Founded in 1831 on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, the Alabama Museum of Natural History is the state’s official natural history museum and its oldest. Beginning as a university teaching and research collection, it grew into a major scientific and public institution with holdings in geology, zoology, mineralogy, paleontology, ethnology, history, and photography. In Smith Hall, its Beaux-Arts home, notable exhibits include a Basilosaurus cetoides replica, an American mastodon skull, and the Hodges meteorite. Closely tied to state geologist Eugene Allen Smith, the museum has continued its research mission through ongoing expeditions since 1979 and remains central to Alabama’s scientific and cultural history.