RichHistory Alliance

1265 W. Fourth St., Mansfield, OH 44906 From the bucket brigade to the horse-drawn equipment, through the internal combustion powered equipment - experience the history of fire service.

18 W. Main St., Shiloh, OH 44878 419-896-2618 / 520-481-4382 S. A. H. S. founded in 1989 by a devoted group of local citizens. The Boorman Bldg. the oldest building in town was built in 1852 & houses early manufacturing & agricultural items. Main St. site has research data, honrs local military, & SHS memorabilia. Open April - Oct. 1st Sat & 3rd Sun 1 - 3:30PM

167 Main St. Bellville OH 44813 Ph. 419-545-0975 Here at The Bellville-Jefferson Township Historical Society Museum, preserving local history is our passion. Come and enjoy a step back in time! HOURS: March to November; Wed. 1-5 pm & by appointment. Members meet for a historical program every 3rd Monday (March to November). Public is welcome!

4050 Bromfield Rd. • Lucas, OH 44843 (419) 892-2784 Malabar Farm, established in 1939 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louis Bromfield, was his home and working farm until his death in 1956. The park grounds, including Mt. Jeez, are open from dawn to dusk. Mt. Jeez is closed November through April.

(419-522-1831) 389 Altamont Ave. Mansfield, OH 44902 As one of the top five oldest and largest cemeteries in the state of Ohio, The Mansfield Cemetery Association, Inc. is the final resting place for many generations of Richland County residents. Steeped in rich history and stories of those who lived and made an impact in our community.

The Shelby Bicycle Museum is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the grounds of the original Shelby Cycle factory, now the Shelby Justice Center on 31 Mack Avenue. The unique interactive museum contains murals of each of the bicycle factories in Shelby, as well as a 22-foot timeline of Shelby history. The display is tied through QR codes to www.shelbycyclehistory.org, where visitors can find additional information.

100 Reformatory Rd, Mansfield, Ohio 44905

Visit site for hours

Walk the same halls as history's most infamous prisoners. The prison was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until 1990, when a United States Federal Court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. it was made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994) when it was used for the majority of the movie.

Most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished since the closing. In 1995, the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed. They have turned the prison into a museum and conduct tours to help fund grounds rehabilitation projects and currently work to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration.

RCHS; 310 Springmill St. Mansfield, OH 44903 Our aim is to provide a roadmap to and positive examples of Historic Preservation developing stable, mixed income neighborhoods, creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, bridging communities, fostering upward mobility and innovation.

The estate of Charles Kelly King, handed down in trust as a public garden

50 N Trimble Rd, Mansfield, Ohio 44906

Open April-October 9-7 and the Christmas season

Built in 1926 for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kelley King, the 47-acre estate opened as a public garden in 1953, one year after Mr. King's death. Mr. King, who was married and divorced twice, never had children. He left most of his estate to the private foundation that continues to operate Kingwood Center today.

Mr. King made his fortune in Mansfield, Ohio working with the Ohio Brass Company. Hired as the company's first electrical engineer in 1893, he led Ohio Brass into new ventures, particularly the manufacture of electrical fittings for railroads and trolleys. Mr. King eventually became President and Chairman of the Board of Ohio Brass.

Kingwood Center Gardens now offers various events throughout the year, workshops, plant sales, and is open for daily visits during our regular season (April - Oct).

611 State Route 97 W, Bellville, Ohio 44813

Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-5

The Ohio Genealogical Society is a research library for those interested in family and local history. We feature over 60,000 volumes, manuscripts, microfilm, and electronic files. This is the place to visit if you wish to learn more about early Richland county history, Johnny Appleseed, Native Americans, or the story of your own family.

We have census records, old family Bibles, newspapers, cemetery records, obituaries, yearbooks, directories, and many items filed by surname or geographical location. The library is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Best of all, students working on projects (along with their parent/guardian) get free admittance. This includes school assignments, 4-H, scouting programs, and more. We welcome you to the Ohio Genealogical Society!

Richland Co Historical Society - 310 Springmill St, Mansfield, Ohio 44903

Open Sundays April-December 2-5

Groups by appointment any time

History

Oak Hill Cottage is a large “cottage villa” in the Gothic Revival style. Railroad builder and grist mill owner, John Riley Robinson, built the home beside a giant old oak tree in 1847, on a hill overlooking his industrial accomplishments.

In 1864, it became the home of the Dr. Johannes Jones family, who updated and furnished the home as we see it today. All of the furnishings throughout the house belonged to the Jones family.

The Richland County Historical Society

The RCHS purchased Oak Hill Cottage and its contents in 1965 from the youngest Jones daughter. It was restored and opened as a house museum in 1984. The Society also provides historic preservation research and guidance on dealing with threatened historically significant properties around Richland County.

138 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, OH 44902 (419) 522-2726 The Renaissance Theatre is North Central Ohio's premier venue for the performing arts. Each year a myriad of events are offered such as Broadway musicals, live concerts, comedy shows, and more! The theatre opened in 1927 under the name of the Ohio Theater. On January 19, 1928, and in near blizzard-like conditions, over 1,000 people came to the first event at the theatre - the showing of Get Your Man starring Clara Bow. Since that time, the theatre has seen many changes, but the original beauty still exists. In Fall 2018, the Renaissance Performing Arts Association opened a second venue at 166 Park Avenue West, called Theatre 166. This Black Box theatre is a space where a collective of artists and arts advocates can expand and explore their artistic vision while celebrating the craft and passion of the arts.

Sherman Room

43 W. Third St, Mansfield, Ohio 44902

In 1901 Miss Margaret Mercer became the head librarian of the Memorial Library, which was then housed in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building. Miss Mercer traveled to New York and met with James Bertram, Andrew Carnegie’s secretary. In 1903 Carnegie awarded a grant for $35,000 for the construction of a new library here in Mansfield. The future looked promising. It took almost two years for a location to be secured and in January of 1905 the site of the Grace Episcopal Church on West Third Street was chosen. A few months later the library board selected Vernon Redding, of Mansfield, as architect for the new building.

The new library was dedicated on December 19, 1908 and the Mansfield Public Library was open for business. The Library has since added 8 branches, Bellville, Butler, Crestview, Lexington, Lucas, Madison, Ontario and Plymouth and made expansions on to the original Carnegie Library in 1950 and 1989.

A variety of programs are offered throughout the year to patrons of all ages, including crafts, computer training, movie screenings and live music.

3431 State Route 95, Perrysville, OH 44864

Visit website for hours

Open year-round – Mon-Fri. 8a-4p Seasonal : Sun-Thr. 8-4pm, Fri-Sat. 8a-8p.

Gate Admission in season, Camping, Cabins, Boating, Fishing, Hunting, Swimming, Hiking, Special events, Horse Camp and Trails.

History

The Great Ohio Flood, March of 1913, caused massive flooding, killing 467 people and causing $300 million in losses, that’s over $7.5 Billion in today’s value.  In June 1933, The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) was created and went to work planning, funding, designing and building 14 flood control dams. The MWCD watershed drains about 20% of Ohio surface water and covers 8,000 square miles. Pleasant Hill Lake, an impoundment of the Clear Fork River was completed in January of 1938 but due to politics and World War II the lake didn’t reach its full pool and open for camping until 1950. The town of Newville, platted in 1823, boasted 20-acre village with two hotels, school house, churches, general store, and 31 houses. The Delaware Indians abandoned Hell Town in 1782, it remained a hunting camp until 1812. Today both towns are gone and lie below the lake.

175 W Third St., Mansfield, Ohio 44902

At Buckeye Imagination Museum, we pride ourselves on creating an environment where families can play and use their imaginations! Exploration and play are critical for healthy child development, and sometimes, it’s hard to find that. That’s why at Buckeye Imagination Museum, we’ve created a safe and fun environment for children and families to explore and make memories together! Here, we provide hands-on exhibits that promote creative problem-solving, imaginative thinking, social skills, physical activity, and motor development! Not only this, but we’ve created a space where parents and children can connect with each other and build bonds that will last a lifetime. Gear-up to explore at Buckeye Imagination Museum and discover the power of play!

Visit site for hours

At Little Buckeye, we know that exploration and play are critical to healthy child development. We know that play benefits children socially, emotionally and intellectually! We also know that not every child gets the opportunity to play in a safe and creative environment. Little Buckeye Children’s Museum is proud to provide that opportunity.

Our museum features hands-on, imagination-based exhibits designed to promote curiosity, develop problem-solving skills, encourage critical thinking, expand social skills and more! That's what makes us the perfect place for families and school groups with children ages 2-10.

100 Reformatory Rd, Mansfield, Ohio 44905

A museum founded in 2015 inside the Ohio State Reformatory

Richland County has a long and impressive history of manufacturing and industry.  Today’s local business landscape shows that the entrepreneurial spirit that drove our rich past is still alive and well. The NCOIM showcases the history of manufacturing in the Richland County area and also recognizes that we continue to be a community of inventors and innovators.  Open by appointment at this time.

22 E Main St, Shelby, Ohio 44875

Open Sundays May-October 2-5 (except Mothers' and Fathers' Day)

Museum admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. The museum is open 2-5 PM  on Sundays from May through October, except Mother’s and Father’s Days. It is also open by appointment.

History

The museum was organized by a group of women who were members of "The Questers Inc.". It was incorporated on March 16, 1976, as a non - profit organization. The dedication was on June 11, 1976, a tribute to the memory of Raymond Wilkinson, a well-known historian and former Shelby Mayor, who often expressed the wish that Shelby have a museum. After his death, a fund was created by a group of citizens to start the museum and the city agreed to provide space. His heirs donated his Shelby photographs, paper and memorabilia collection that pertained to this project and these dedicated Gamble's Mill Quester members saw the museum come to life.

Come Visit

The museum houses a collection of artifacts and memorabilia from businesses and the people of Shelby, Ohio. Across the street, in Central Park, is our log cabin, that was discovered, rescued, moved, and reassembled from under the siding of a house being razed at 16 Walnut Street. </p?

34 Park Ave West, Mansfield, Ohio 44902

Temporarily Closed The historic museum has been located in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building since 1889 and now includes the new Frank P. Lahm Aviation Museum annex.

Richland Early American Center for History - Operating the Mansfield Blockhouse in South Park, Brinkerhoff Ave and future reconstructed log house

Contact Sunda Peters 419-524-0924

The Mansfield Blockhouse is a unique hand-hewn log structure that was built in 1812 on the square in downtown Mansfield by militia from Knox and Coshocton counties for the protection of area settlers. From 1813 through 1816 it served as Richland County’s first courthouse and jail.  

The 1808 log cabin reconstructed in South Park will feature  music of the past, open hearth cooking, historical dinner programs and other educational events to help you visualize what it was like to live in Richland County 200 years ago. REACH is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. REACH developed after Mansfield Bicentennial volunteers completed the Mansfield Blockhouse and decided more should be done to remember our history. REACH plans to transform the park area into an 18th century village by adding other buildings, such as a blacksmith and a woodworking shop. 

REACH hosts events throughout the year which are free and open to the public. Some are: a Spring Living History Event, Fall Re-enactment, and Christmas Open House. REACH also participates in the Mansfield City Parks Dept. “Fun in the Park” every June and July. The blockhouse is open the last full weekend of the summer months from 1:00 to 3:00.  Increase your knowledge of local history. Visit the blockhouse and log cabin in South Park.

7 E Main St, Plymouth, Ohio 44865

Open by appointment and for special events

The Plymouth Area Historical Society was founded in 1984 along with the original Museum located at 15 Sandusky Street Plymouth, Ohio.

During the late 1980’s, plans were put into place for the Village of Plymouth’s 175th Birthday as well as a need to find a larger building for the growing organization. In the early 1990’s, the Society purchased the building located at 7 East Main Street in downtown Plymouth. The organization had a fund-raising drive in an effort to restore the building as a new museum. With the gift from Eleanor Searle Whitney McCollum, the Society was able to raise enough money to remodel.

This building today houses three floors of exhibits of local area history. A need for a meeting room led to Mrs. McCollum to purchase the neighboring 5 East Main Street and restore it to a beautiful 80 seat meeting room.

51 W Church St, Lexington, Ohio 44904

Open Sundays May-October 1:30-4

The Richland County Museum is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history of Richland County, Ohio.  Housed in a circa 1850 school house, the Museum displays a variety of artifacts from the 19th and 20th Centuries, illustrating the rich history of our area.

Museum volunteers serve as docents during regular Museum hours, lead special tours for school and club groups, and take the Museum “on the road” to classrooms and meeting halls around Richland County, and to events at Malabar Farm State Park.  Volunteers also supply the necessary “behind-the-scenes” brain and muscle, designing and executing displays, conserving artifacts, and planning programs and events.

Offices at 128 N Main St, Mansfield, Ohio 44902

Call: 419-522-0099

Established in 1998, Downtown Mansfield, Inc. (DMI) is a nonprofit membership based organization whose mission is to stimulate economic development, improve the appearance and create a positive image of the downtown as a desirable place to work, live, visit, shop and invest. In order to accomplish these goals we have implemented the National Main Street Model for commercial district revitalization and follow our Strategic Redevelopment Plan.

The National Main Street Model for commercial revitalization relies on the four point approach to commercial district revitalization. This approach includes: Organization, Design, Economic Restructuring and Promotion and is the foundation for the programs and projects of Downtown Mansfield, Inc. (DMI). Through these strategies we organize committees, establish programs and projects and maintain ongoing revitalization initiatives.