Students at Millard Fillmore Elementary School in Moravia are exploring prehistoric life in a whole new way thanks to the donation of a rare plesiosaur fossil cast. The replica, now prominently displayed at the school, offers a glimpse into the world of these ancient marine reptiles that swam the seas during the age of dinosaurs.
The fossil cast, nicknamed “Milly O’Saurus” after the school and its namesake, President Millard Fillmore, was crafted by Henry Augustus Ward in the late 1860s. Ward, a University of Rochester professor, painstakingly replicated the original fossils housed at the British Museum of Natural History in London, producing a series of casts that were sold to institutions across the United States and Europe.
The donation was facilitated by Jackie Schnurr, a former Wells College professor and current Earth Science teacher at Moravia High School. Wells College acquired a complete set of Ward’s casts in the 19th century but distributed many of them after the college closed in 2024. Schnurr, who played a pivotal role in securing the fossil cast for Moravia, expressed her hope that it would ignite students’ enthusiasm for paleontology.
“There aren’t very many of Ward’s casts,” Schnurr explained. “You could call them priceless, but it’s only because no one is selling them. You really can’t get them anywhere else.”
The cast, housed at the elementary school, is already a source of excitement among students. Following a school-wide vote, younger students named the replica “Milly O’Saurus,” combining their school pride with a touch of prehistoric imagination.
Schnurr believes the exhibit will inspire curiosity and learning, particularly among older students who will use it as an educational tool. “I hope students can better understand fossils,” she said. “And I hope they get excited about seeing a museum piece that’s pretty rare.”
For now, Milly O’Saurus stands as both a historical treasure and a teaching resource, sparking conversations about the ancient world while encouraging students to explore the mysteries of Earth’s past.
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