Geneva History Museum hosts 9-foot dragon’s head, tail from 1892 replica Viking ship

GENEVA – The Geneva History Museum is hosting a new exhibition, “Viking’s Voyage,” a 19th century ship’s journey from Norway to Illinois, which will be on display through Dec. 23, the museum announced in a news release.

The exhibition features the 9-foot dragon head and tail of the largest surviving display artifact of the replica of the Gokstad, a 9th-century Viking ship discovered in a burial mound near Sandefjord, Norway in AD 900.

The Friends of the Viking Ship recently restored the dragon head and tail and this is the first time they will be on display, the release stated.

The replica Viking Ship was built in 1892 in Norway and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

After the Columbian Exhibition, the ship was presented to the Field Museum, the release stated.

The ship sat in a dry dock alongside the museum for more than 20 years. In 1920 it was relocated to Lincoln Park and placed under a fenced-in wooden shelter.

In 1976, the Norwegian National League’s Viking Ship Restoration Committee began the ship’s restoration.

The dragon head and tail were removed, repainted and placed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago until they could be reunited with the Viking.

In 1993, when the Lincoln Park Zoo expanded, the ship was moved to West Chicago and secured under a canopy. Two years later, it was moved to Good Templar Park in Geneva. In 2012, trusteeship was signed over to Friends of the Viking Ship, the release stated.

Friends of the Viking Ship continues to facilitate the preservation of the ship, and advocates for its preservation and a future permanent museum.

Guided tours are available from April to October in Good Templar Park, 528 East Side Drive. Visit vikingship.us for more information and a tour schedule.

While the ship is named Viking, the dragon head and tail are nameless, so the museum is accepting suggested names from visitors through April 1.

The best name will be chosen by the museum and the Friends of the Viking Ship. The winner receive a free membership to the Geneva History Museum and a special edition Viking’s Voyage t-shirt, the release stated.

The dragon – with its new name – will be a feature character in the special children’s exhibition “Little Vikings” from June 17 to Aug. 19 at the museum.

The Geneva History Museum, 113 S. Third St., is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 per adult, $2 for children from 3 to 10 years old, seniors age 65 and older and students, and is free on Tuesdays, for active military, veterans, and museum members.