The Guinness World Records website has a story about a natural history museum in Cambridge, IL. This museum in a small Illinois town is significant becase when it opened in August 2024, the curator and sole owner was just 9 years old!

It all started in 2022 after a family trip to Scotland.

“When I went to Scotland,” Anderson said, “I went to the Staffin Dinosaur Museum and that’s what inspired me to make this museum. I’ve been into dinosaurs and fossils all my life.”

As soon as he got back home, he started the long process of turning his dream into a reality. The public also supported Anderson’s vision, after he had done presentations to raise awareness and build interest. This resulted in supporters also sending in items for Anderson’s growing museum collection.

He said: “I found a building first, after doing tonnes of talks at the Village Office here in town. [The space] used to be the fire station, the village hall, and now it is the museum. After that, they started giving me items to display, display cases, and then after like a month or so we started getting funding.”

At the time of the interview, Anderson has raised $20,000 in funding.