Wanted List

A catalogue of missing bones and other items of interest whose current whereabouts are unknown, but have been known to exist in the past. The Dinosaur Fund hopes to rediscover these items so they can studied.

  1. Personal papers of
    1. Arthur Barneveld Bibbins Professor Women's College of Baltimore. One existing letter states that his notebooks were to be copied and sent to the National History Museum at the Smithsonian. Goucher College where he worked worked has only found one museum logbook from 1894 and no personal papers. The Lee Mineral Company of Baltimore records are missing (This was Bibbins' personal company).
    2. Charles Edward Coffin owner Muirkirk Iron Works. Some of this company's "wastebooks and journals" are at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, but no other papers or personal diaries are there. The family bible is with a Coffin descendant, but they also have little else. St. John's Church of Beltsville has minimal records
    3. John D. Latchford farmer and mine owner. No records are at present known to be possessed by anyone, but as an important farmer and mine owner there should be some records or personal diaries.
    4. Philip Thomas Tyson state "geologist" and President Maryland Academy of Sciences. His field notes from late 1850's and early 1860's are in the Maryland Science Center Archives, but notebooks "A" and "C" are missing. All other papers and diaries are lost.
    5. Phillip Reese Uhler secretary of Peabody Institute, Baltimore. Peabody Institute claims to have some of his letters to the Provost. All other papers and diaries have disappeared.
    6. Harold E. Vokes Maryland Geological Survey Geologist wrote a paper about Maryland dinosaurs in 1949. The location of his notes is unknown.

  2. Missing Bones
    1. Tailbone from Washington D.C.'s Giant Raptor
      Last known to be on the desk of Howard Thornett of D.C. Sewer Department in the 1960's. Mr. Thornett is no longer able to remember its disposition.
    2. Leg Bone
      3 foot long section of a leg bone last seen at Johns Hopkins University in June 1909

      Have you seen this Bone?

      Missing boneLast seen at Johns Hopkins University June 1909. The nearly 3 ft long section of dinosaur limb bone was excavated by workers in Charles Coffin's iron mines (1895?). It was given a Women's College (Goucher) #3121, but this may be no longer be on the bone. Report all rumors to Dinosaur Fund.
    3. Tyson's "Whale" rib
      Probable Astrodon rib collected by Phillip Tyson on property of John D. Latchford in 1858.

      Tyson fossils

    4. List of missing bones and mine sites.

  3. Collections
    1. Phillip Thomas Tyson's personal fossil and Mineral Collection
      Over the course of his lifetime Tyson made a large collection of geological specimens. At least one of these collections is mentioned as being for sale in the early 1870's. It was supposedly bid on by several unspecified universities. There is also some suggestion that a collection may have gone to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. As yet the USNA has not been able to document or trace it.
    2. Charles E. Coffin's Collection
      As the owner of many of the iron mines, Coffin had an extensive collection of fossils. How many of these are accounted for in the collections of Marsh, Bibbins, and the Smithsonian is unknown.
    3. Johns Hopkins University/ Maryland Geological Survey Collections
      The Maryland Geological Survey was located at Johns Hopkins University for many years. It is said that much of their collection went to the Smithsonian, but this is unclear.

  4. Dinosaur Tracks
      Many slabs were quarried from the track quarry at Emmitsburg some as specimens, some as paving stones, some as souvenirs.
    1. The "Mitchell Paper tracks"
      Two slabs from the Emmitsburg quarry were illustrated in the 1895 paper of James Mitchell, neither of the slabs illustrated correspond with the known slabs at Mount Saint Mary's College or the Maryland Science Center. The slabs may have been sent to Johns Hopkins University.

      Track Slab 1 Track Slab 2


  5. Miscellaneous Records
    1. Iron miners journals
      Many people mined iron. Some may have left diaries or personal letters or journals.
    2. Iron furnace records
      Many iron furnaces were operated in the sedimentary iron belt of Maryland. There may be records of fossil discoveries.
    3. Iron mine records
      Fossil discoveries may be mentioned in mine records of corporately operated mines.