Warren County History Center

Address:

105 S Broadway St, Lebanon, OH 45036

Phone:

(513) 932-1817

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Tour dropoffs and pickups can be done at the front of the museum-the buses cannot park there, but must move to the municipal parking lots. Museum Admission Fees Warren County Historical Society Museum is housed in a three story, 28, 000-square-foot brick building. It contains artifacts from prehistoric eras to the mid-20th century periods. Harmon Hall is the current home Warren County history artifacts.It holds more than 30 exhibits on three floor levels displaying thousands of items that will interest both young and old alike. Warren County Historical Society can trace its roots to the late 1930s when a group of 19 Warren County residents decided that there needed to be a safe and controlled setting in which to store and exhibit the artifacts that define the history of the area. In 1945, this group acquired Glendower State Memorial to serve as the first museum. The society continued to operate from there for the next 15 years. As the museum began to gather regional interest and more objects were acquired, it became obvious to all concerned that a larger facility was required. So in 1960, through arrangements with the Harmon Civic Trust, the society moved into Harmon Hall. This building was built in 1913, to be a recreation center, and was then donated to the City of Lebanon, by Mr. Willam Harmon. In 1961, this building became the home of Warren County Historical Society Museum. This stately three-story structure gave the society a more spacious area in which to exhibit artifacts and a more convenient l location for visitors. The diversity of the society's collection and historical documents grew with the move to Broadway. In a short time, additions to the collections stretched this building's resources. The society decided that it would be impractical, from both a financial and a logistical standpoint, to move from Harmon Hall, so plans were made for a fund raising campaign to expand and remodel. This effort, which began in 1978, was completed in 1981 with the opening of the Shaker Gallery and the addition of 10, 000 square feet on the back of the building. The Harmon Civic Trust deeded the building to the society to ensure that they would have a permanent home. Finally, a large mural depicting early Warren County aviation pioneers was painted in the public entry hall of the building as well. This renovation also took place in the basement of the building where we put in a large temperature and humidity controlled vault, two additional storage rooms, and a large office and work area for our Curator, along with a bathroom. An integral enclosed and heated concourse connects this building to the basement floor of the Harmon Hall building. The large room on the main floor is available for all sorts of rental and meeting events. It will seat 150-180 people. The building is handicapped accessible with a ramp from the rear entrance. This entrance is also for use for caterers and for folks to set up events.

Kellogg-American, Federal Government Contractors, Museums, History, Special Interest Libraries, Special Libraries

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