{"id":555,"date":"2026-02-23T01:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?page_id=555"},"modified":"2026-04-24T20:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:38:31","slug":"restoration-and-display","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/restoration-and-display\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoration and Display"},"content":{"rendered":"

William Valiant drafted his recollections for publications like the Rutgers Targum and a periodical called The Mineral Collector.\u00a0 Published from 1894 to 1909, Mineral Collector was \u201ca monthly magazine devoted to the interests of the collector, student and dealer.\u201d William Valiant wrote numerous articles for this periodical, providing many details about the Rutgers Geology Museum and its collections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Volume III, Issue No. 5 of The Mineral Collector from July 1896.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In an issue published in July 1896, a report about the Rutgers Mastodon was included in the \u201cNews and Comments\u201d section. The magazine recounts how the Mannington Mastodon was uncovered in a marl pit, but the magazine gives more details about what happened after he was uncovered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It states that, \u201cfunds were provided by a friend of the College, Judge Bookstaver L.S. Dane, it was then shipped to Ward\u2019s Natural Science Establishment, and completely restored.\u201d It also states that the funds were raised \u201clast spring,\u201d indicating that original restoration of the Mastodon skeleton started in 1895. The Mineral Collector also reports that the Mastodon was returned to the museum on June 10th, 1896, where it was set up by William Valiant and others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow this link to view the full document<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Ledger for Work Activities<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

William Valiant also kept a ledger containing a detailed timeline of events and his work at the Museum. In 1898, Valiant sent the Trenton and Ellenville tusks for repair.\u00a0 The ledger states that the Ellenville tusk returned very badly damaged, and Valiant himself, who only had one arm, spent sixteen days painstakingly piecing it back together.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ledger from William Valiant detailing Museum work in 1898.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the ledger shown above, Valiant wrote, \u201cNov. 3\u2019\u2019 Ellenville + Trenton tusks returned from Ward, the first badly damaged\u2026 19\u2019\u2019 Ellenville tusk repairs finished by Valiant after two weeks\u2013a piece at a Time.\u201d This repair was a success, as Valiant later wrote in his personal manuscript that, \u201cThe large Ellenville tusk has been mounted, and is now one of the leading features of the museum. (Nov. 1898).\u201d These tusks are displayed near Manny at the museum today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Manny in the News<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

An article found in the May 1931 <\/span>Salem Standard and Jerseyman<\/span><\/i> newspaper described how Manny was discovered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Clip from May 1931 Salem Standard and Jerseyman Newspaper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1868 Joseph R. Hackett, owner of the Chestnut Hill Farm, was sourcing marl from the same pit where the mastodon tusks had been discovered. He uncovered the skull and bones beneath 6-8 feet of earth. This article highlights the difficult work required to dig the skeleton out of the wet marl. The article also contains details of Hackett\u2019s activities, including when he brought Manny’s skeleton to town fairs, and collected a 10-cent fee to see Manny.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Follow this link to read the rest of the article<\/a><\/p>\n

Manny and Valiant in The Targum<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

In this 1899 edition of the Rutgers College newspaper <\/span>The Targum<\/span><\/i>, an article recounts the founding of Rutgers College and the construction of important campus buildings. In a section titled \u201cGeological Hall,\u201d the newspaper lists the features of the building, which at the time housed the Geology and Physics Departments. The official newspaper of Rutgers College, <\/span>The Daily Targum<\/span><\/i>, was first published in 1869 and is still being published today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Targum Newspaper with Manny and Valiant, May 18, 1899.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Follow this link to read the rest of the article<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The article mentions the Mannington Mastodon, which was displayed \u201cnear the north end of the room\u201d on the second floor of the building, as well as the collection of minerals in the same room. The article features a photograph of William Valiant standing next to Manny\u2019s Mastodon Skeleton, and is the same photograph used in <\/span>My Friend Manny<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

William Valiant drafted his recollections for publications like the Rutgers Targum and a periodical called The Mineral Collector.\u00a0 Published from 1894 to 1909, Mineral Collector was \u201ca monthly magazine devoted … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2208,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-555","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRestoration and Display - Manny the Mastodon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"William Valiant drafted his recollections for publications like the Rutgers Targum and a periodical called The Mineral Collector.\u00a0 Published from 1894 to 1909, Mineral Collector was \u201ca monthly magazine devoted to the interests of the collector, student and dealer.\u201d William Valiant wrote numerous articles for this periodical, providing many details about the Rutgers Geology Museum and its collections.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/restoration-and-display\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Restoration and Display - 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