George Washington Carver

What makes a man a legend? In the case of George Washington Carver it wasn't just peanuts. Discover the life and work of an extraordinary man, born into slavery, who used his gifts to become a groundbreaking

scientist, educator, and humanitarian with a lifelong mission: to bring practical knowledge to those in need.

Through more than a hundred artifacts, along with videos, hands-on interactives, and more, visitors will see Carver's curiosity and persistence take him from a remote frontier town to success as a teacher and researcher at the famed Tuskegee Institute. They'll discover the roots of Carver's "mighty vision" - a vision of exhausted fields turning green with crops - and see the re-created laboratory bench and actual equipment he used to make that vision real. And they'll see how he laid the groundwork for organic farming and today's research on plant-based fuels, medicines, and everyday products.

Visitors can explore a life-size reproduction of the horse-drawn wagon - a moveable school - that Carver designed to bring his ideas to farmers in their fields and homemakers in their homes. It's stocked with the kinds of plants and products - from seeds and soil samples to sewing supplies, and simple farm equipment - that Carver used in his demonstrations.

Finally, visitors will hear oral histories from people whose lives were touched by Carver, and meet some "modern-day Carvers" working to develop the potential of plants in modern medicine and space exploration.