WOLFBORO — Where else could one view a pair of mummified hands from an Egyptian tomb, solidified hair balls from a cow, an African zebra and a collection of New England wildlife specimens all under one roof?

The Libby Museum fits the bill, with its eclectic collection of natural history, including stuffed mammals, insects, birds as well as donated or loaned oddities from around the world.

“The Libby has been called ‘a museum within a museum,’” said Executive Director Lauren Hammond. The museum staff and its Friends of the Libby Museum Inc. have planned many events to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.

‘Cabinet of curiosities’

The museum has been dubbed a “wunderkammer,” the German term for a “cabinet of curiosities,” she said.

Henry F. Libby, a dentist, inventor and naturalist, opened the museum in 1912. Born in 1850 just several miles from the museum, Dr. Libby once wrote that his life began anew for him when he turned 40 and began studying nature and anatomy. He began to sketch and draw — and to collecting things like butterflies and moths. Over the decades his collections of natural specimens and oddities grew.

Some of the larger exhibits include a skeleton of a moose and a stuffed African zebra called “Waldo” on loan from Andrew O’Shaughnessy of Wolfeboro.

Not just natural history

An Indian dugout canoe discovered in Rust Pond in Wolfeboro in 1955 by a group of boys is displayed in a glass enclosure.

According to museum literature, the canoe is dated back to between 1600 and 1650.

There is also a large collection of insects — including a “cootie” found in a piece of mail from the trenches of World War I abroad — and a variety of seeds and pods.

The museum includes dozens of varieties of stuffed birds, bears, beavers, coyotes, foxes, deer, bears and moose, with many specimens posed in settings of native habitat.

But the museum isn’t all about nature.

Hammond points out that the museum exhibits art, paintings, sculpture, tapestry and quilts by local artisans as well as artifacts from the ancient and modern natural world.

The museum also offers classes for kids and adults, including an upcoming storytelling and moonlit walk with Sally Cornwall on Aug. 2, and a lecture on the Abenaki people by Robert Goodby on Aug. 8.

Check out the website for details, wolfeboronh.us.

The museum plans a 100th anniversary gala event on Aug. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Wolfeboro Inn.

Earlier in the day, the public is invited to visit the museum free of charge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

lmulkern@newstote.com