Marion County Historical Society facts for kids
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Heritage Hall, formerly the old post office.
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| Established | 1969 |
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| Location | 169 E. Church Street, Marion, Ohio 43302 |
| Type | Local history |
The Marion County Historical Society is a special group in Marion, Ohio. It's a non-profit organization, which means it works to help the community, not to make money. It started in 1969.
In 1989, the Society bought an old building. It was the U.S. Post Office in Marion. They renamed it "Heritage Hall." This building is now their main office and a museum. It holds many cool things like old items, photos, and papers. These all tell the story of Marion County's past.
The Society also runs other interesting places. These include the Rinker-Howser Resource Center, the Linn School House, and the Seiter Cabin. Heritage Hall is also home to the Wyandot Popcorn Museum. This museum is the only one in the world focused on popcorn!
Contents
Discovering History: Programs and Tours
The Marion County Historical Society offers many ways to learn about history.
Guided Tours at Heritage Hall
You can take tours led by guides at Heritage Hall. They will show you permanent exhibits. These include special collections about President Warren G. Harding and Marilyn Meseke.
School Days at Linn School
The Linn School offers a unique experience. You can pretend to be a student from long ago. It's like stepping back in time to a school day from the past.
Exploring Early Settlers at Seiter Cabin
The Seiter Cabin tour teaches you about the first people who settled in Marion County. You can learn how they lived many years ago.
Learning for All Ages
The Society has programs for different school grades. They also offer workshops to help people find their family history. These are called genealogy workshops. Historians and experts give talks. There are also special events like living history shows. Kids can enjoy history scavenger hunts and hands-on crafts.
Amazing Exhibits at the Museum
The museum has several exciting displays that are always there for visitors to see.
- Harding Collection: This exhibit is all about President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence Kling Harding. They were important figures in American history.
- Marilyn Meseke Collection: See items related to Marilyn Meseke. She was crowned Miss America in 1938.
- Prince Imperial: Learn about Prince Imperial, a famous horse. He was one of the first Percheron horses brought to North America. A Marion County horse breeder named Jacob Houser bought him from Napoleon III.
- Mary Ellen Withrow Collection: This display honors Mary Ellen Withrow. She was the Treasurer of the United States from 1994 to 2000. She is the only person to have been a treasurer at the local, state, and national levels of government.
The Wyandot Popcorn Museum
The Wyandot Popcorn Museum is a fun part of the Marion County Historical Society. It's located inside Heritage Hall in Marion, Ohio. This museum started in 1982. It has the biggest collection of old popcorn wagons and peanut roasters in the United States.
The museum features a colorful display that looks like a circus tent. You can see antique popcorn wagons from the early 1900s. These wagons have been fixed up to look new again. They show off classic popcorn machine brands like Cretors, Dunbar, and Kingery. The Wyandot Popcorn Museum is one of only two popcorn museums in the world! The other one is the J.H. Fentress Antique Popcorn Museum in Holland, Ohio.
The Historic Linn School
The Linn School is a special one-room schoolhouse. The Marion County Historical Society takes care of it in Marion, Ohio. It was built in 1897. For over 45 years, this school taught students from first to eighth grade in the countryside of Marion County. It closed its doors in 1942.
The schoolhouse has been restored to look just like it did in the early 1900s. It has old desks, textbooks, and school supplies from that time. Visitors can pretend to have a school day there. They learn about how education worked in the 1800s. The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized Linn School in 2004. They said it was an excellent example of how to preserve history.
See also
- List of historical societies in Ohio
