Penn Dixie was founded in 1993 under the care of the Hamburg Natural History Society to promote the study of the natural sciences in western New York. The centerpiece of Penn Dixie is a fossil quarry — ranked #1 in the U.S. in a scientific study — which is a global geological treasure that attracts thousands of visitors from across the world every year.
Visitors to Penn Dixie are encouraged to
collect — and keep — fossils from a shallow ocean environment that existed 380 million years ago. Penn Dixie features nature trails, a wetlands area, and educational programming in ecology, astronomy, geology, and ornithology.