By Ed Simmons, Jr.
cpreporter@lcs.net
Caroline has won the William Barton Rogers Corporate Award from the Virginia Museum of Natural History for its museum quality display of a 14-million-year-old Miocene whale, Eobalaenoptera.
It was discovered in 1991 by the Museum of Natural History two miles west of Interstate 95. Dr. Alton Dooley led the dig and scientifically described the baleen whale, Eobalaenoptera harrisoni. The Caroline County Board of Supervisors included a display of Eobalaenoptera in its new Visitor Center which opened in November 2008. The whale is a cast of the rare bones found in Carmel Church. The Eobalaenoptera display was paid for, like the Visitor Center, with grants and donations.
Since opening in 2008, the Visitor Center has been commended by the Virginia Tourism Cooperation as second to none in community owned Visitor Centers in Virginia. It was awarded the 2009 Community Economic Development Award by the Virginia Economic Developers Association and is a finalist in the 2010 Community Economic Development Award given by the Southern Economic Development Council.