Seneca County Museum

In 1853, life was simple and pure. Walk through the door of Tiffin's first millionaire's home, which is now the Seneca County Museum, and experience life as it was then. Tour the 18-room Greek Revival historic home which displays everything from the life of a millionaire to the beauty of Tiffin Glass and other fine treasures. Be sure to save a few minutes to take a step outside to view the carriage house with antique fire equipment and horse-drawn wagons. Limited hours; call for appointment.

The Seneca County Museum Mission Statement

Whereas: the mission of the Seneca County Museum is:

Our Museum is a powerful vehicle through which we can collect, preserve and interpret the history of Seneca County by caring for our heritage. Through its collections, the Museum will provide visitors and the community with better understanding and appreciation of the history of Seneca County.

Exhibition Update

New immersive experience exhibition at The Seneca County Museum

Something has shifted at the Seneca County Museum, and it’s not just a new coat of paint or another rotation of artifacts. This time it feels more structural, like the museum quietly decided that “looking at history” is no longer enough.

The new immersive exhibition, developed in collaboration with Lumotion Studio, leans into experience rather than display. It’s a slightly risky move for a local history museum, but also, probably overdue.

If you’ve ever been here before, you know the place has always been strong on content. The mission statement itself is fairly clear-headed: the museum exists to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Seneca County, and to help visitors actually understand and appreciate it, not just skim it.

What Lumotion brings is something else entirely. Their installations don’t just present material; they stage it. Walking into the main hall now, you’re not immediately looking at objects. You’re inside a sequence — light, projection, sound, a kind of controlled disorientation.

There’s a segment where early settlement in Seneca County is reconstructed through layered projections: forest, then clearing, then roads, all overlapping in a way that’s not strictly chronological but oddly easier to grasp.

Still, the alignment with the museum’s mission is surprisingly tight. The whole idea — helping visitors better understand and appreciate local history — doesn’t change. The method does.

Instead of reading about a 19th-century courthouse or seeing a model behind glass, you stand in a space where those elements assemble around you. It’s less precise in a scholarly sense, maybe. You lose some of the quiet distance that traditional displays offer. But you gain immediacy, which, depending on your expectations, might matter more.

There’s one moment that sticks. A small room, almost easy to miss, focused on everyday life in Tiffin during the early industrial period. No grand narrative. Just fragments — voices, projected objects, bits of recorded text.

It feels unfinished, honestly. But in a good way. Like the museum is letting visitors do a bit of the interpretive work themselves.

The collaboration with Lumotion Studio doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It’s more like an experiment the museum is willing to stand behind. And maybe that’s the interesting part — not the technology itself, but the decision to reinterpret what a county museum can be without abandoning its core purpose.

Members of the Tiffin Museum/Gallery Alliance

Seneca County Museum to Temporarily Close Due to Virus Issues - See Below

[Tiffin, OH – March 13, 2020] -- Seneca County Board of Commissioners President Shayne Thomas, in conjunction with the Seneca County General Health District and the Seneca County

Emergency Management Agency, is urging residents to avoid visiting county offices for all non-essential business.

On March 12, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an executive order banning the gathering of more than 100 individuals in one location to attempt to stop the communal spread of COVID-19 aka coronavirus. To ensure the well-being and safety of the county’s employees and its citizens, the commissioners are asking members of the public to conduct county business electronically via phone call or e-mail.

County offices will remain open, but please attempt to reach these offices via phone or e-mail instead of visiting the physical location, when possible. If you must visit a county office in-person, please attempt to call or e-mail ahead of time.

County officials have spent the past month researching the COVID-19 situation, including meetings and conference calls with federal, state and local officials.
“We have been monitoring this situation for quite some time, and while we do not intend to induce panic among residents, we feel we need to set an example by reducing human-to-human contact as much as possible during this time,” Thomas said. “Continue using common-sense hygiene practices and limit your social interactions when possible.”

According to Seneca County Health Commissioner Beth Schweitzer, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Seneca County, but it is likely that the virus will make its way into the community at some point. Because the virus has a lengthy incubation period, someone can be infected, but may not show symptoms for up to two weeks.

The move by the board to attempt to digitize as many physical interactions as possible is out of an overabundance of caution as leaders across the world deal with this issue. Thomas said the situation is fluid, and as the commissioners receive more information, changes to this policy are possible. If you have any questions, please contact the commissioners’ office (419) 447-4550, or e-mail the county’s PR Coordinator Jimmy Flint, at [email protected].
For more information about COVID-19, visit coronavirus.gov.

The Seneca County Museum is a great place to shop for gifts, especially for that fan of local history.

For the rock n roll fans, we have poster reprints from the Boogie Hill and St. John’s Hollow concerts where groups such as: Journey, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, and the Oakridge Boys performed. Maybe you attended one of these concerts or know someone who did! We have beautiful color prints of local historical buildings painted by Roxanna King, plus we have framed photos and antique postcards showing views from our past. You can add some nice history books to your library with titles such as: History of the Tiffin Fire Department, Reminiscences of the Early Days of Tiffin, Seneca Men Were There, A History of Tiffin and Seneca County and more! Most importantly, this is a museum fundraiser and the sale of any of these items helps to support the Seneca Museum and its programs.

Local Area Concerts Poster Reprints from Boogie Hill and St. John's Hollow - $15 ea.

Color Prints by Roxanna King - $30 ea.

A Variety of Local History Books

A Selection of Framed Photos & Postcards - Selection and Prices Vary

A New Flagpole for
the Seneca County Museum
in Memory of Bill Hoffert

, The Seneca County Museum received a gift of a full size flagpole and it was recently installed by the Seneca County Maintenance Department. The flagpole was donated by Seneca County Historical Society Member and museum volunteer Paul Pospisil and it was to honor Bill Hoffert who recently passed away from a long time illness. Bill was Seneca County Museum Director Tonia Hoffert's husband and he was always there at the museum helping in any way that he could. Many times, those visiting the museum, young and old, would find themselves pulling up a chair and just talking local history. Bill had a passion for local history and shared it with everyone and he and his knowledge is greatly missed.

Tiffin City School 3rd Graders Tour the Town - Including the Museum!

On May 9th, 2019, the Tiffin City School 3rd Graders made their annual trek around the town and this included a stop at the Seneca County Museum. The weather for the day started out nice, but right after lunch the rain and sprinkles began to fall. Even so, the tour continued and we're glad that everyone was able to complete the day! There were a total of 237 students, teachers and chaperones on the tour this year and we commend them for their very good behavior! We hope be seeing everyone again in the near future!

The History of J. J. Fleck’s Easter Egg Dye & Stock Food Business is the
New Featured Display at The Seneca County Museum

The Seneca County Museum has just completed installing a new display in the Fort Ball Room at the museum. Just in time for Easter, the display will feature the life and products of J. J. Fleck, who produced and sold Easter Egg Dye in Tiffin for over 100 years.

By the 1970’s, the Fleck Egg Dye Company had grown to be the 2nd largest egg dye company in the United States, but that wasn’t the only product that Fleck was successful at selling. He originally started as a druggist and eventually specialized in formulating a wide variety of animal stock foods and remedies that were sold all across the United States.

The J. J. Fleck display features many items straight from the Fleck drug store and business including: his mortar and pestle, shipping box stencils, the family coverlet, product display boxes and testimonial letters from satisfied customers. Also included in the display is a sampling of dye and animal stock food products made by competitors of J. J. Fleck.

This display will be available for viewing at the Seneca County Museum through the Heritage Festival in September 2019.

Noble School Students Enjoy a "Night at the Museum" with a Scavenger Hunt

In the early evening of March 26th, 2019, the Seneca County Museum hosted 56 students, parents and teachers from Noble School for a "Night at the Museum" event. After enjoying plenty of pizza, everyone headed out into the museum armed with flashlights and a scavenger hunt sheet of 15 items to look for on all 3 floors! This made for a very fun evening with parents joining in on the fun and the teachers said they'll be back next year!

Tiffin Home School Students Visit the Seneca County Museum

On March 27th, 2019, a group of 32 parents and students from the "Tiffin Home School" group stopped by the Seneca County Museum to spend the afternoon there. They were given a program called "Did You Know?" which told 12 different interesting facts about Tiffin, shown several local history informational boards and then everyone was sent out to enjoy the new museum scavenger hunt.

Book Signing at the Seneca County Museum – Saturday, November 3rd from 2 to 4 pm

Make plans on this date to attend a book signing with author Scott Fields for his book: “The Mansfield Killings”. The book is a novel based on true events during the worst two-week killing spree in Ohio’s history. On the night of July 21, 1948, Robert Daniels and John West entered John and Nolena Niebel’s house with loaded guns. They forced the family including the Niebel’s 21-year-old daughter, Phyllis, into their car and drove them to a cornfield just off Fleming Falls Road in Mansfield. The two men instructed the Niebels to remove all of their clothing, and then Robert Daniels shot each of them in the head. The brutal murders caught national attention in the media, but the killing spree didn’t stop there. Three more innocent people, including 2 in Seneca County, would lose their lives at the hands of Daniels and West in the coming week.
Scott Fields tirelessly researched the killings, the capture and trial of Daniels and even interviewed a surviving member of the Niebel family to weave this tragic story into a must-read novel bringing the reader back to those dark days in the summer of 1948. What led to these brutal killings, and why was the Niebel family singled-out to be savagely murdered? It has been 70 years since the tragedy, and, yet, this question still remains unanswered. The book “The Mansfield Killings” is being made into a movie which is scheduled for release sometime in 2019.
This book signing coincides with the Seneca County Museum’s current display on the “Mad Dog Killers”. Daniels & West came to Tiffin and spent several hours mingling with the local citizens who were totally aware that these were wanted killers! They forced the car of Jim & Rita Smith off the road on N SR 53 and killed Jim with Rita, his wife, sitting right next to him. Thankfully, Rita escaped, but these killers continued north to Old Fort looking to exchange get-a-way cars. Instead of a car, they spotted a car carrier transport truck parked for the night at a rest stop and decided to steal that. They killed the sleeping truck driver, took his truck and drove back through Tiffin taking SR 224 west towards Indiana, but they were stopped before getting there. The Seneca County Museum’s display tells the tragic story of the two innocent people who were killed in our county. There is an impressive collection of memorabilia from these killings on display, including blood stained clothing and items worn by Jim and Rita Smith during the shooting, plus so much more. The Mad Dog Killer display has been extended through November. Don’t miss “The Mansfield Killings” book signing on November 3th and meet author Scott Fields.

Ohio Marker Ceremony/Ribbon Cutting at the Seneca County Museum - We could’ve hardly asked for better weather at today’s Ohio Marker Ceremony! A wonderful and supportive crowd filled the front lawn and museum porch to get a good view. We’d like to thank Todd Kleismit for representing the Ohio History Connection during the dedication and the unveiling of the marker. Museum Director Tonia Hoffert spoke and provided a brief history of Rezin Shawhan and his home that is now the museum. Today’s photos are views of the new marker, the ceremony and the unveiling. After this event, everyone moved over to the east porch where a ribbon cutting was held to celebrate all of the efforts and donations made for repairs and replacements of the porch, windows and shutters. Everyone was invited inside of the museum after these events for an open house and refreshments. We’d like to thank everyone who helped with the marker dedication and ribbon cutting including: the guest speakers, the Tiffin Chamber, Ohio History Connections, the Seneca County Commissioners and everyone who took the time to attend. For more photos of this event and the ribbon cutting, we’d recommend visiting: Mayor Aaron Montz’s Facebook page, the Seneca County Commissioners Facebook page, the Seneca Success Facebook page and theTiffinohio.org Facebook page. Once again, thanks so much to everyone! We take great pride in this wonderful addition of one more Ohio Historical marker that’s been added to Seneca County’s collection, and we look forward to applying for more markers very soon!

Ohio Historical Marker Dedication for the Seneca County Museum!

Historical Poster Contest Offers Cash Prizes for all Seneca County Students in Grades 3 to 8

The Seneca County Museum Advisory Board is holding a Poster Contest with cash prizes of $250, $100 and $50. Entries must be received by November 16, 2018 and the winners will be announced on December 1, 2018.
Rules and information for this contest are stated on the flier on the right. Start planning now for a poster design and you could be a winner of a nice cash prize just in time for Christmas!

"The Founding of Tiffin" - Ohio Historical Marker Dedicated

Ohio Marker Dedication Day – At 11 am on June 26th, there was a dedication ceremony held at the new Clouse – Kirian Leadership Park on the corner of S. Washington Street and the Riverside Drive cut-thru. The weather was perfect and there was a nice turnout of spectators for the event. In the photo on the left, Tonia Hoffert and Mark Steinmetz of the Seneca County Historical Society and Shoshanna Gross from Ohio Historical Connection were present to unveil the new historical marker. In the top right photo, members of the Clouse family unveil a plaque in memory of Jerry Kirian, and in the bottom right photo we have a nice view of the new gazebo, brick walkway and streetlights in the park. The historical marker will be there to remind us of our city’s origins, and this new park is a welcoming sight for people crossing the river and entering the downtown area of Tiffin.

Seneca County Museum at the Ribbon Cutting and Time Capsule Dedication
for the new Seneca County Joint Justice Center - May 17th, 2018

Seneca County Museum Director Tonia Hoffert stands next to the
time capsule that was dedicated and will be sealed in the main
lobby of the new Joint Justice Center. It will be opened in 50 years.

The official ribbon cutting for the Joint Justice Center.

The 2018 Tiffin City Third Grade Tour

Thursday, May 10th was the annual Tiffin City Third Grade Tour and the Seneca County Museum was one of the 12 stops on the tour once again this year. There was concern that it might rain at first but they weather turned out to be beautiful! A total of 215 students, teachers and chaperones attended the 2018 tour which started with a program entitled: “Did You Know?” which provided interesting facts about Tiffin. After the program everyone received a history card on the subject of the World War 1 Centennial and a package of red poppy seeds – the symbol of sacrifice during the war.

Signing of New Book “Temple of Justice” by John Huss
which Chronicles a History of Seneca County Courthouses

The Seneca County Historical Society will be featuring a book signing for their April 23rd meeting at 7:30 pm in the Fort Ball Room of the Seneca County Museum, 28 Clay Street, Tiffin, Ohio. The title of the book is called “Temple of Justice” and it was written by local author and historian John Huss.

The book “Temple of Justice” chronicles the history of Seneca County’s courthouses and the construction of the 1884 “Grand Old Lady”. A copy of this book will be placed in the time capsule for the new Justice Center during the ribbon cutting in May 2018.

Preceding the book signing, John Huss will be giving a program on Seneca County courthouses and the book sale and signing will then follow. A very limited number of these books were made during the initial printing, so this event will be your earliest chance to obtain a copy. Also, John Huss has graciously offered a portion of the sale of each book to be donated to benefit the Seneca County Museum. The “Temple of Justice” book will be available for $21.95 each and only cash and checks can be accepted.

It was a full house at the Lenny Clouse Roast Fundraiser

On April 26th, there was "Roast of Lenny Clouse" that was used as a fundraiser for the project of restoring the Carriage House at the Seneca County Museum. There was a nice assortment of unique items provided for the auction and they included: woodwork items salvaged from the 1884 Seneca County Courthouse, a framed Boogie Hill repro concert poster, models of the new justice center and the Port Clinton lighthouse, 4 tickets and throwing out the first pitch at a Mud Hens game, 4 tickets and a ride on the Zamboni machine at a Walleye hockey game, a Ballreich's gift basket and more! The auction was a great success as the bidding was strong and generous! The Seneca County Museum would like to thanks of those folks who helped with this event, the Lenny Clouse family, those business and people who donated auction items and everyone who attended and bid at the auction!

Seneca County Museum To Receive $25,000 Grant for Carriage House Restoration

There was a press conference given by Ohio House of Representative Bill Reineke that was held at the Neeley Conference Center of Terra State Community College on March 1st, 2018. In attendance, were local leaders and government officials who learned of nearly $2 million that will be used on projects in Seneca and Sandusky County. Pictured below is Representative Bill Reineke with Jan & Gary Dundore from the American Civil War Museum of Ohio and Tonia Hoffert, Director of the Seneca County Museum. Both museums were given a grant of $25,000 each to be used for projects. The Seneca County Museum is planning to use this grant towards the restoration of the museum’s carriage house. Tonia Hoffert would like to thank Representative Reineke, the Seneca County Commissioners, SIEDC and anyone else involved for their help in obtaining financing for this worthwhile project for the Seneca County Museum.

Seneca County Museum Has Awesome Models on Display by Jim Robenalt

Over the last few years, the Seneca County Museum has been graced with displaying some incredible models created by Jim Robenalt from Tiffin. We currently have his models of the old “Seneca County Jail”, the “1884 Courthouse” and the new “Justice Center” on display and the detail and scale of these are unbelievable! Today, Jim stopped by with another of his masterpieces and this one is a model of the old “Tiffin Train Depot” on N. Monroe Street. Not only does Jim create a model of the building, but he also adds other details such as hand carts, baggage carts, railroad tracks and other accessories that are also handmade to scale. Thanks again Jim, and we encourage everyone to stop by and see not only his latest work of art, but the other awesome models that he’s created!

The 2017 Christmas Open House

The 2017 Seneca County Museum’s Christmas Open House season ended on Friday with the drawing for the beautiful wooden barn and toy animals that were raffled off. Today’s photo shows museum director Tonia Hoffert (left) congratulating the lucky winner; Jane Birch. Needless to say, Jane was thrilled with the news that she had won! This year’s Christmas Open House at the museum was very successful, as over 600 visitors enjoyed the festivities over the 4 weekend afternoons and 2 evenings for this event. We’d like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s theme “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” an incredible success by providing decorations, music, refreshments and the hundreds of valuable volunteer hours needed for this to happen. Special thanks need to be mentioned to the following: Rodgers Flowers for decorating the East Parlor, to Mike Williams for the donation of his beautiful raffle barn, to the St. Mary’s folk choir and dulcimer band for their wonderful music, to Jan & Gary Dundore for dressing in Victorian clothing and greeting visitors, to Paula Crum, Mark Steinmetz, Brian Courtney, Paul Pospisil and Tonia for their tireless decorating wizardry, and to the museum docents & Historical Society members who provided cookies, candy, crafts, tours and cleaning of the museum in preparation for this event. Most of all, we’d like to thanks all of YOU who stopped by the museum during this time to share in the Seneca County Museum’s holiday tradition! Hearing all of the supportive and gracious comments of your approval is very much appreciative and makes all of this hard work worthwhile. Even though the Christmas Open House is over, you can still view the decorations through Jan. 13th, which includes the following dates: Dec. 19th, 20th, 21st, 27th, 28th, 29th, then Jan. 3rd – 6th and Jan. 9th – 13th. Beyond that, we’re already preparing and planning for the 2018 Christmas Open House and look forward to seeing you there! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Photos from Christmas Open House Weekend - Dec 2nd & 3rd

Open House Celebrating the Arrival of Erastus Bowe to Seneca County in 1817

Phil Engle poses with Erastus Bowe impersonator Mr. Norman Gibat during the 200 Anniversary Open House. They are standing in front of the Fort Ball display cases that contain historical items from Ohio Governor Edward Tiffin, Erastus Bowe and Josiah Hedges.

The Jeremy Marinas family won the first prize raffle basket and Rodney Young won the 2nd prize history basket at the Erastus Bowe 200th Anniversary Open House at the Seneca County Museum on November 18th, 2017.

In Memory of the Loss of Two Great Friends of the Seneca County Museum

A huge part of the experience of attending the Seneca County Museum has always been the amount of assistance one receives with local historical information and the quality of a museum tour. This year, the Seneca County Museum has lost two great friends who were always eager to offer help and friendly smiles to young and old. Bill Hoffert was a incredibly knowledgeable local historian, familiar with not just Seneca County, but also the history of the surrounding counties. Mike Ringle was always there for the May school tour of 3rd graders to the museum and he made history fun and exciting for our young visitors. We will all miss their enthusiasm and their smiles at the Seneca County Museum, but their spirit will always live on in our memories from the knowledge learned and the experiences that we shared. We offer our deepest and sympathy to their many family members and friends for their loss..

Heritage Festival Car Show at the Seneca County Museum

On Saturday, September 16th, the 5th Annual Independent Car Show was held on Clay Street in front of the Seneca County Museum as a part of the Heritage Festival festivities. The weather was perfect, the street was filled with vintage and unique autos and Jolly’s Root Beer truck was there serving their great food. In addition to the car show, there were 27 different items that were raffled off with the proceeds going to the Seneca County Museum. None of this would’ve been possible without the wonderful support of those who volunteered at the museum, those who helped with the setup and take down of equipment and the following businesses who donated items including: AutoZone, Baughman Auto Group, Coppus Motors, Danner’s Towing & Recycling, the Drive Thru – Tiffin, Family Video, First National Bank of Sycamore, Gem Yoga, GW’s Fine Foods & Spirits, Ryan & Pam Hoffert, Lee’s Famous Recipe, Lowes, NAPA Auto Parts, O’Reily Auto Parts, Ralph’s Joy of Living, Rodgers Flowers, Seneca County Historical Society and Sycamore Fire & Rescue. Most of all, we’d like to thank Gina Peacock for her tremendous efforts in organizing and directing the car show, and her dad, Tom Peacock, for being the DJ and providing the awesome music all day. Once again, a big “Thank You” to everyone for their hard work and donations, because your efforts helped our beautiful Seneca County Museum! The 5th Annual Independent Car Show of 2017 was a great success and we look forward to even a bigger and better car show at the 2018 Heritage Festival.

Boogie Hill Repro Concert Poster being offered as Museum Fundraiser

The Seneca County Museum is offering reproduction posters made from an original 1973 Boogie Hill Rock Concert poster. This was Seneca County's first rock concert and it was held only 4 years after Woodstock. The poster is 14" x 22" and looks great in a 16" x 24" frame. The posters are being offered for a $15 donation and proceeds help the Seneca County Museum. They can be purchased at the museum.

Fundraiser for Museums and Tiffin Art Guild

The American Civil War Museum, The Enchanted Moment Doll Museum, The Seneca County Museum, Tiffin Art Guild, and Tiffin Glass Museum have Tiffin Prints for sale. The Tiffin Montage Prints were created by Community Creations and donated by the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce to the museums and art guild. The Tiffin Prints can be purchased for $20 at the above mentioned entities.
Frames for the prints are available to purchase at Frameworks, 643 Miami St., Ste. 4 and Tiffin Glass & Mirror, 204 W. Market St. These will make great gifts!

Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Erastus Bowe Arriving in Seneca County

On Thursday morning a 3’ diameter street decal was installed on a section of sidewalk at the NE corner of the intersection of N. Washington Street and Water Street. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Erastus Bowe arriving to Seneca County and becoming the first permanent settler. Bowe arrived on November 18th, 1817 and had a 2-room cabin built along the 1812 Army Road. It was there that he lived in one room and opened a tavern in the other room that he called “The Pan Yan”. The Seneca County history books claim that the location of the 1817 cabin would’ve been in the middle of the intersection, so it was decided that the street decal would be located in the general vicinity for safety purposes. The design and wording of the street decal was done by Tonia Hoffert and Mark Steinmetz of the Seneca County Museum and it provides a detailed picture of Bowe’s cabin and also a photo of Erastus. The street decal was printed at MLAD and installed by Nathanial Ott. Those in the photo that were present during the installation of the decal were: Gary Dundore, Brenda Stultz, Mark Steinmetz, Mary Lewis, Tonia Hoffert and Lewis Miller.

Tiffin City Schools 3rd Graders Invade Seneca County Museum!

Thursday, May 18th, 2017 was the date for the Tiffin City School Third Graders to take their annual tour and the weather turned out to be great! There were over 250 students, teachers and chaperones who arrived in 12 different groups over 6 hours during this day. They were first greeted by museum director Tonia Hoffert, then saw a short history program and finally stopped at the east parlor for more history! In the end, everyone had a fun day!

Museum volunteer Mike Ringle provides local history information in the East Parlor to one of 12 visiting 3rd grade groups.

Bunnies & Buttons Spring Luncheon a Hopping Good Success!

Museum volunteer Mark Steinmetz started out each group with a "Did You Know?" power point program of fun Tiffin history facts.

Jr. Home Program Given to Y-Wives

The 2017 Spring Luncheon saw 34 guests enjoying a wonderful meal on April 8th at the Seneca County Museum. After the meal there were a wide variety of desserts to choose from that was decorated in an Easter theme. Following the meal, Jan Dundore gave an informative and fun program on the history of buttons and she provided a wide assortment of buttons from her collection as examples of those talked about during her program. Many of the guests walked away with surprise door prizes and everyone received a bag of Easter treats.

Seneca County Museum Director Tonia Hoffert was one of the guest speakers at the March 22nd meeting of the Y-Wives in Tiffin, Ohio. Tonia and Joe Buckley gave an informative history of the Junior Home. Tonia brought along several items from the museum's collection to share with the group including a gown, wicker basket and memory quilt.

New Expanded Hours for Seneca County Museum

Effective March, 2017 the Seneca County Museum
will now be open the following times:

Tuesday thru Friday from 1 to 5 pm Saturday from noon to 4 pm

Seneca County Museum Provides History at Library's Community Read Program

There was a nice turnout for the program given by Museum Director Tonia Hoffert at the Tiffin Seneca Library. Tonia gave a brief history of the influence that agriculture had on Seneca County since the county began and up to the present time. There was also a large display of historical farming products and literature.

History of Tiffin Breweries and Cigar Makers are Subject of New Display

52 Members of the "Explorers Homeschool Group" Tour the Seneca County Museum

A tour group of 52 members of the Explorers Homeschool Group from North Fairfield, New Haven, Plymouth, Williard and Norwalk, Ohio toured the Seneca County Museum on the afternoon of February 15th, 2017. The group was mostly younger children and their adult family members and they enjoyed their visit before proceeding on to the Ritz Theater and then Granny Ballreich's Store. Below, Director Tonia Hoffert and Paul Pospisil help with the tour group.

It's Christmas Everywhere You Look -
at the SENECA COUNTY MUSEUM!!!

It wouldn't be the Christmas Season without stopping by the Seneca County Museum to view their impressive decorations for the holidays! The entire museum is dressed up from top to bottom, inside and out! Many thanks to Tom Rodgers Flowers for the beautiful display in the East Parlor. Thanks also to the "Blossoms & Butterflies Garden Club" for their beautiful tree in the front window. And many thanks to Paula Crum and the museum volunteers for their annual devotion to decorating! You all make this the most beautiful time of the year!

Remodeling of the "Loom Room" Completed in Time for Christmas
And wow... it looks AWESOME!!!

General Gibson's items are altogether in one room
in a very impressive display.

The "Rolling Thru History" Car Show Highlights the
Heritage Festival Weekend - September 17th & 18th

A great day and great cars!

On the left, Gina Peacock gives Jim Benner his plaque for the best Muscle Car.

On the right Gina awards Neil Green the plaque for the most Unusual Vehicle

Above, Wayne Coffman stands next to his 1914 Locomobile! This awesome car won both the best Historical Car Award and People's Choice Award!

The Museum's Hearse Makes a Public Appearance for the First Time in Decades!

This hearse was donated by Ralph & John Koehl and was used by George Staum from 1909 until 1913 in Sycamore, Ohio. It was manufactured by Sayers & Scovill in Cincinnati and they still make hearses today!

Thanks to Keller's Towing and Welding for carefully transporting the hearse to and from the Living Village and it turned a few heads along the way!

The early 1900's horse-drawn hearse made a spooky appearance at the Living Village cemetery walk this year!

History of Tiffin's Theaters is the New Display in the Fort Ball Room

Make sure to visit our new display in the Fort Ball Room called: “Roll-em - From Stage to Screen” – a history of Tiffin’s movie theaters. The display features old photos and memoribilia from Tiffin's earliest movie houses.

Tiffin City School Third Graders Tour the Museum During Their Annual Walk

Volunteer Paul Pospisil explains the 1884 Courthouse time capsule items and model to the Third Graders.

Thursday, May 19th, 2016 was a beautiful weather day and Tiffin City School’s Annual Third Graders Tour of Tiffin. Over 260 children stopped by the Seneca County Museum and visited the new upgraded displays of early doctor equipment, the 1884 Courthouse display plus the miniature courthouse and sheriff’s office. Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to the museum without hearing the story of Rezin Shawhan and the bullet hole in the floor plus seeing the 4-legged duck. This year everyone taking the 3rd graders tour received an information card loaded with facts about Edward Tiffin who is celebrating his 250th birthday this year. The Seneca County Museum looks forward each year to the Third Graders Annual visit! Many thanks to volunteers: Tonia Hoffert, Mike Ringle, Paul Pospisil and Evy Houck for making this event flow so smoothly.

Volunteer Mike Ringle gives the Third Graders a tour of the East Parlor and the story of the bullet hole in the floor from Rezin Shawan.

A Successful and Delicious Italian Dinner Museum/Gallery Alliance Fundraiser !!!

The Seneca County Museum Helps with Historical Video for St. Joseph Church

There was a packed house in the Upper Room of the St. Joseph Activity Center for the premier showing of the movie: Struck Down But Not Destroyed by Kaite Breidenbach. The movie told the story of the 1934 fire that severely damaged the 1862 church and how it was rebuilt during the great depression. The Seneca County Museum provided most of the photos used and the newspaper accounts. The museum also set up an information table at the premier showing the fire photos to those who attended the program.

On April 7th, 2016, Tonia Hoffert gave a talk at the Bucyrus Library about the Ohio Flood of 1913.

Seneca County Museum Gives Program on Tiffin's Junior Home at Library

On March 3rd, 2016, the Seneca County Museum helped the Tiffin Seneca Library celebrate their Community Read Program, by providing a historical program on the History of Tiffin’s Junior Home. The 2016 Community Read book was called: “Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Kline and it only made sense that this would tie-in very nicely with the history of the orphanages in our city. There was a packed house of over 75 guests that attended the program presentation by Tonia Hoffert, the museum director, Tonia brought along some of the museum’s collection of Junior Home items that included: clothing, publications, wicker furniture produced at the home, and other memories. She also provided an informative program on the history of the Home that included many wonderful photos of the Junior Home Kids and it’s long time superintendent; Dad Kernan. The program opened with a video produced by Rodney Young that gave the history of the making of the Junior Home’s 1930’s promotional movie. Rodney is a frequent visitor to the museum, an area history buff and he loves doing video stories. The museum has a copy of the original movie still on the film format and Rodney hopes to find a way to get the film restored and saved before it disintegrates like so many films have of that era.

The Seneca County Museum is on the "Discover Tiffin" Phone App

The City of Tiffin has recently launched a new phone app for smart phones called “Discover Tiffin”. As reported on the “Seneca Success” website – “The app has multiple features, including detailed business listings, a calendar of events and even a form to report a city issue. Users can easily search for local restaurants, recreation spots, professional services, worship services or retail shops, and find contact information, hours of operation, directions and a description of the business. A calendar of events provided by TiffinOhio.org, will keep users informed of upcoming events, and users can select an option to receive notifications from the app. There is also an option to report a problem to the city, and even attach a picture to the report.”
The Seneca County Museum has taken advantage of this opportunity to bring more people to our wonderful facility by sending in our listing. So, if you check out the Discover Tiffin app, you’ll find the Seneca County Museum listed with directions, hours and other important information. Here are screen shots of how the “Discover Tiffin” app looks with the museum listed. Check it out if you have a smart photo!

The 2015 Christmas Open House at the Museum

The Seneca County Museum was open for 3 weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas and for 3 evening open houses. During this time, the museum saw over 500 visitors enjoy the wonderful Christmas decorations, the tasty cookies and punch and the kids had fun doing craft projects. Many thanks to the volunteers who put in countless hours decorating every corner of the Seneca County Museum!

The Seneca County Museum would like to thank Tom Rodgers Flowers for providing the wonderful Christmas decorations in the East Parlor of the Seneca County Museum.

Seneca County Museum Helps with East Tower Open House with Old Photos

The 2015 Halloween Luncheon a Spooky Fun Time for All!

There was a full house in the Fort Ball Room of the Seneca County Museum for the museum's annual Halloween Historical Luncheon of 2015. The food was terrific and the dessert table was a work of art. The room was decorated with a graveyard theme and flying ghosts to set the mood for the program "Come Walk Among the Tombstones". Everyone attending the program received a free favor to take home with them.

Another Successful Heritage Festival Weekend

The 2015 Heritage Festival Weekend started out soggy on Saturday morning as rain showers and overcast skies dampened the mood until early afternoon when it started to clear up. This year there wasn’t the usual crafts vendors along Frost Parkway and there also wasn’t any festival activities scheduled for the downtown area on Sunday. So, there was a real concern that it might be a slow weekend. But the visitors turned out and the museum was busy both days! There were beautiful quilts all over the museum and in every room. The “Good Times String Band” played their music on Saturday and Keith Elchert, co-author of the new Tiffin book was there to sign autographs. On Sunday there were several old time cars on display on Clay Street and they were even giving rides to visitors stopping by! There were several tables filled with crafts for the kids to do and plenty of cookies and punch.

More Additions to the Gardens & Flower Beds at the Museum

This has been a year of transformation to the outside of the museum. Through the efforts of Paula Crum, she enlisted the help of the Seneca County Sheriff’s Department to provide prisoner help in removing the old, overgrown bushes along the front and west sides of the museum. Then she purchased new bushes from funds donated by the Seneca County Historical Society membership and planted them. Paula, who is well known for her green thumb and expertise at gardening, purchased and brought from home a large selection of perennials to fill in the new open areas. Later this spring, Paula had the prisoners back so they could paint the iron fence along the front of the building. Plus, in her free time she has spent time trimming, pruning and weeding all year long. So, we’d like to offer a huge “Thank You” to Paula for all of her hard work and making the museum even more beautiful!

The Life of Raggedy Ann -
The Seneca County Museum's Summer Luncheon Program

Raggedy Ann Celebrates Her 100th Birthday at the Seneca County Museum! - Raggedy Ann, portrayed by Tonia Hoffert, portrayed Raggedy Ann at the Museum's Summer Luncheon on Saturday, August 1st. Almost 40 visitors attended the luncheon and saw a program that examined the life of the simple rag doll that was invented by Johnny Gruelle in 1915. Guests were asked to bring along their Raggedy Ann's & Andy's to the luncheon and several of them shared their collections and their treasured friends from their childhood days.

Seneca County Museum members assist withTiffin mural

Early in 2015, it was announced that the Leadership Seneca County group would be having a mural painted somewhere in downtown Tiffin. It was decided that they’d like to paint a historic view of Tiffin’s downtown on the north wall of the Supance & Howard Law Office next to Parking Lot #7. Members of the Seneca County Historical Society and Seneca County Museum got involved and offered a variety of old photos to choose from. A view from the late 1950’s was chosen because even though it was taken well over 50 years ago, it was still recent enough for people to remember. Mark Steinmetz worked with the artist, Kymberlee Woods to provide as much detail of the signs, buildings, cars and businesses that were visible in the photo. The mural was dedicated in early September and has received many positive reviews! Many times you’ll drive by and see people just staring and taking photos of this work of art. On the right you can see the comparative views of the original photo next to the mural.

Seneca County Corrections Department Helps to Spruce Up the Museum!

Over the last few weeks, David Magers, the community corrections officer at the Seneca County Sheriff's Office and some County Jail inmates have helped with some projects at the Seneca County Museum. In May, they dug up and removed the old bushes along the front and sides of the museum. Members of the Seneca County Historical Society provided the funds to purchase new bushes and the inmates returned and planted them. In early June, This was done under the help and direction of Paula Crum and the new landscaping is beautiful! In June, Dave Magers and some of the inmates returned to begin the project of scraping, brushing and painting the old wrought iron fence that surrounds the museum's property. So far the results have been very impressive and the fence looks great! Many thanks to all of those who helped with these projects!

School Days at the Seneca County Museum - 2015

On Thursday, May 21st, 2015, the Seneca County Museum received 274 visiting third graders from the Tiffin City Schools as they made their annual spring trek to various stops around the town. The weather was clear and cool and a perfect day for the event. Museum volunteer Mike Ringle had everyone's attention as he told the story of Rezin Shawhan's surprise visitor and how the bullet hole got in the floor. Of course, the 4-legged duck was there for all of the kids to see, just like he is every year!

Tiffin University Brings Their History Classes to the Seneca County Museum!

Dr. Bruce Bowlus, Associate Professor of History at Tiffin University, has recently used the Seneca County Museum as a “field trip/classroom” as he brought his students there for some hands-on work. On Friday, February 6th his class arrived a little after 8 am with the goal of learning more about the “Little Italy” area in Tiffin. To do this, they were instructed on how to use the research library at the museum, which included: city directories, phone books, Seneca County Histories, photo albums, the historical house inventory and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. The students also enjoyed exploring all 3 floors of the museum and seeing the local history displays! On Friday, April 3rd, Dr. Bowlus’ history class returned once again at 8 am with the goal of finding an artifact at the museum. They then had to learn as much about it as possible which included: measuring it, photographing it, studying it and researching the item. It was easy to see that these students really enjoyed getting away from the classroom and spending their time at the Seneca County Museum and it’s so convenient that the museum is only a few blocks away. Here’s hoping that we get to see them more often in the future!

The Tiffin Book Signing Event a Wonderful Success for All!

On Saturday, February 28th, 2015, visitors began streaming into the Seneca County Museum 45 minutes before the official opening of the book launch, and they kept coming and many stayed for the whole afternoon. At several times the autograph line stretched the entire length of the room and some visitors purchased more than one book! During the afternoon, Keith Elchert shared his thoughts and experiences of authoring this book during a 20-minute question and answer period. Visitors also took the opportunity to tour the museum during the afternoon. Over 100 visitors enjoyed the book signing and over 70 books were sold! We also wish to thank Keith & Laura Elchert for their generous gift of the proceeds from the sale of this book will help support the museum! Many thanks!

German Dinner Fundraiser for the Museum Alliance a Success!

Seneca County Museum Docent Fall Luncheon A "Bewitching" Success!

On Saturday, October 18th, the Seneca County Museum Docents held their Fall Luncheon and the event was completely sold out! Guests enjoyed a luncheon of autumn type foods followed by a wide variety of desserts and sweets! Tonia Hoffert gave the program called: "Seneca County Spooky Stories and Haunted History" and it consisted of local ghost stories and urban legends.

The Seneca County Museum and the Seneca County Historical Society helped with providing historical information for a display at this year's Heritage Festival. There were 8 boards located on the courthouse lawn and each one gave the history of a local industry from Tiffin. The photo above shows what one of those history boards looked like. The industries included were:
- American Standard
- The J J Fleck Co.
- The Economy Motor Car Co.
- The Loomis Machine Co.
- The Tiffin Manufacturing Co.
- The Tiffin Washboard Industry
- The Monarch Toy Co.
- The American Crayon Co.

These boards were printed by MLAD advertising and looked terrific. They were very popular and there are plans to do more next year.

The Seneca County Museum Brings Their Jr. Home Collection to the Jr Home Kids

The 2014 Labor Day Weekend brought the Jr Home Kids back to Tiffin and this year it was the 100th Anniversary of the Kids "Coming Home". Over 100 Kids and their family members registered for that weekend and on Sunday, August 31st they all enjoyed the museum's collection. Thanks to Tonia and Bill Hoffert and Brian Courtney for arranging this display!

Howard Smith - A true friend of local history and the Seneca County Museum!

On October 4th, 2013, Howard Smith passed away at the age of 93. Howard was a long time member of the Seneca County Historical Society and supporter of the Seneca County Museum. Even though his employment required him to live in places other than Tiffin and Seneca County, he was still an avid local historian. Once Howard retired, he returned to this area to pursue his passions of farming and historical research, especially covering the timeframe of the 1860's to the 1880's. More importantly, Howard shared his research findings with everyone, by publishing weekly articles in the Advertiser Tribune for several years, and then eventually combining these articles together in a book. He also published books on the efforts of the Civil War in Seneca County, and on the Sheidley family from Tiffin who became cattle barons. There are just a handful of great people that you'll meet in a lifetime, who give their lives to their community through their research of history and by sharing those findings with the public. Those are the true "historians", and Howard Smith was a great one! He will truly be missed!

Thanks to the generousity of Howard's estate, we have been given copies of Howard's books that we can sell to raise money for keeping the museum open.

$15 each

$5 each

$15 each

Tiffin's Junior Home - A Rare and Wonderful Look at It's Incredible History!

Copies of these Junior Home videos are now available at the museum. They can be picked up at the museum or they can be mailed. There are two different dvd's. (See the description of the dvd's on the right)

Each dvd can be purchased for a $10 donation (in person) and all proceeds help to keep the museum open. Or the dvd's can be shipped by mail. Please add an additional $3 to cover shipping for one dvd and no addtional cost for combining more than one dvd in the same package.

"Home Movies" from the Junior Home date back to 1939 and 1940 and gives a glimpse at the day in the life of the homekids. Also included is the first exchange of children of Tiffin and the Lexington Homes in 1948.

"The Fruits of Fraternal Love" - a professionally produced movie that explains the procedure for children being accepted into the home and what their lives would be like from early childhood to graduation from high school.

Near Capacity Crowd Enjoy Fall Luncheon - Pumpkins and Parasols!

Over 30 guests enjoyed excellent foods, desserts and beverages as they were treated to a great historical program performed by Jan Dundore. Jan gave everyone a brief history of parasols and offered many examples from her large collection. There were very early examples with carved handles and small parasols used by children, The Fort Ball Room was wonderfully decorated with fall colors, pumpkins and scarecrows and everyone in attendance won a door prize!

Heritage Festival Weekend - 2013

After a rainy start on Friday evening, the skies cleared and the Heritage Festival weekend on Saturday and Sunday turned out to be beautiful weather days! There were good crowds for all of the programs including: the Dulcimer Group, the T’s in Tiffin video and both 1913 Flood Programs. The Tiffin Heritage Quilt Club sold raffle tickets both days on quilts that were made and donated as a fundraiser for the museum. The 2013 Heritage Festival Princess Kirstin Egbert and her sister pulled the lucky quilt winners on Sunday and Kirstin performed her “History of Seneca County” speech from the festival pageant. There were some great antique autos on display outside on Clay Street while the front parlor had a beautiful display entitled: “Brides Gathering”, where several elegant brides dresses both old and new were shown! In remembrance of the 1913 Flood, the museum hung 6 information plaques along the river walkway on Frost Parkway between Clay and Washington Streets at locations significant to the flood. All of these events brought the total attendance through the museum for the weekend to 361 visitors! Well done!

September Historical Society Meeting

On Monday, September 23rd, the Seneca County Historical Society toured the Diane Kidd Gallery of Art at Tiffin University to enjoy Michael Flechtner’s Neon Art Exhibit for their September monthly meeting. Flechtner is a former Tiffin resident now living in California.
Much of his inspiration for neon artwork came from his appreciation of the large neon signs on the Ritz, the Tiffin Drive-in and the Eagles “FOE” signs that he would see in is youth while living in Tiffin. This exhibit was very bright and colorful and was enjoyed by everyone in attendance. After the tour the group of approximately 25 members returned to the museum for refreshments.

Bernadine Stetzel Guest Speaker at October 13th - Sunday's at the Museum

The last "Sunday's at the Museum" program for 2013 was a very special one! Not only were visitors entertained by the video: "Memory Painting by Bernadine Stetzel", but they also had the opportunity to visit with her in person! Mrs. Stetzel also brought along different copies of artwork books that she had published and was selling and autographing them for those in attendance. Also on display were several original paintings on loan from St. Mary's Church. Once again we'd like to thank the Seneca County Museum Docents for organizing a very entertaining year of special events each month called; "Sundays at the Museum"!

Junior Home Kids Weekend at the Seneca County Museum - Sept 1st, 2013

Nearly 50 Junior Home Kids and family members spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon at the Seneca County Museum. Two different Junior Home movies were shown and the Junior Home kids shared their memories and experiences with those in attendance. The guests also visited the Junior Home Room on the 2nd floor. This was such a learning experience as so many stories and history was brought together in one place!

Char & Whitey Distel Celebrate Their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a Fundraiser!

Char and Whitey Distel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the Fort Ball Room on August 31st along with approximately 80 friends and family members! In lieu of anniversary gifts, they requested that guests instead give a donation to the Seneca County Historical Society as a fundraiser to help support the museum. Char's wedding dress was on display as well as other wedding memoribilia including a video taken the day of the wedding. Guests enjoyed cake and ice cream, punch and snacks and also took advantage of touring the museum. We would would like to whole-heartedly thank Char and Whitey for sharing this important celebration with us at the museum and for providing this fundraiser which will provide much needed financial help.

Visitors Enjoy Videos of Vintage Parades at "Sundays at the Museum"

The topic for the July version of "Sundays at the Museum" was "I Love a Parade". Visitors were shown some wonderful old parade movies from as early as 1942. These were scrap drive parades and were filmed going through downtown. There were also great videos of downtown Tiffin from the 1950's. The program ended with some slides and videos of the Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial parades.

Docent Summer Luncheon "Sunflowers and Sunbonnents" a Blooming Success!

Saturday August 10th, 2013 was the date of the Seneca County Museum Docents summer luncheon called "Sunflowers and Sunbonnets”. The Fort Ball Room was decorated with sunflowers everywhere and the luncheon was themed after a summer picnic which even included some decorative picnic ants! A nearly full house enjoyed Tonia Hoffert’s hat program where she gave a history of hats and provided a huge sampling of headwear for both men and ladies. Those attending were encouraged to wear a favorite hat, which many did! Plan now to attend our Fall Luncheon!

Spring Luncheon - Wedding Traditions Through the Ages - A Wonderful Success

Over 30 visitors enjoyed the Seneca County Museum Docents spring luncheon on Saturday, June 15th at the Fort Ball Room of the Seneca County Museum. Jan Dundore not only provided a terrific program, but also made the fantastic wedding cake that set the theme for the afternoon! Jan started her program by answering the many questions of how the wedding ceremony and traditions have evolved over the centuries. She also brought men's and women's clothes and accessories related to weddings. The program was followed by a delicious lunch and wedding cake for dessert. Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a success including the museum docents, historical society members and especially Jan Dundore!

Seneca County Museum receives beautiful Secretary made by Johann Philip Seewald

After almost 6 months of discussions and planning, the museum received a wonderful gift on May 20th, 2013. It was the final wishes of Norma E. Battes that a secretary was be returned to the citizens of Seneca County because of its historical significance. Johann Philip Seewald (1799 – 1878) was the great grandfather of Norma E. Battes. More commonly known as “Philip”, Mr. Seewald was a well known jeweler in Tiffin and we are still doing research to learn more about him. It was the belief of Mrs. Battes that this piece of furniture was made by Seewald and it has the beauty and details of someone with great artistic abilities! The efforts to match the wood grains, the unique “S” shaped key and the craftsmanship are all clearly evident in this beautiful masterpiece. This item was probably made in the 1850’s and it has been located at the front entrance of the museum where it fits in perfectly with the surroundings. Many thanks to Mrs. Leda Linderman, who was the executer of the will, for all of her efforts to make this process go so smoothly! Make sure to stop by the museum in the near future to see this new acquisition!

Photo 1 - Johann Philip Seewald
Photo 2 - Seewald furniture
Photo 3 - Beautiful wood grain
Photo 4 - "S" shaped key

Garden Lovers Enjoy "English Cottages & Gardens" Program featuring Janet del Turco

Over 30 visitors enjoyed the museum's open house and program on Sunday, May 19th. This was the 2nd event in a series of monthly programs that have been planned and organized by the Seneca County Museum Docents. Janet del Turco shared her experiences with gardening with the visitors and offered suggestions for improving our own gardens, including vegetable gardens!

3rd Graders Invade the Seneca County Museum!!!

On Thursday, May 16th, the 3rd graders from the Tiffin City Schools made their annual trek to the museum! It was a beautiful day and thanks to the help of the Seneca County Museum docents, the Seneca County Museum hosted 234 students and 61 teachers and chaperones!

Calvert Catholic School 3rd Graders Too!

On May 22nd, the museum hosted 32 third graders with 10 teachers and chaperones who toured the museum on a beautiful spring day!

Later that afternoon, 10 students from Tiffin University toured the museum too!

Join Us on FACEBOOK

If you love local history and vintage photos from Tiffin and Seneca County, be a part of a growing movement and join The Seneca County Museum on Facebook! There you see posts announcing what happen on "This Day in Seneca County History" or check out the latest "Vintage Photo of the Day" that takes us back to the Good Old Days!

Example of "Vintage Photo of the Day"

Westgate Shopping Center photo taken in 1969.

1884 Courthouse Artifacts Raffle Winners Are:

Door Mantle

Elizabeth & Larry Ball
of
Tiffin, Ohio

Wall Panel

Phil & Alisa Adams
of
Tiffin, Ohio

Floor Register

Steve Hartzell
of
Tiffin, Ohio

Museum Fundraisers
1884 Seneca County Courthouse Artifacts Raffle & Collectibles

Steve McFerren Courthouse Prints

The Museum has for sale some of Steve McFerren's prints of his sketch of the 1884 Seneca County Courthouse. Each print is numbered and this is a limited edition piece of artwork. Cost is $20 each and profits from the sale of these prints helps benefit the Seneca County Museum!

1884 Courthouse Comemorative Medals

Now available at the Seneca County Museum! Shown below is the front & back sides. Only $10 each and profits from the sale of these go to the Seneca County Museum. There is a limited number of these available, so don’t delay!

War of 1812 Bicentennial Ceremony - June 18th, 2012

June 18th, 2012 marked the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812. Because of Seneca County’s direct involvement in this war, the Seneca County Historical Society volunteered to assist “The Ohio War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission” in a state-wide ceremony called: “Raise The Flag!”. Each county in Ohio will receive a 15-star American flag, which will be presented and flown on June 18th. This flag will also fly on other important historical dates that are significant to the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.

Seneca County played an important role in the War of 1812. There were forts built in both Old Fort (Fort Seneca) and in Tiffin (Fort Ball). These 1812 forts were constructed as supply depots and offered provisions and security for the army route along the Sandusky River. Plus, this army supply road was a lifeline to the troops fighting in the thick wilderness of Northwest Ohio and along Lake Erie. Many soldiers died of disease and harsh weather conditions while serving at these forts and it’s time that we honor these forgotten men.

A very nice turnout of patriotic citizens was present on a warm Monday morning, to help commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. The gathering took place at the gazebo along Frost Parkway, which was also the site of Fort Ball. Guest speakers included: Mayor Aaron Montz, City Administrator Deb Reamer and County Commissioner Jeff Wagner. Brian Courtney then spoke about the history of Fort Ball and Mark Steinmetz delivered the declaration of war on Great Britain from President Madison. Jim Roberts, the Master of Ceremony, kept the ceremony on track and on time, because just as his final words were spoken, the bells of area churches began to ring! Following the ceremony, approximately 50 visitors visited the Seneca County Museum and enjoyed punch and cookies.

Please consider becoming a "Friend of the Museum"

The Seneca County Historical Society is looking for your help to keep the museum doors open for all citizens of Seneca County! Please see the form below!