The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Paleontological Oral History Project
Preserving firsthand accounts of discovery, science, and collaboration to deepen public understanding of Texas’ paleontological legacy.
In the fall of 2024, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History was awarded a Humanities Texas Major Media Grant to launch the FWMSH Paleontological Oral History Project. Running from January 1 through December 31, 2025, this initiative documents the firsthand experiences of the scientists, students, volunteers, artists, and museum professionals who helped uncover, prepare, research, and interpret Paluxysaurus jonesi — the official state dinosaur of Texas.
about the grant
Funding from the Humanities Texas Major Media Grant provided essential recording equipment, archival storage tools, and production support for this project. The oral histories collected will be preserved in the museum’s research archives and made available to the public, scholars, and educators.
- The resulting interviews will also support:
- Interpretive content in museum exhibitions
- Digital access through the museum’s website
- Curriculum resources and teacher programs
- Long-term preservation of voices and memories tied to Texas paleontology
These recorded interviews preserve the human side of paleontology: the decisions made in the field, the challenges of preparation and transport, the teamwork behind an excavation, and the lasting impact of scientific discovery on Texas history and culture.
about the project
For more than 80 years, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has worked at the intersection of public education, scientific research, and Texas heritage. The museum has participated in multiple dinosaur excavations across Hood, Parker, and Tarrant Counties, including the Paluxysaurus jonesi site near the Paluxy River.
This oral history project focuses not only on the fossil itself, but on the people and processes behind it — from early reconnaissance and field excavation to laboratory preparation, exhibition design, and scientific publication.
*June 2025 Grantee Spotlight
explore the project
Oral history is the recording in interview form of personal narratives from people with first-hand knowledge of historical events or current events.
Oral history is both a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of individuals and communities concerning past events. It is the oldest form of historical inquiry, stemming from the oral traditions of numerous cultures around the world, predating even written language. It has also evolved into a modern profession, with an emphasis on preservation made possible by technologies ranging from wax cylinders and wire recorders to analog tapes and, ultimately, digital capture devices.
Oral history involves both the interview process and the resulting output. To gather and preserve meaningful information about the past, oral historians may record interviews that focus on narrators’ life histories or on specific topics, selecting narrators for their expertise. The value of oral history lies in its ability to contextualize individuals’ experiences within a larger social and historical framework, and conversely, to illuminate historical events through the lens of personal experience. These interviews serve as records that document past events, individual or collective experiences, and contribute to our understanding of how history is constructed.
Modern oral history combines ethical interviewing practices, digital technology, and archival standards to create lasting historical resources. These interviews help us understand not just what happened, but how it was experienced by the people who lived it.