Rowan University’s Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park in Mantua is set to open in the spring to bring knowledge of dinosaurs not just to the township, but also surrounding areas.
The park is situated on a former marl – or marlstone – quarry behind Mantua’s Lowe’s and Target stores. Research on area fossils will also take place on the site.
“We will highlight in here some of the amazing dinosaur discoveries that have happened right here in Mantua and along the East Coast of the United States,” said Kenneth Lacovara, park director and dean of Rowan’s School of Earth and Environment.
“We have uniquely occurring evidence,” he added, “for the fifth extinction event 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth, and this is the only place on the planet where you can see really how that event unfolded. So really this is a site of world heritage.”
Rowan first purchased the museum property in 2015 from the Inversand Company, according to Rowan’s website. It takes up 44,000 square feet and was built at a cost of $73 million.
The park is named after the Edelmans, two Rowan alumni benefactors who donated $25 million to the project. That donation is the largest gift ever received by the university from alumni and the second largest in Rowan’s history.
The museum is expected to have a major impact on both the township and its residents by growing the local economy and bringing global attention to both Mantua and Gloucester County.
“The $73-million dollar park and museum is expected to attract an estimated 200,000 guests annually, and will put Mantua Township on the map globally,” noted Mayor Robert Zimmerman. “It will help boost our economy, provide educational opportunities for children and for those of all ages, and create jobs in our community.
“We will create lots of jobs right here in the community at the museum,” Lacovara promised. “We’re creating hundreds of jobs right now in the construction, and then it will bring visitors into the area that are going to spend money in the restaurants, spend money in the stores. I wouldn’t be surprised to see hotels appearing in the area. So, I think it’s going to be an economic boost to the area.”
