When he was a boy, Thomas Jefferson collected Indian artifacts. As a man, he remained interested in every aspect of natural history, from botany to paleontology.

In 1801, while president of the American Philosophical Society, he secured financing for the excavation of prehistoric mastodon bones in New York. The excavation was "captured" by noted artist Charles Willson Peale, who was also a member of the society.

Jefferson's interest in Indian artifacts and natural history undoubtedly played a part in his decision to purchase an extensive tract of Virginia land which contained within it the Natural Bridge shown at right, as well as dozens of historic and prehistoric Indian sites (in 1776).

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