ALLEN COUNTY
Allen County Museum & Historical Society
620 W. Market St., Lima, OH 45801
Email:
Website: https://allencountymuseum.org/
Hours: Tues.–Fri., 1-5pm; Sat., 1-4pm; (Closed Sun. & Mon.) (Closed on major holidays)
The Allen County Museum & Historical Society includes the main museum, 1893 Victorian mansion/carriage house, 1848 log house, annex and storage building, which house a Shay Locomotive, Conestoga wagon and early buggies, milk wagon, 1909 Roadster, Model T, early firetrucks and more. As the only Ohio county museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the American Association of Museums, the museum cares for 200,000+ artifacts that tell the story of the region and Ohio, including the John H. Keller Railroad Archives & Elizabeth M. MacDonell Memorial Library.
Bluffton University’s Musselman Library
1 University Dr., Bluffton, OH 45817
Phone: 419-358-3275
Email:
Website: https://libguides.bluffton.edu/asc
Hours: by appt. Contact: Carrie Phillips, Library Director
Musselman Library’s Archives & Special Collections floor is home to rich historical collections important to the Bluffton University experience and supporting intellectual discovery of our students, faculty, staff and scholars from around the world. Located on the first floor of the 1965 addition to Musselman Library, this department houses all archival and special collections owned by Musselman Library, including our Mennonite Historical Collections, the Bluffton University Archives, the archives of the Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA, manuscript collections, books, periodicals, and other library materials of rare and special importance to the institution and its constituents.
Delphos Canal Museum
241 N Main Street, Delphos OH 45833
Phone: 419-695-7737
Email:
Website: https://delphoscanalcommission.com/
Hours: Th., 9-Noon; Sat./Sun., 1-3pm; or by appointment
Located in downtown Delphos, the Canal Museum is 3 floors and 17,000 square feet of the history of Delphos and the surrounding area. Feature exhibits include the recovered hull of the 19th century canal boat Marguerite, a full-size replica of Leslie Peltier’s Merry Go Round Observatory and photos of Ida Holdgreve, head seamstress at the Wright Brothers Airplane Factory. The Museum is ADA-compliant, and admission is always free!!!
Swiss Community Historical Society
8350 Bixel Rd., Bluffton, OH 45817
Email:
Website: https://swisshistorical.org/
Hours: Tours may be arranged by emailing tour coordinator Susie Gratz at
The Swiss Community Historical Society honors & preserves the history of the Bluffton-Pandora community. The society owns and operates the Schumacher Homestead featuring period furniture, textiles, quilts, papers, books, artifacts and records of historical interest, as well as a house, barn, and outbuildings related to local Swiss heritage.
The Swiss Community Historical Society is nearing completion of the Swiss Heritage Center. The repurposed barn will serve as a museum with rotating displays, space for special workshops and programming, as well as an event center. It is heated and air-conditioned and includes a classroom, artifact storage space, and public restrooms. The facility will allow for longer visits during tours and events and eliminate weather restrictions on scheduling.