“ Aiden works really hard ,” said Mussmann . “ He does whatever we ask of him even if it ’ s not the fun end of museum work . He never hesitates . He does really great research , too .”
Whether he ’ s researching stuff for the blog or setting out chairs for various events , he never hesitates to help with museum happenings .
“ YOU HAVE TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT . I ’ M NOT GOING INTO MUSEUM STUDIES FOR THE MONEY , I ’ VE JUST TAKEN A LIKING TO IT . PURSUE YOUR DREAMS , THAT ’ S ALL I ’ M DOING .”
- Aiden Adkins
“ Really , anything they need , I ’ ll do ,” Adkins said . “ I just love being here . The talking heads , the water table , all the campus , everything about it I love .”
The Sawmill Museum is located in the Lyons District of Clinton . The mission is to preserve , collect , interpret , and explore the history of America ’ s sawmill , lumber and forestry industries . These industries have rich history in Clinton , which was once the “ Lumber Capital of the World .”
“ When you hear about the history of Clinton – you see it right now and it ’ s hard to believe it was a massive spectacle of a town at one point . I didn ’ t know I came from such an insane area .”
Adkins graduates this May and has plans to head to the University of Iowa with a major in history . As he works his way through his education , he hopes to land internships in college that lead him to a career in history and museum studies . He knows the opportunity he has at the Sawmill Museum will only help him further .
“ I want to get an internship during my time in college , and I can put this on any application ,” said Adkins . “ Internships in the museum field aren ’ t super common until you ’ re a year or two into your undergad , so being here before college is huge .”
His high hopes ? Eventually be a museum curator . He ’ s dreaming big , but he ’ s confident that now that he ’ s found what he ’ s passionate about , it will all work in the end .
“ You have to be passionate about it ,” Adkins said . “ I ’ m not going into museum studies for the money , I ’ ve just taken a liking to it . Pursue your dreams , that ’ s all I ’ m doing .”
Plus , he had the opportunity to learn more about his hometown than he could have imagined . The relationship between the Sawmill Museum and Aiden has been beneficial for him , but also for the museum .
“ It can be really hard to get volunteers in ,” said Mussmann . “ To be able to work with a local student who is really eager and interested in museum work and get that assistance that we need , while also getting him education before he goes to school , it just worked out perfect .”
CLINTON MAGAZINE | SPRING 2024 9