Fossils, rocks, and leaf and fern imprints in concrete fill a porch and overflow into the yard. Fossils form part of the walls at the musuem. Shark's teeth, sperm whale tusks, Indian arrowheads, a branch of petrified driftwood with equally old sea creatures still clinging to it and other favored discoveries fill small tables and display cases. One petrified wood specimen has turned to glittering crystal. Another dates to the Ice Age.
Major fossil finds in North Carolina include marine worms and sloth bones.
One of his dearest treasures is a shiny black rough-edged stone about the size of walnut. He found the meteorite a year ago in the backyard of his life-long friend, Frank Hill. Hill said his friend frequently spots what others miss. Hill worked the same gravel pits as Stephenson as a youngster, but paid no mind to the dirt-encrusted masses Stephenson was always pocketing. I wish I did.