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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Petrified Wood Paperweight
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Petrified Wood Paperweight

Artifact IDMO 1944.33.6
Object Type Paperweight
Maker (1888 - 1945)
Dateca. 1943
Mediumstone (petrified wood), paint on concrete
Dimensionsoverall H 7 1/2 in x Diam 4 in (19.1 cm x 10.2 cm )
Physical DescriptionA paperweight featuring a piece of petrified wood. Estimated to be over 30 million years old, the petrified wood is almost completely opalized and partly agatized. The piece is mounted on a small, circular base made of solid concrete painted with sparkling off-white paint. Adhered to the underside of one of the base is a small paper label with printed information that reads: PETRIFIED WOOD / FROM OREGON / P. J. VAN BRUGGEN / 2526 N. E. WEIDLER / PORTLAND, ORE.
Historical NoteThis paperweight is part of a desk set that also includes a pair of petrified wood bookends (MO 1944.33.5). The set was sent to Franklin Roosevelt in April 1943 by the maker, Peter J. Van Bruggen of Portland, Oregon. The petrified wood pieces used in the set were discovered during the construction of power lines for the Bonneville Power Administration, a project on which Van Bruggen was an engineer.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDeposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 24, 1943. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view