Creation Museum

Lore & Background

The Creation Museum was planned from the time Answers in Genesis was founded in Florence, Kentucky, in 1994. AiG founder Ken Ham stated that America was the best place to reach the world with such a facility. After initial rezoning opposition from Boone County, a 47-acre site south of Interstate 275 was approved in 1999. AiG purchased land in May 2000, and construction began after market research led to expanded plans, increasing the museum from 60,000 to 75,000 square feet and the cost from US$14 million to US$27 million. All funds were privately raised, and AiG staff moved into the office space in late 2004.

The museum opened on Memorial Day, May 28, 2007, with approximately 4,000 patrons and 200 protesters. Across the street, a 'Rally for Reason' was organized by Edwin Kagin, Kentucky state director of American Atheists. The museum's opening was used by the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau to attract religious group conventions. In October 2007, the Kentucky Department of Transportation erected four highway signs directing motorists to the museum, paid for by AiG, prompting concerns about separation of church and state.

Expansions have included a 4D theater and large exhibit area opened in November 2019, and plans announced in October 2021 for the Eden Teaching Center. Attendance in the first year was 404,000, exceeding the projected 250,000, though attendance declined in subsequent years, with 254,074 visitors from July 2011 to June 2012. By mid-2015, 2.4 million people had visited the museum.

Reader's Guide

The Creation Museum is significant as a prominent example of a privately funded institution that promotes young Earth creationism, a belief that contradicts the scientific consensus on the age of the Earth (approximately 4.5 billion years) and evolution. It reflects the moderate support for creationist views among the U.S. general population, as indicated by polls showing widespread belief in biblical accounts of human origins. The museum has been criticized by scientists, educators, and theologians for misrepresenting science and potentially harming science education, with some Christians expressing concern that its rejection of scientific consensus could damage Christianity's credibility. Museum studies scholars, such as Gretchen Jennings, have argued that creationist exhibitions lack connection with current worldwide thinking and human knowledge, and are not considered museums in their view. The museum's popularity, despite controversy, highlights the cultural divide over science and religion in the United States. Its existence and operations have also raised questions about the separation of church and state, particularly regarding highway signs directing visitors to the museum. The museum's continued expansions and attendance figures demonstrate its ongoing role as a center for creationist advocacy and a destination for those who share its beliefs.

Did You Know?

• The museum cost US$27 million, raised entirely through private donations.
• It depicts humans and dinosaurs coexisting, reflecting young-Earth creationist beliefs.
• The museum has a special effects theater, a planetarium, an Allosaurus skeleton, and an insect collection.
• Permanent employees must sign a statement of faith affirming belief in AiG's principles.