Museum Improvements
The Adel Historical Museum regularly makes improvements and enhancements to the museum to ensure that it is engaging to visitors and that the building is sustainable for generations to come. If you wish to continue supporting the Adel Historical Museum, we are still taking donations to make further repairs and improvements. Feel free to contact us using the form at this link and we will help process your donation! Or you can make a donation in person when you next visit the museum. Thank you for helping us honor and display Adel’s rich history!
Front Door Replacement - 2024
The front door replacement project addressed the deterioration of the front door and frame which caused the wood to rot away from the brick opening. The museum hired a vendor to place a metal beam in the brickwork to stabilize the frame and placed a new door at the front that will handle the Iowa weather better and also look more historically appropriate for the museum. Aubrey Dunbar generously donated his time and skills to create a gorgeous glass image above the door with the museum’s address.
This project was made possible by a grant from the Dallas County Foundation and funds from the City of Adel. Pictures below show the dedication of the door by former Adel Mayor Jim Peters and current Adel city council member Shirley McAdon.
Kinnick-Clarke Addition - 2019
The Kinnick-Clarke collection pays tribute to Nile Kinnick, Jr. and his grandfather, former Iowa Governor George W. Clarke. Adel conducted the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Nile Kinnick Jr. addition to the museum on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and First-Team All-American Nile Kinnick Jr. of Adel.
The photo to the left is from the groundbreaking ceremony and is courtesy of Shirley McAdon. The photo to the right, courtesy of theperrynews.com, shows museum Director Jan Price snipping the riband and thanking supporters for their faithfulness in raising $127,000 for the addition and other improvements to the building.
“This is a Clarke-Kinnick Museum,” Price told the gathered donors, “and the reason being that Gov. Clarke was a two-term Republican governor, and he lived here in Adel most of his life. He was the beginning of what happened down at this end. He was the grandfather of Nile Kinnick, and he had a lot to do with the kind of person that Nile turned out to be.”
The City of Adel awarded former museum director Jan Price keys to the city in 2021 for her work on this addition.
“Thank you, Adel Historical Museum Director Jan Price, for your dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm to see the dream of the Governor Clarke – Nile Kinnick Addition to the museum come true.”
“Thank you, Jan, a 1953 graduate of ADM High School and the Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Sweet Corn Festival Grand Marshal, for curating the artifacts to make the museum a destination for folks who visit Adel.”
Photo of Mayor Jim Peters and Jan Price courtesy of theperrynews.com
