The Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, The New England Mineral Conference, and many mineral societies across the country. During the last two years, Ken has worked closely with Bennington Museum to create the Vermont Rocks! exhibition on view now through November 10, 2024.