Unveiling the Unexpected Culprit Behind the Trashing of New York's First Dinosaur Museum.
New research suggests that Henry Hilton, the vice-president and treasurer of Central Park, was the true culprit behind the destruction of skeletons and models intended for display in New York's first dinosaur museum in 1871. Previously, the vandalism was blamed on corrupt politician William "Boss" Tweed. Hilton favored a competing project to develop the American Museum of Natural History, which may have partly motivated the destruction of artifacts intended for the Paleozoic Museum. Hilton was notorious for his questionable decision-making and destructive approach to cultural artifacts.