Learn by Doing! For more than a century, the Reading Public Museum has been at the forefront of hands-on learning. RPM’s enthusiasm for providing rich, tactile experiences sparks curiosity and learning for visitors of all ages in the areas of science, art, history, and more!
A Classroom Collection
Dr. Levi W. Mengel, founder and first director of the Reading Public Museum, wholeheartedly believed in the value of a “sensory education.” As a teacher at Boys' High School in the Reading School District, Dr. Mengel used his personal collection of antiquities in his teaching to help bring history alive for his students in the early 1900s. He recognized that young minds hunger for active participation and personal experience, and he continued collecting scientific and anthropological materials to use as teaching aids.
Thanks to donations from Dr. Mengel and nearly 2,000 pieces acquired at the St. Louis World’s Fair, Reading students could see, touch, and learn about objects from around the globe. In 1907, the third floor of the Reading School District administration building was converted into a museum to provide students with exciting hands-on learning experiences.
An Extraordinary Gift
Giving a child a chance to see and handle the things about which they study is not only the greatest timesaver, but the most effective way of giving an absolutely correct impression.”
Dr. Levi W. Mengel
Reading Public Museum's founder and first director
With the addition of several paintings to the fledgling museum’s collection, Dr. Mengel’s creation was renamed the Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery in 1913 and opened to the public. As The Museum’s collection continued to expand, it became clear that it would eventually outgrow its home. The Museum’s present location, which welcomed its first visitors in 1929, was a generous donation to the Reading School District from local industrialists Ferdinand Thun and Irvin F. Impink.
A World of Curiosities
In the decades that followed, The Museum developed a world-class collection of more than 300,000 objects, including art, antiquities, and scientific and cultural artifacts from around the globe. Thanks to RPM’s sponsors and generous community support, the collection continues to grow and diversify.
Have you ever wanted to be face-to-face with an ancient Egyptian mummy or among dinosaur bones from millions of years ago? Maybe you’re more interested in original works by artists including Degas, Rodin, and Warhol. Perhaps you’d like to investigate mysterious Mayan treasures, American Indian artifacts, or one of the traveling exhibits The Museum hosts each year? There’s something for everyone to enjoy at RPM!
Echoes of the Past, Visions of the Future
Dr. Mengel’s dedication to sensory education was ahead of its time, and the work he began continues today. RPM’s cutting-edge interactive exhibits offer visitors inspiring, hands-on learning opportunities that are unique to The Museum, and there’s always something new to see and do.
The Reading Public Museum is a dynamic center of lifelong learning, that collects, preserves, and interprets objects of art, science, and civilization to engage, educate, and enlighten current and future generations from our diverse communities.
The Museum cannot offer valuations, appraisals, or authentications of artwork. If you have an object you would like to have valued or authenticated, The Museum recommends the following resources:
American Society of Appraisers (800) 272-8258
Appraisers Association of America (212) 889-5404
Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America
Art-Collecting.com
For questions about object conservation, the American Institute for Conservation has available a national referral system. Please call (202) 452-9545.
