Ken Ham was a high school science teacher in Australia, but in his teachings and studies, he had a problem with the theory of evolution. Rather, Ham believed the biblical account was more accurate and even more in line with science. He gave up teaching and went into the ministry, then became haunted with building a Creation Museum to visually display the biblical account of creation.
There was only one place to do this – America. And his pursuit of his lofty goal led him to Petersburg, KY. Facing almost impossible financial and logistical obstacles, Ham was able to put together a coalition that raised enough money to build the Creation Museum in 2007. The 75,000-sf building features a special effects theater, a planetarium, an Allosaurus skeleton and an insect collection. It promotes the young earth explanation of the origins of the universe based on the creation narrative in the bible.
People have since flocked to the facility. It was an overwhelming success. But Ken Ham was not through with his vision.
He also wanted to build a duplicate of Noah’s Ark to better describe the flood event that covered the earth and how Noah, his wife and three sons might have survived raging waters that covered the earth for 7 months.
Once again, he raised the money and a site was selected in Williamstown, about 40 miles from the Creation Museum. Construction on the ambitious project began in 2014, and two years later, the Christian-based theme park, Ark Encounter, opened its doors. By April 2021, the two Ken Ham projects had welcomed over 10 million visitors.