Sneak a Peek: Insect Collection

In 1968, John Cook Sr. built a professional bug collection to train the technicians at his family business, Cook’s Pest Control. Soon Mr. Cook saw another use for this collection, as school groups and other organizations requested to view the insects to learn about them. This led Mr. Cook and his wife, Jo Cook, to collect a wide variety of items from the natural world to share with visitors. This was the beginning of the Cook Museum.

The Cook Museum still has the original bug collection, though many are fragile and in Collections storage. Some are currently displayed in the Wonderful World of Insects Exhibit. From a small bug collection to a collection with almost 3,000 items including rocks, minerals, taxidermy, and sea shells – oh, how a collection can grow!