Located in Sugarcreek, a village commonly referred to as the "Little Switzerland of Ohio," this downtown museum celebrates the local Swiss and German culture. Permanent exhibits include traditional Swiss musical instruments, stunning replicas of an 1800s cheesehouse, a typical Amish kitchen, a woodworking shop, print shop, gun shop and much more.
A self-guided tour is available, with audio presentations at several exhibits. The museum also serves as a tourist information center. Donations are welcomed.
106 W. Main Street, Sugarcreek; April-Nov., Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; and July-Sep., Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; (330) 852-4113, (888) 609-7592.
Behalt at The Amish Mennonite Heritage Center
Meaning "to keep or remember," Behalt is a 265-foot cyclorama painting detailing the complex and sometimes harrowing history of the Anabaptist movement and the Amish and Mennonite groups. In addition to an informational video, half-hour tours are available with excellent guides, making the center a "must-see" for visitors desiring to know more about the beliefs behind the Amish lifestyle.
A newly-built 1840s-style barn on the premises will house a restored Conestoga wagon when completed.
Large gift and book shop on site. Admission charged. Northeast of Berlin on CR 77; open year-round, Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. open until 8 p.m., June-Oct. only; (330) 893-3192.
German Culture Museum
This cozy museum, housed in a mid-19th century sky-blue house, exhibits some unusual artifacts, such as a portrait of Jonas Stutzman, Holmes Countys first Amish settler. Also on display is a miniature working replica of the Tuferversteck, a centuries-old Anabaptist Hiding Place located on a Switzerland farm. Antique tools, furniture, kitchen items and local memorabilia give the visitor a genuine taste of Walnut Creeks history as well as the areas Anabaptist roots.
Donations accepted. Olde Pump Street, Walnut Creek; open June-end of Oct., Thu.-Sat., 12:30-4:30 p.m.; group tours by appointment; (330) 893-2510 or (330) 852-4494.
Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center
A nationally-acclaimed establishment, the center is maintained by the Kidron Community Historical Society and features an extensive collection of furniture, tools, crafts and Fraktur -- an old world style of calligraphy embellished with decorative motifs.
Visitors can view a restored 1820s log structure, plus several items brought by the first Mennonite settlers from Europe. A computer database containing hundreds of thousands of names allows those with Mennonite roots to search for family information.
Gift shop on site. 13153 Emerson Road, Kidron, across from Lehmans; open June-Sep., Thu.-Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Oct.-May, Thu. and Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Jan. and Feb.; groups by appointment. (330) 857-9111.
Killbuck Valley Museum
A collection of locally-excavated mastadon bones is only one of the attractions at this "natural and cultural history" museum. Other exhibits include Indian artifacts, fossils, a large taxidermy collection of area animals and birds, a miniature replica of a canal lock and a one-room schoolhouse.
Admission charged; Front Street, Killbuck, off US 62, seven mi. SW of Millersburg; Fri.-Sun., 1-5 p.m., May 1-Oct. 31; special tours can be arranged; (330) 377-4572.
Schoenbrunn Village State Memorial
The peaceful, rural atmosphere surrounding Schoenbrunn does little to betray the villages bloody past.
Schoenbrunn ("beautiful spring" in German) was founded in the 18th century by a group of Moravian missionaries and Christian Native Americans. They lived in peace until the Revolutionary War, when a complex series of events led to the murder of a large group of the settlements Christian Indians at Gnadenhutten.
Today, seventeen of the village's original log buildings have been reconstructed, and the site includes a museum, costumed staff, gardens and the settlement's original cemetery.
Maintained by the Ohio Historical Society; admission charged; New Philadelphia, on SR 259, just off US 250; call for hours, (330) 339-3636 or (800) 752-2711.
Smithville Community Historical Society
The society maintains five buildings In the village of Smithville, including a pioneer log cabin, the Sheller House, a carriage barn and a blacksmith shop.
But perhaps the most well-known and frequented building is the Mishler Weaving Mill, where volunteers handcraft rag rugs, dish towels and placemats (all for sale!) on 120-year-old looms. Knowledgeable society members are on hand to provide demonstrations and answer questions.
381 E. Main Street, Smithville; May-Sep., 2nd and 4th Sun., 1-4 p.m.; mill open year-round, Wed., 1:30-4 p.m. (330) 669-9308.
Victorian House Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this museum is the home of the Holmes County Historical Society and one of the finest examples of Queen Anne style architecture in the region. Twenty-eight impeccably decorated rooms house an extensive collection of artifacts, while regular exhibits highlight notable aspects of the area.
During the holidays, the mansion is "dressed to the nines" and open for special events including literary readings and a "progressive Victorian tea."
Presentations and events are offered throughout the year. Recenty, the mansion was featured in the Home Garden Television special "Victorian America."
Admission charged. 484 Wooster Rd. (SR 83 North), Millersburg; open May 1-Oct. 31, Tue.-Sun. 1-4 p.m.; call for holiday hours, (330) 674-0022.
Wayne County Historical Society
The Wayne County Historical Society maintains five buildings for visitors to tour.
Built in 1815, the General Reasin Beall (pronounced "Bell") Homestead is Wooster's oldest surviving residence. Once used by the College of Wooster as a dormitory, it is now being restored to its early-nineteenth-century glory.
The Kister Building houses a formal gallery featuring rotating exhibits. An 1873 schoolhouse (complete with dunce cap, stool and potbelly stove) and the General Mercantile Store and Ladies Dress Shop provide a look at education and shopping more than 125 years ago. A hand-hewn log cabin and an authentic outdoor bake oven complete the campus of "one of Ohio's foremost county historical societies."
Check the society's extensive Web site for a calendar of upcoming events and exhibits.
Admission charged to non-members; tours by appt. 546 E. Bowman St., Wooster; Wed.-Sun., 2-4:30 p.m.; closed Jan. and holidays; (330) 264-8856; www.waynehistorical.org.
Zoar Village State Memorial
A museum is only one of ten painstakingly restored buildings in this historic village, founded in 1817 by a group of German religious dissenters who called themselves the Society of Separatists of Zoar.
Maintained by the Ohio Historical Society, the village is staffed, Williamsburg-like, by costumed interpreters, working and crafting in early nineteenth century style. Visitors can experience the blacksmith shop, bakery, garden shop, dairy, wagon shop and tinshop -- all as they functioned nearly two centuries ago. Some houses remain privately-owned residences or bed and breakfast establishments.
Many popular events take place in Zoar year-round, including harvest festivals, garden tours, craft demonstrations and holiday celebrations.
Admission charged. Between New Philadelphia and Canton, on SR 212, 2.5 miles east of I-77; open year-round; call for hours; (330) 874-3011 or (800) 262-6195.
Please note: Many of the preceding establishments are closed during winter months (or operate with reduced hours). Call ahead to check hours and tour times.
Area Bicentennial Barns
Ashland County -- 974 CR 1600; off CR 1600, near Ashland; visible from I-71, three miles south of US 250 (faces SW)
Holmes County -- 7260 SR 83, Holmesville (north of Millersburg)
Medina County -- The Swagler Barn, SR 3, north of Seville and I-76.
Stark County -- 14975 Lisbon St. NE; SR 172, between Paris and New Franklin (faces east)
Tuscarawas County -- 2325 May Valley Rd., visible from I-77, about five miles south of New Philadelphia (faces southeast)
Wayne County -- 6500 Ashland Road/US 250, six miles out of Wooster, near Memorial Park on the south side of the road
Area Historical Markers
(awarded by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission)
Ashland County: Hayesville Opera House, East Main Street, Hayesville; built in 1886, it still functions as a public theater and retains many original features.
Holmes County: Jonas Stutzman home/farm site, near intersection of CR 114 and SR 39, Walnut Creek; Stutzman was the first Amish settler in the area (1809).
Medina County: The Giants of Seville, Maria Stanhope Park, Seville; Captain Martin Van Buren Bates and his wife Anna Swan Bates, hold the world record for tallest married couple. They first came to Seville in 1873. Martin Bates was 7 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 480 pounds, and Anna Bates stood 7 feet 11.5 inches and weighed 413 pounds.
Stark County: William McKinley National Memorial, Stark County Historical Society, Canton. The memorial is the burial site of 25th president William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901, during his second term in office.
Tuscarawas County: The Camps of Colonel Henry Bouquet; Bouquet led an expedition into the Ohio Country in 1764, part of a larger British effort to quell hostilities with the Native Americans. Bouquet ultimately negotiated a surrender with the Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot.
Wayne County: West Salem City Hall, 27 South Main, West Salem; restored Romanesque-style building at one time hosted concerts, vaudeville shows and town meetings. It was completed for less than $10,000 in 1899. During the Cold War, it was designed to operate as a Civil Defense emergency field hospital.
(March/April 2003 Edition)
Info from the Ohio Bicentennial
Web site, www.ohio200.org.