Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology

What Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology does

The Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology, legally "The Elgin Public Museum Incorporated," is a 501(c)(3) non-profit museum housed in a Neo-Classical building constructed beginning in 1906 and opened on November 12, 1920, as the oldest structure in Illinois built expressly as a museum that is still serving that purpose. Located within the 108-acre Lords Park in Elgin, Illinois, the museum maintains ten permanent collections spanning natural history, paleontology (Mazon Creek fossils including the Illinois state fossil Tully Monster), anthropology (Native American artifacts, LaSalle Expedition), and an Ice Age/Irish Deer collection anchored by a specimen from the original 1890s Lord family collection. A hands-on Children's Discovery Room and rotating exhibitions borrowed from The Field Museum and Illinois State Museum round out the core exhibit surface.

The institution operates with five staff (Museum Curator TaraDawn Knull, Education and Public Relations Coordinator Sharry Blazier, Educator Marge Fox, plus administrative roles) and a volunteer board of directors. Revenue mechanics are diversified but small in absolute terms: a $2 adult/$1 child admission, a five-tier membership program ranging from $25 Individual to $150 Patron, fees for school, scouting, and adult programming (including outreach at schools), a museum store (10% member discount), and donations channeled through Amazon Smile (EIN 36-3282370) plus a Centennial Fundraiser ("A Brick and A Book"). The City of Elgin's Department of Public Property and Recreation has overseen operations since the Audubon Society disbanded in 1961, while the museum retains independent non-profit status.

The museum serves the Fox Valley community and is positioned as the only natural history museum in the area, targeting families, school groups, scout troops (Cub and Girl Scouts pursuing badge work), and adult learners. Marketing is community-led and low-cost, relying on Facebook, Twitter (@Museum1907), an award-winning quarterly newsletter, and a basic website. Strategic posture emphasizes education outreach, historic preservation, and ecosystem partnerships (AAM, AMM, IAM, KDRMA, Friends of Lords Park Zoo) rather than scale expansion or technology differentiation.

Name

Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology

Legal name

The Elgin Public Museum Incorporated

Website

https://elginpublicmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology is a 501(c)(3) non-profit museum in Elgin, Illinois, operating since 1920 in the oldest Illinois building built expressly as a museum, serving Fox Valley families, school and scout groups, and adults with natural history and anthropology collections, hands-on Discovery Room programming, outreach education, and a tiered membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAC

Natural History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYCRALAJAG

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Retail

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Educational programs
• Community museum
• Cultural institution
• Public exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership program with multiple tiers providing free admission, newsletter, discount on store purchases, and invitations to members' events. Tiers include Individual ($25), Family ($35), Contributing ($50), Sustaining ($75), and Patron ($150).
2. Admission Fees: Charges admission at the door: $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 3-12, free for children under 3 and members.
3. Museum Store: Gift shop selling unique items from around the world. Members receive 10% discount on purchases.
4. Program Fees: Fees for educational programs including scouting badge programs, adult classes, workshops, and outreach programs. Additional fees for workshops and outreach mileage.
5. Donations: Accepts donations through Amazon Smile program and Centennial Fundraiser (Brick and A Book campaign). Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology is a non-profit museum that operates permanent natural history and anthropology exhibits and offers educational programs for the public. It provides hands-on learning experiences such as the Discovery Room, themed collections (Endangered Species, Fox River Ecosystem, Ice Age Era, Irish Deer, La Salle Expedition, Mazon Creek Fossils, Native Americans, Natural History, Rocks & Minerals), and rotating temporary exhibitions. It also runs school, scouting, and adult educational programs, and sells merchandise through an on-site Museum Store.

Product overview

The Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology is a single-institution museum offering public access to natural history and anthropology exhibits, along with educational programming. The museum's core offerings include permanent collections (Discovery Room, Endangered Species, Fox River Ecosystem, Ice Age Era, Irish Deer, La Salle Expedition, Mazon Creek Fossils, Native Americans, Natural History, and Rocks & Minerals) plus rotating exhibitions. Educational programs encompass school programs, scouting programs, adult classes, and PAWS education. Additional services include the Museum Store and a membership program with multiple tiers. The museum reopened in July 2000 after completing the east wing, making it the oldest building in Illinois built expressly as a museum still serving that purpose.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discovery Room An interactive educational playroom for children featuring an interactive T-Rex, puppet theater, puzzles, blocks, books, microscope, musical instruments from around the world, and hands-on objects including furs, antlers, starfish, and turtle shells.
• Endangered Species Collection Second-floor exhibit featuring specimens of California Condor, Bald Eagle, Greater Prairie Chicken, Passenger Pigeon, and other extinct and endangered species.
• Fox River Ecosystem Collection Educational displays explaining the prairie, woodlands, and wetlands ecosystems of the Fox River Valley and the impact of population growth, farming, and industry on regional plant and animal life.
• Ice Age Era Collection Exhibits explaining glacial processes from the Pleistocene epoch (1.8 million to 11,000 years ago) with replicas of Ice Age mammals including saber tooth tigers, mammoths, mastodons, giant beavers, and dire wolves.
• Irish Deer Collection The prize specimen of the museum's collection, an Irish deer mount from George P. Lord's original 1890s collection. This Ice Age mammal roamed Northern Europe for over 40,000 years and became extinct over 7,000 years ago.
• La Salle Expedition Collection Exhibits depicting Robert de LaSalle's 1681 expedition from Montreal to the Gulf of Mexico, including artifacts from LaSalle Expedition II (1976), a cutaway beaver lodge, and interactive programs.
• Mazon Creek Fossils Collection A large collection of Mazon Creek fossils from the Pennsylvanian Epoch of the Carboniferous Period, featuring specimens dating back 300 million years, including the Illinois state fossil Tully Monster.
• Native American Collection Artifacts showing the evolution of tools for food production and hunting from Paleolithic times (11,000 BCE) through the Mississippian period (1,500 CE), including projectile points, clothing, and household items.
• Natural History Collection

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• American Association of Museums (AAM)minorOthersProfessional museum association membership providing industry standards, resources, and networking for museum professionals.
• Association of Midwest Museums (AMM)minorOthersRegional museum association serving institutions in the Midwest, providing collaboration opportunities and shared resources.
• Illinois Association of Museums (IAM)minorOthersState-level museum association supporting Illinois museums through advocacy, resources, and professional development.
• Kane-Dupage Regional Museum Association (KDRMA)minorOthersRegional museum association serving Kane and DuPage counties, fostering collaboration among local museums.
• Friends of Lords Park ZoominorOthersSupport organization for the Lords Park Zoo, sponsors events like Bison Feeding and collaborates on zoo improvements.
• Friends of Lords Park ZoominorOthersFacebook-based organization (LordsParkZoo.org) supporting zoo operations and educational programming at Lords Park.
• The Field MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibitions borrowed from major institutions including The Field Museum, adding variety to the museum's temporary displays.
• Illinois State MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibitions borrowed from state institutions, providing regional perspective and educational content.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Museum Center: Multi-disciplinary museum complex featuring natural history and history exhibits plus educational programs. Comparable in offering school programs, scout badge fulfillment, and family memberships, though at significantly larger scale.
• The Field Museum: Major natural history museum in Chicago; the larger incumbent that lends exhibitions to Elgin. Comparable as a natural history institution with overlapping content (fossils, anthropology) but operates at vastly greater scale and as a research institution rather than community-focused educational venue.
• Milwaukee Public Museum: Regional natural history museum with permanent collections in natural history and anthropology and similar school/scout programming. Larger than Elgin but operates with a comparable community-educational mission in the upper Midwest.
• Illinois State Museum: State-operated natural history and anthropology museum in Springfield that lends exhibitions to Elgin. Overlaps in subject matter (Illinois natural history, anthropology) but with significantly broader scope and state-museum resources.
• Indiana State Museum: State museum with natural history and anthropology collections, scout and school programming, and rotating exhibits. Overlaps in mission and audience but operates as a state institution with broader resources.

Direct peers

• Burpee Museum of Natural History: A natural history museum in Rockford, Illinois, with similar scope (natural history, regional paleontology, hands-on exhibits) and comparable small-museum scale. Highly comparable as another community-anchored Illinois natural history museum serving a similar regional audience.
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Mid-sized natural history museum with similar educational programming, school group offerings, and membership model. Comparable in mission (natural history, hands-on learning, community outreach) and size tier though serving a larger metro.
• Sternberg Museum of Natural History: University-affiliated natural history museum in Hays, Kansas with paleontology and natural history exhibits plus K-12 educational programming. Comparable as a small/mid-sized natural history museum emphasizing hands-on learning and school outreach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/58088042959
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elgin-public-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology