Tucked between two walls on Second Street exists a little taste of nature. It is here where collector and curator, Ron Glasser keeps his collection of more than 1,000 seashells from all over the world.
The place is called Discovery Hall and the exhibit is “Jewels of the Sea,” an exhibition of seashells from all over the world including the largest and one of the smallest, which can only be seen through a microscope.
Glasser keeps his personal collection of shells available and open to the public in the hope that it will give people an appreciation for the natural world around them.
“I’m trying little by little to give people a perspective about what nature comes from,” Glasser said. “We are about human beings. We can’t forget nature, how we function and where we come from. Take the smartphone out of your hands, and take a look of what nature is about.”
Glasser and his wife began collecting the shells more than 30 years ago.
“They come from all over the world. My wife and I have collected primarily from Nova Scotia down to the Keys, and we went out to Alaska about six years ago on a cruise and collected a number there,” Glasser said.
Glasser moved his collection to Discovery Hall about a year-and-a-half ago. Before that time, the shells were stored in his home.
“It got to the point where I had them all in little cabinets and drawers all categorized,” Glasser said. “The room became so full and stacked that it got to the point where I couldn’t enjoy them anymore.”
Glasser has always dreamed of having a hands-on museum.
“Discovery Hall is something I came up with a couple of years ago. It’s a continuing ed opportunity for people of all ages. There is no specific subject matter that we stick to. Anyone good at what they do and willing to teach classes — we give them the opportunity. We have everything from cheese-making to math tutoring,” Glasser said.
Glasser’s passion lies in teaching about the natural world and sharing his knowledge of it, and he utilizes the space at Discovery Hall to open his shell exhibit to the public once a month.
“There used to be a junior museum here in North Troy in an old firehouse. It was amazing; all hands on. Kids came in and saw how things worked, worked pulleys, touched nature; the snake guy and bird guy would come in. At one point someone decided to move it to RPI and integrate technology and then decided to move it to Rensselaer Tech Park where it’s primarily computers and videos. They neutered it from anything of natural value,” Glasser said.
Glasser’s goal is to keep his exhibit hands-on. All of the shells are displayed in the open, not behind glass, so visitors can not only see the shells, but also feel them.
Glasser said that kids are fascinated when they learn what really exists in the sea.
“They are just stunned, both children and adults. I am somewhat surprised that some of them aren’t aware that there is a living thing that comes from them,” he said. “They think they just appear on the beach like rocks.”
Some of Glasser’s favorites shells are from his large collection of miniature and micro-shells, which he finds by grabbing buckets of sand that washes up on the tideline.
“We spend hours poking through it. Some of them are the size of the beach sand itself,” he said. “It’s amazing what goes on underneath our feet, and we have no idea. There are apparently many thousands of species of that size than the larger, more common sizes.”
Glasser said the kids find the micro-shells cute but are always impressed by the larger shells.
“Like the two largest gastropods in the world — one is a species from Australia, a Syrinx that grows to 2 feet. The second largest is the Florida Horse Conch, which grows to 18 inches. It’s not really a conch but a whelk. If you go to Cape Cod, you will see a lot of them.”
People also often think seashells are only found in warmer climates. Glasser tells his visitors how along the shores of Massachusetts they will find a couple different type of whelks, surf clams, bay scallops, crabs, oysters and periwinkle. However, once you get into the warmer waters near the Carolinas, the shells do change, he said.
“Shells are just fascinating. There are thousands upon thousands, and no one really knows how many there are. The shapes, sizes and colors are phenomenal,” Glasser said. “And the majority of them are made by snails. We struggle as humans to come up with architecture. We can’t even come close.”
The exhibit runs once a month at Discovery Hall, 426 Second St., Troy. The next scheduled exhibit is Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, teens $2, and kids 12 and under are free. For more information, call 669-0043.