Surprise gift helps keep museum open
Thu, 07/30/2026 - 5:04pm
Editor
A windfall from a community member’s bequest will help operations at nature museum
MARLBORO—The Vermont Museum of Natural History is celebrating an unexpected windfall gift of $16,000 from the estate of Mary Ann McLeod, wife of Vermont Bowl Company founder John McLeod, following their deaths, in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
The gift will be spent on operating expenses for the museum, which has seen a big drop in visitor numbers since moving from Hogback Mountain to the Pool Nature Center about two miles to the east in late 2023.


