December

Christmas Open House was a huge success! Most people I have seen in the Museum at one time. Treasure hunt was a blast. Children and adults searched all the rooms for the hidden items. Our basket of prizes was depleted, looks I will have to go shopping - oh I love the Dollar Store. The ghosts have been quiet - I guess they like what we have done. Stop by to see Christmas at the Museum 2009. We will be open Sundays through December.

Merry Christmas!!!

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer

"You know Dasher and Dancer, Eastwood and Selleck, Big John, Hoppy, Audie and Roy. But do you recall the world's greatest cowby of all?"(Billy Holcomb, Dennison, Texas) In the beginning it was essential Rudolph have perfection in a voice, which would take him to where only legends go. In 1949 Gene Autry recorded Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer selling 2 million copies that year. Sixty years have passed, but Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer remains one of the most popular Christmas songs. Stop by the Museum to hear Rudolph and other Christmas songs by the Singing Cowboy.

3000 Santas

The Museum is the lucky recipient of approximately 3000 Santas. They were donated to us from the late Shirley Fry's family. They are so awesome, but I have to tell you I think the Collections Committee is getting "bah humbuggy" sorting through them! What a chore! The Santas will be found throught out the Sullivan-Johnson House during the Christmas season starting November 28. Planned is a treasure hunt relating to the Santas with prizes awarded for finding certain ones.

Another coup for the Museum. One of Bob Bailey's 1938 Gene Autry cap pistols will be going to the Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles (loan, not permanent). Hard to believe they do not have one. While it is on display it will have a tag recognizing Bob and the Hardin County Historical Museum. How great is that?!

Hopefully the Museum "muscles" will be moving some show cases today, but it looks like the rain may cancel those plans. We have had two cases donated to us, one from Berkley Hill, the other from Hardin County Genealogy. We are grateful to them for the donation as the cases are very expensive to purchase.

On its way to us is another Kenton Toy courtesy of the Kenton Toy Collectors. In case you do not know the Collectors meet monthly at the Museum. Their function is to take care of our collection and add to it. They are a terrific source of information. With our new video camera, we will be taking videos of the collectors and their collections, and their stories about Kenton Toys and the Kenton Hardware Company.

It is a rainy Friday, why not spend the afternoon at the Museum?

DeeAnna Rose

On Friday, October 9 the Museum was the recipient of a very generous donation from Brenda Clark. The money came from her daughter's trust that was created when DeeAnna was diagnosed with cancer in 1985. The money is to be used to replace the roof on the Beech Grove School. Thanks to a local contractor, the work has begun. This contractor has always been very good to the Museum, donating most of his labor. Thanks Grindell Masonry!!! (see the article in October 10 Kenton Times) With a $1000 grant from Mid Ohio Energy and proceeds from the Hog Roast and a bequest, we will have enough money to also put a new roof on the woodworker's shop.

Brenda also personally donated $500 to be used to replenish the supplies for the School. This was so awesome.

While the Farm Museum has been put to sleep for the winter months, stop out to see the progress and watch for the re-opening in the Spring. We would like to invite all Hardin County Schools and any other schools to spend a day in the Beech Grove School. The children have a wonderful time pretending to be children in 1860.

It's Over!!

Oh my!! Summer is over. I have been in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for two weeks. It was awesome. 75 degrees and sunny every day. I did catch a cold, which has developed into bronchitis, but "a bad day on vacation, is better than a good day at work."

We are beginning to think Christmas at the Museum. Yes I know it is not yet October, but it takes alot of coordination and planning. The displays must be up before Thanksgiving, as opening day is November 28.

We have on display right now the OSU (Ohio State University) football program covers illustrated by Fred Machetanz. We got a big laugh over the cost of the program - 25 cents!! If you have been to any college games recently, or even high school, you know a program is way more than 25 cents.

Coming our way soon is a black and white lithograph by Fred Machetanz, Trailmates. What a great addition to our collection.

The Kenton Toy Collectors have been busy. They purchased 3 toys this summer to be added to the display. At September meeting, they decided to do a display of the plastic, remote control cars made in Kenton in the late 1940's (not at the Kenton Hardware Company). The cars are on loan from John Ramge. Stop by to take a look.

Keep following this blog, we will let you know what is happening at the Museum.
donated by a family in Portland, Oregon.

Hardin County Fair

The Hardin County Fair begins September 8. The Museum will be in the Communty Building - please stop by to see us. The theme this year is Kenton Toys. We will have the 1953 pictures of toys from the sample room, cd's, books, old fair books, odds an ends ofbooks, and an opportunity to become a member of the Museums. All new memberships receive a free Kenton Toy Collectors baseball hat.

After fair week, the Museum will be closed until September 28 while I am on vacation. Then it will be time to gear up for Christmas. Can you believe it? We received the Santa Claus collection of Shirley Fry. She was a collector from the age of 5, the collection numbers in the thousands. We have big plans to display as many as we can during the Christmas season. We will also be sharing the collection with the new Bed and Breakfast, the Grand Trillium Inn.

The book signing with Max Terman, author of Hiram's Honor went very well. The Ohio
4th Civil War re-enactors were here, as was Tim "Jacob Parrott" Striker. The surprise visit from Betty Resch and her family was quite welcome. Betty is the great-granddaughter of Delano Morey, who received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War. Mr. Terman's book is available at the Museum. It is an awesome read. If you have ever wondered what it was like to be a Civil War soldier, you don't want to miss this book.

See you in a few weeks!!

Over???

Summer may be coming to an end, but the Museum is gearing up for more events. Saturdy 29 is the book signing with Max Terman, author of Hiram's Honor. Then the Hardin County Fair, and wow! before you know it will be the holidays.

We have had a busy summer, lots of visitors, and new exhibits. Stop by to see what's new a the Museum.

Hiram's Honor

Hiram's Honor is a terrific book about a private in the Civil War. The author, Max Terman will be at the Museum on August 29, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for a book signing. Joining him will be Civil War re-enactors, including Jacob Parrott. Mr. Terman will bring a limited supply of the book (to purchase) with him. Mark the day on your calendar.

Before coming to the Museum, be sure to stop in the downtown area for the Farmer's Market. The Farmer's Market happens every Saturday morning. It is a great place to stock up on locally grown and produced items - from veggies, baked goods, baskets, rugs, flowers..........

After the event

The Hog Roast is now history. Not bad for a first time. We did not make any profit, but comments were positive and plans are in the works for 2010. Thanks to the Whitaker Brothers for performing well beyond the time they were paid for. What a great group of people!!

Wonderful Wednesdays was............WONDERFUL! The month of July went by so fast, I can't believe it is over. The children had a great time and we hope they learned something along the way. We may have a whole new generation of weavers and spinners. Many, many thanks to Sue Brown, Marlene Marker, and Cathy Taylor for being the instructors. Also many thanks to the volunteers Gloria Patton, her grand daughters Brittany and Lindsey, Sue Sanders, and Linda Martel. Couldn't have done it without you. Brittany and Lindsey have become Museum supporters. We were talking one day about doing the program next year. The following week they came to me with a plan - very professionally presented. They are terrific young ladies and were great role models for the younger children.

Hog Roast

Saturday, July 25 the Museum is having a Hog Roast to raise funds for the Farm Museum. There are many repairs needing to be done. The Beech Grove School needs a new roof, the bell tower needs to be repaired, some of the siding needs replaced. The Dunkirk Jail (Woodworker's Shop) needs a new roof and iron bars over the windows. The Staadt Log House needs a log replaced. The Barn needs a cement floor.

The Hardin County Collectors and Restorers will be there with their antique tractors. The Whitaker Brothers will be entertaining from 5:00 - 7:00. Mt. Victory Meats is preparing the "feast" - pulled pork, sauce, Texas toast, cole slaw, baked beans, and dessert. Serving is from 5:00 to 6:00 There is no admission fee, but we hope you will come out and have a good time, and leave a few dollars in the donation box. Activities start at noon.

For more information, please call the Museum at 419-673-7147.

See you there!!

Can you believe it is July?? This almost seems like the year without a summer, or at least a weird summer. But it could be worse. The Northeast is having rain, rain, rain. I read somewhere that Boston had 3 days of sunshine since June 1.

The Museum's Wonderful Wednesdays is going great. The children are so well behaved (for the most part) and eager to learn. So far they have learned to spin yarn from wool and have made friendship bracelets. Next week is felting and everyone is looking forward to tie dyeing a t shirt.

If you have not yet been to the Museum this summer, stop in soon. Jerry Gaukins "Images from the Driver's Seat" will be ending soon, and the Gene Autry display will end next week.

General Murray

The Museum just had a visit from Brigader General Murray, his wife, and father. We are so proud and honored to have his picture in the General's Gallery. Saturday he was honored by having the Cherry St. Park renamed for him. What do you say to a person like him? I admit I was a little nervous when he walked in the door. He and his family soon put me at ease. What a GREAT man. After I explained to him the saga of the Jacob Parrot Medal, he even offered to look into it for us. How cool is that??? By the way, if you haven't thanked a military person lately, please remember to do so.

Wonderful Wednesdays

Join us Wednesdays in July at the Hardin Historic Village and Farm,Kenton, located east of the Hardin County Fairgrounds. All the buildings will be open, the woodworker will be in attendance and the rug loom will be in operation. Hours 10 a.m. - noon, and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Hiram's Honor

Hiram's Honor is a new Civil War book about the 82nd Ohio. The author Max Terman, will do a book signing at the Farm Museum, tentatively scheduled for August 29. Mark your calendars. We are looking forward to the event. More details will be posted here and on our web site.

We now have a copy of the book at the Museum, which I have started to read. It is a wonderful story.

Many thanks to Richard Fink for bringin this author and his new book to our attention.

Gene Autry Days are upon us. Our local Chamber and Business Alliance puts on a quality show the last weekend of June. Be sure to stop in the Museum after you visit Gene Autry Days. We have created a special tribute to Gene Autry, which includes a sports coat worn by Gene in 1975.

Bats!!!!!!!

Got a call at 3:30 a.m. from the police department. The Museum's alarm was activitated. We have a couple of bats that like to hang out in the basement and now and again they set off the motion detectors. I am third on the list to be called for emergencies, but apparently the first two people chose to ignore their phone. My first reaction when the phone rang in the pre-dawn hours was panic - why do we always assume the worst? As soon as I realized it was not a family member calling, my heart settled back into my chest. Not a good way to be awakened.

If you have ideas on to get rid of the critters, please let us know. We do have the chimneys covered. Leaving the lights on in the basement and running a fan hoping this will disturb them enought that they will move out.

Oh, and yes we have been told it could be the ghosts. Louella has been sighted in the basement. If it is her, (and I have been talking to her all day about this), we hope she is done having fun at our expense.

Friday

Wow!! TGIF!! We have been very busy this week with visitors. We are so glad people are making the museum their destination. If you have been following the news about the Ohio Historical Society, we feel very fortunate to be able to keep our doors open. We are very frugal and could not exist if our funding were cut to the extent that the state government is cutting the Ohio Historical Society. It will have an effect on us and all other museums in Ohio, as we rely on them for support by way of grants, teacher education, their library, and many other things. At this point it even looks like the funding for the anniversary of the Civil War has been totally cut. Please contact your representatives and let your voice be heard!!

In case you were wondering we are supported solely by donations, memberships, and grants. The county pays the utilities and the outside maintenance.

We are gearing up for Gene Autry Days, June 27 and 28, in the Community Building at the Hardin County Fair Grounds (sponsored by the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance). We have an excellent display of Gene Autry memoribilia, from the one of the original cap pistols given out on August 8, 1938 to an authentic Gene Autry cashmere jacket. Stop by to see the great items. "We're Back in the Saddle Again"

URGENT!!!

Please contact your representatives. The Senate is considering ending funding for the Ohio Historical Society Local Office. You may not think that this is a big deal, but it is. The Local History Office supports museums and historical societies in Ohio. Without them many educational opportunities will be gone. Please go the Ohio Historical Society web page and click on "legislative up date".

Weekend Hours

Thanks "anonymous" for your question about weekend hours. We do not have regular weekend hours due to lack of volunteers, but the Farm Museum, located on Fairgrounds Road, Kenton will be open on July 4. The Farm Museum will also be open on July 25 for a hog roast and auction. The Sullivan Johnson House will be be open June 27 and 28 for Gene Autry Days and August 8 (evening) before the annual fund raiser A Night at the Museum.

I wish we could be open every weekend, but I cannot get people to give up a Sunday afternoon to be a docent. Is no one interested in history? I know that not much, if any, local history is taught in school. Hardin County is rich is history from the Shawnee, the early settlers, to the world famous Kenton Cast Iron Toys. I could jut go on, and on, but I will save that diatribe for another day.

Friday

It has been quite a day at the Museum. I am calling it a "Murphy's Law" Day. For those of you who do not know what that is - it means anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and it did!!!!

In the meantime, we want to let everyone know, the Museum is participating in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Everytime you use your Kroger Plus card in Kenton, Ohio ,you are making a donation to the Museum. Even though you have a Kroger Plus card, you must go to the web site and create an account. Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com, click on Ohio, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on enroll, or click on the sentence "click here to follow step by step instructions". Thank you for supporting the Museum.

We have lots of activities plannned for the summer, so be sure to check here frequently or check out our website www.hardinmuseums.org

Have a great weekend.

New Toys

The Kenton Toy Collectors have added two toys to our collection.

Toy on left is 1920's Trolley Train. Toy on the right is 1938 Fire Pumper.

Spirits

Thanks Gene for the kind words. For those of you who do not know Gene - he is with Buckeye State Paranormal and Haunting Investigations. Check out his web site. You will find the results of the results of the investigations done at the Museum. Who would have thought we would be famous for our ghosts? I am not here when the investigations take place but, I co-exist with the spirits on a daily basis, and while I am not exactly afraid, I do give them their space. Stop by and I will tell you some ghost stories.

Welcome

I am pretty new to this blogging, but since I attended a lunch seminar about blogging and social networking, I am hoping this will help get the word out about the Museum. We are so unique. At the Museum you will find the Medal of Honor awarded to Jacob Parrott, the very first recipient of the honor. We have two rooms of the world famous Kenton Cast Iron Toys that were manufactured right here in Kenton, Ohio. The Kenton Toy Collectors, a group of toy collectors, have recently added 2 toys to our collection. We also have two ghosts - Louella Sullivan and Edna Johnson. Louella and her husband Daniel built our house in 1896. Edna is their daughter.

Ok - I don't want to give away too much. Please stop in to see us. We are located in Kenton, Ohio, 223 N. Main St.