The Silurian Experience
The WC collection
Special Announcement - A very dedicated trilobite collector has recently made his exceptional collection available to the public. These specimens—some of which are quite rare—represent many decades of collecting, primarily across New York State, with additional material from the western and central United States.
Most of the specimens are of the highest quality, whether in terms of preparation or rarity, and many were personally collected by W.C. Notably, the collection includes unique and uncommon pieces, such as an undescribed Greenops from New York State.
You are invited to browse through photos of these remarkable specimens. Each specimen listing includes its ID number, name, and pricing details.
If you’re interested in acquiring one, simply send me an email.
— Paul
Click here to visit collection.
Special Announcement! Available soon the WC collection book! Click here for details.
Any questions please Email me at [email protected]
Most of the specimens are of the highest quality, whether in terms of preparation or rarity, and many were personally collected by W.C. Notably, the collection includes unique and uncommon pieces, such as an undescribed Greenops from New York State.
You are invited to browse through photos of these remarkable specimens. Each specimen listing includes its ID number, name, and pricing details.
If you’re interested in acquiring one, simply send me an email.
— Paul
Click here to visit collection.
Special Announcement! Available soon the WC collection book! Click here for details.
Any questions please Email me at [email protected]
New spectacular specimen added to classic Cystoid page!
Announcement: Middleport Quarry Access Update
The Middleport Quarry property has recently changed ownership. Unfortunately, the new owners have closed the site to outside visits and fossil collecting, limiting access to an important source of scientific information and specimens.
When I was working on The Silurian Experience book, I often found it challenging to track down updated information about new discoveries from this locality. My hope is that this site can continue to serve the fossil community by sharing as much current information as possible.
If you have any details, updates, or resources related to the Middleport Quarry or its specimens, please feel free to reach out. I’ll be glad to create a dedicated page so this valuable knowledge remains accessible to all.
— Paul
The Middleport Quarry property has recently changed ownership. Unfortunately, the new owners have closed the site to outside visits and fossil collecting, limiting access to an important source of scientific information and specimens.
When I was working on The Silurian Experience book, I often found it challenging to track down updated information about new discoveries from this locality. My hope is that this site can continue to serve the fossil community by sharing as much current information as possible.
If you have any details, updates, or resources related to the Middleport Quarry or its specimens, please feel free to reach out. I’ll be glad to create a dedicated page so this valuable knowledge remains accessible to all.
— Paul
The Silurian Experience book is still available in the spiral version only. A big thank you to everyone who purchased the hard copy, it has sold out! The spiral version has a decent but dwindling supply and is selling for $55 each with free shipping.
The Middleport Fossil Recovery Project was a long-term paleontological initiative based near Middleport, New York, focused on the recovery, documentation, and distribution of fossils from the Rochester Shale Formation. Conducted from the early 1990s through the 2010s, the project sought both to advance scientific understanding of Silurian paleobiology and to make specimens available to researchers, educators, and amateur collectors.
Western New York has played a central role in the study of the Rochester Shale and related Silurian fossil assemblages. Research in the region dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, when James Hall first described the area’s fossil-rich strata. Subsequent work by Eugene Ringueberg (1884–1888) and Frank Springer (1914–1922) further documented its paleontological significance.
In the 1970s, Carlton E. Brett of the University of Rochester conducted bulk sampling and stratigraphic studies of local outcrops as part of his doctoral dissertation, establishing a modern framework for interpreting Silurian marine environments. Later, Brett’s students Denis Tetreault, James Eckert, and Wendy Taylor made major contributions through fieldwork in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their discoveries included the echinoderm Lagerstätten (1981) and the Arctinurus beds (1982), exposures noted for exceptional fossil preservation.
In 1990, the Smithsonian Institution undertook systematic excavations in the area, recovering numerous specimens that remain on display in the museum’s paleontology exhibits.
The origins of the Middleport Quarry, later known as the Caleb Quarry, date to 1989, when an industrial company sought non-porous clay for use as filler material. The clay was located on a twenty-acre parcel owned by Brent and Rose Caleb, who permitted extraction in exchange for the creation of two ponds on their property. During excavation, contractors encountered solid Rochester Shale bedrock beneath approximately nine feet of overburden. As a result, the operation expanded laterally, ultimately exposing more than nine acres of Silurian strata.
When industrial activity ceased, the Calebs allowed fossil collectors to access the site. In 1992, a group of local enthusiasts organized formal recovery operations, marking the beginning of the Middleport Fossil Recovery Project.
The project was led by Ray Meyer, Gene Thomas, Kent Smith, Paul Chinnici, Fred Barber, and Greg Jennings. Over the course of more than two decades, the team conducted systematic excavations, documentation, and specimen preparation. Their work resulted in the identification of over 120 distinct fossil species and the publication of a comprehensive monograph detailing the Middleport section of the Rochester Shale.
The Middleport Quarry provided an exceptional window into a tropical Silurian marine ecosystem that flourished approximately 425 million years ago. Fossils recovered from the site include a diverse assemblage of echinoderms, trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, corals, and mollusks, preserved in remarkable detail. These assemblages have contributed substantially to the understanding of Silurian biodiversity, paleoecology, and depositional environments.
The Middleport Fossil Recovery Project built upon the foundational work of earlier paleontologists and significantly expanded knowledge of the Rochester Shale fauna. Together, the combined efforts of 19th, 20th, and 21st century researchers have established western New York and neighboring Ontario, Canada, as regions of international importance in Silurian paleontology.
The Middleport site was recognized worldwide as a premier source of Silurian invertebrate fossils, (before private ownership) noted for both the abundance and exceptional preservation of its specimens.
Western New York has played a central role in the study of the Rochester Shale and related Silurian fossil assemblages. Research in the region dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, when James Hall first described the area’s fossil-rich strata. Subsequent work by Eugene Ringueberg (1884–1888) and Frank Springer (1914–1922) further documented its paleontological significance.
In the 1970s, Carlton E. Brett of the University of Rochester conducted bulk sampling and stratigraphic studies of local outcrops as part of his doctoral dissertation, establishing a modern framework for interpreting Silurian marine environments. Later, Brett’s students Denis Tetreault, James Eckert, and Wendy Taylor made major contributions through fieldwork in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their discoveries included the echinoderm Lagerstätten (1981) and the Arctinurus beds (1982), exposures noted for exceptional fossil preservation.
In 1990, the Smithsonian Institution undertook systematic excavations in the area, recovering numerous specimens that remain on display in the museum’s paleontology exhibits.
The origins of the Middleport Quarry, later known as the Caleb Quarry, date to 1989, when an industrial company sought non-porous clay for use as filler material. The clay was located on a twenty-acre parcel owned by Brent and Rose Caleb, who permitted extraction in exchange for the creation of two ponds on their property. During excavation, contractors encountered solid Rochester Shale bedrock beneath approximately nine feet of overburden. As a result, the operation expanded laterally, ultimately exposing more than nine acres of Silurian strata.
When industrial activity ceased, the Calebs allowed fossil collectors to access the site. In 1992, a group of local enthusiasts organized formal recovery operations, marking the beginning of the Middleport Fossil Recovery Project.
The project was led by Ray Meyer, Gene Thomas, Kent Smith, Paul Chinnici, Fred Barber, and Greg Jennings. Over the course of more than two decades, the team conducted systematic excavations, documentation, and specimen preparation. Their work resulted in the identification of over 120 distinct fossil species and the publication of a comprehensive monograph detailing the Middleport section of the Rochester Shale.
The Middleport Quarry provided an exceptional window into a tropical Silurian marine ecosystem that flourished approximately 425 million years ago. Fossils recovered from the site include a diverse assemblage of echinoderms, trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, corals, and mollusks, preserved in remarkable detail. These assemblages have contributed substantially to the understanding of Silurian biodiversity, paleoecology, and depositional environments.
The Middleport Fossil Recovery Project built upon the foundational work of earlier paleontologists and significantly expanded knowledge of the Rochester Shale fauna. Together, the combined efforts of 19th, 20th, and 21st century researchers have established western New York and neighboring Ontario, Canada, as regions of international importance in Silurian paleontology.
The Middleport site was recognized worldwide as a premier source of Silurian invertebrate fossils, (before private ownership) noted for both the abundance and exceptional preservation of its specimens.