The Lexington History Museums has named Trenton Carls as its next executive director, succeeding Anne Lee. He will begin the role on September 2.
Carls, who grew up in Central Illinois, spent much of his childhood in libraries, where he first began to understand the connection between history and its lasting impact on communities. Those early experiences planted the seeds of his passion for history and public memory.
“Every field trip in school was about Abraham Lincoln. Understanding the historical importance of someone like Lincoln and how his work, message, and life impacted others was really interesting to me,” Carls told LexObserver.
Since then, Carls has held several roles in the museum and library fields. He worked as Digital Projects and Metadata Librarian at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston and as Technical Services Librarian at the Chicago History Museum. Most recently, he spent six years as head librarian and archivist at the Cape Ann Museum.
“The lessons that I’ve brought from each of my previous roles is the importance of community history,” Carls said. “When I was with Chicago, that was a history museum that, while it was a big city, was very much focused on the day-to-day people that made that community and that city work and thrive.”
Carls hopes to bring the same mindset to Lexington: “I think that there are so many stories that tie this community in Lexington together, and that are just waiting to be explored.”
While Lexington’s past offers much to explore, Carls believes the true value of history lies in how it helps people understand today’s events.
“I find that community stories and community history is really one of importance that influences, you know, who we have been, who we are, and who we will become,” Carls said.
Another area Carls hopes to expand under his leadership is the museum’s online presence.
“Having online materials is a way to break down barriers and to make sure that these collections can be in the hands of everyone, whether near or far,” Carls noted. “I look forward to building out our website and getting new online resources available to teachers and to historians.”
While Carls hopes to strengthen partnerships with surrounding schools and other organizations, he also wants the museum to continue to be what it has been since its founding in 1886: a resource for the public.
“There is a strong renewed focus on this revolutionary period nationwide because of the 250th anniversary, and we are really going to see a lot of traffic,” Carls said. “We are going to make sure that the experience that we as the museums are giving to these tourists are lasting impressions that will make them want to return.”
Looking ahead to his first months as executive director, Carls is focused on growth, innovation, and new storytelling opportunities.
“We have opportunities to really look at the work that we’ve been doing and how we can expand that and to just explore new areas of storytelling,” Carls said. “What those other stories are that we have not told historically and how we can get those represented.”