The preservation of a naturalist.(Robert Kennicott)

[...]his father set out to home-school the boy and connected him with naturalist Jared Potter Kirtland, convincing Kirtland of his need for an understudy. "In the 19th century, many of the animals and plants he collected were yet to be identified as scientifically studied," says Kari Bruwelheide, a forensic anthropologist at the National Museum of Natural History. Perhaps he was the first to enlist citizen scientists in helping collect data!" Kennicott's demise on the banks of the Yukon River while on expedition in Alaska had since become fodder for historical speculation Some thought he committed suicide, while others won dered if years of recurring illness simply took their toll. Steve Swanson, director at The Grove National Historic Landmark - now a 145-acre public park showcasing a portion of the original Kennicott estate, as well as the family home, Kennicott Archive Building, interpretive center, trails and more, managed by Illinois' Glenview Park District - didn't buy it. During the next 15 years, Owsley, Bruwelheide, Swanson and a team of scientists and historians carefully examined historical records of Kennicott's life, as well as his coffin and all contained therein - including his hair, most of his clothing and, of course, his bones, now stained a ruddy brown from decades boxed in iron. "The exhibit is one of five rotating exhibits that are rolled out in conjunction with important anniversary dates of the site and the Kennicott family - the results of the forensic autopsy were a major part of the main exhibit...