The Allen County Museum is located in the city of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

, the county seat of Allen County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Occupying a half city block, the museum campus includes the main museum building, a log house, the MacDonell House (a Victorian mansion), a Shay Locomotive display, the Children's Discovery Center, genealogy and local history library, railroad archives, and the Children's Garden. The museum is accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. According to recent reports of the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Department, less than 800 museums, out of more than 11,000 in the United States, are accredited. Standards for accreditation apply across the board to both small and large institutions.

History

The Allen County Museum is operated by the Allen County Historical Society which was formed in 1908. Originally located in Lima's Memorial Hall, the Historical Society outgrew the available space by 1935, and began privately raising funds to build a museum. Spearheaded by Elizabeth M. MacDonell, and supported by the notable John Wesley Van Dyke, Chairman of the

Atlantic Refining Company Atlantic Petroleum was an oil company in the Eastern United States headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a direct descendant of the Standard Oil Trust. It was also one of the companies that merged with Richfield Oil Corporation to form ...

, the organization successfully raised the needed funds to build a separate facility.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

interrupted construction plans, but by 1954 the cornerstone was laid—a stone from the original

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Since that time, the Historical Society has amassed a large collection of items—both local and international. Archival and documentary railroad collections include builder's prints and diagrams from the

Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shop's location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between ...

, which was the third largest steam locomotive builder in the United States. Central to the production of the Lima Locomotive Works was the Shay engine, invented by

Ephraim Shay Ephraim Shay (July 17, 1839 – April 19, 1916) was an American merchant, entrepreneur and self-taught railroad engineer who worked in the state of Michigan. He designed the first Shay locomotive and patented the type. He licensed it for manufactu ...

Notable Exhibits

Sheriff Sarber/ John Dillinger Jail Cell

One of the museums most popular exhibits is a replica 1930's county jail cell; the exhibit portrays life-size wax figurines of infamous gangster and bank robber

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

and local police Sheriff Jess Sarber. In May 1933, Dillinger had made parole after serving a nine and a half year prison sentence at the Indiana Reformatory and Indiana State Prison. A month after his parole, Dillinger began his bank robbing spree. After robbing banks in New Carlisle and

Bluffton, Ohio Bluffton, originally known as Shannon, is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 4,125 at the 2010 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated w ...

, Dayton police captured Dillinger in August 1933 and delivered him to the Allen County Jail in Lima where he was held in connection to his crimes. Upon entrance into the jail, Dillinger was searched where investigators found prison escape plans. When asked about the papers, Dillinger refused to answer. The papers were a blueprint for the escape of eight prisoners, known as the First Dillinger Gang. The plans, already in the hands of the prisoners, proved successful and the convicts escaped their prison cells four days after Dillinger's capture. Three of Dillinger's men: Pete Piermont, Russell Clark, and Charles Mackley made their way to the Lima jail where they impersonated Indiana State police officers seeking to extradite Dillinger back to Indiana. When Sheriff Sarber asked for identification, Piermont shot and killed Sarber. The three then unlocked Dillinger's cell and escaped back to Indiana where they met up with the rest of the gang. The exhibit is a testament to the life and work of Sheriff Sarber, displaying artifacts and newspapers of the Sheriff's work and heroism. The death of Sheriff Sarber also led the FBI to name Dillinger

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

#1.

Shay Locomotive

After the expansion of the museum from 2006 to 2009, the No. 10 Shay Locomotive Engine found its new home behind of the museum's iron clad window structure, making it the visual centerpiece of the museum. The Engine was manufactured by the

in 1925 for the Lima Stone Company. The engine is a 3-foot gauge, two-truck geared locomotive and weighs approximately 24 ton. The stone company that used the locomotive operated a quarry near E. North Street in Lima from about 1914 to 1933. The locomotive was rescued in 1953 only hours before being cut up for scrap, and was restored at no cost by

Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

for the Allen County Historical Society. The train was placed on a lot on Metcalf Street where a shelter was built around it until it was permanently relocated inside the museum. The locomotive is just one example of the numerous engines to come out of the city of Lima. During its height, Lima Locomotive Works was the third largest producer of steam locomotive engines.

Native American Artifacts

The museum has a significant collection of Native American artifacts including art, pottery, clothing, arrowheads, and other remnants of the original inhabitants. Collections are categorized by the period in which the artifacts belong, going as far back as during the time of the Ice Age nearly 10,000 years ago. The largest collection of artifacts are from early and late modern history and show objects that were used in everyday life by the Native Americans. One particular sign shows the original boundaries of the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

Reservation that was allocated to the tribes to live on. Later treaties would force the natives West from this land. Another exhibit shows a recreation of the remains of a prehistoric Glacial Kame burial. The Kame people were a group of Native Americans who lived in the area about 4,000 years ago. The mock skeleton shows the ritual process of burying the individual in a flexed position with their legs drawn up against the upper torso. The original skeleton was discovered in 1960 along with others in a mass burial just outside the city; the site is one of three burial sites located within Allen County.

George Washington's Mount Vernon

On the upper level, the museum has an encased model of life at President Washington's

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

. The model shows the daily life of workers and family on the plantation and displays the floor plan and rooms of the mansion. George S. Pond and his son Stanton began the project in 1935 and took almost two and half years to complete. The model is an intricate work of art with thousands of pieces distinctly designed for the mansion. An example of complexity and dedication is the house's roofing shingles; more than 8,000 pieces were individually stained, polished, and placed on the model. The model also comes with doors with actual working hinges and can open and close with personally designed keys and locks. The room in which the exhibit is displayed houses a variety of priceless artifacts including French Canton glassware used by Washington and his staff, busts of famous Americans, original pages from the ledger of King George III with the King's actual signatures affixed on the top, and an original 1795 American flag.

Vehicles & Carriages

The museum houses an impressive collection of motorized and non-motorized vehicles. The collection includes Milburn Light Electric Car made by the Milburn Wagon Company in 1923, a 1909 gasoline powered Locomobile Sports Roadster, a J.K. Fetter & Son Studebaker wagon, William Cron & Sons single horse buggy, a restored 1920's Meadow Gold Milk Wagon, a 1925 Ford Model T Roadster, and a 1908 Thor Single Engine Motorcycle. The museum also displays a fully restored Gramm-Bernstein "Liberty Truck." From 1917 to 1919, over 5,000 of the U.S. Army Liberty Trucks were built in Lima by the Gramm-Bernstein and Garford companies. A strict standardization code was placed on the vehicles thus allowing the parts to be interchangeable if need be. These vehicles saw significant use in Europe and the United States during World War I.

Unique

The museum is also known for its vast collection of unique artifacts such as housing the world's largest collection of albino animals, replica room of Noah's Ark, two horse-drawn hearses (one with a display coffin still inside), and an interactive Native American Wigwam. Perhaps the most unusual exhibit is its collection of over one hundred objects removed from the mouth, throat, or esophagus by doctors Walter and Estey Yingling. The objects vary from coins, bones, teeth, buttons to larger pieces such as jewelry, bobby pins, a screw, keys, and a rubber hose.

MacDonell House

The MacDonnell House, also known as Banta-Van Dyke House, is a Shingle style house that was built in 1893. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1978. The listing included two contributing buildings.

Outreach

The Museum offers monthly lectures and programs, Traveling Trunks, demonstrations, and special events, including the annual Christmas Tree Festival.

References

External links

Official siteFacebookGrowing Up In Lima During the 1930s Program
{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Allen County, Ohio Museums in Allen County, Ohio Historic house museums in Ohio History museums in Ohio Children's museums in Ohio Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Transportation museums in Ohio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Shingle Style houses Houses completed in 1893 1893 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures in Lima, Ohio Museums established in 1908 1908 establishments in Ohio Houses in Allen County, Ohio Public venues with a theatre organ Shingle Style architecture in Ohio