Events, Programs & Exhibits
National Train Day
EVENT - HAUNTING HISTORY TOURS
Get out and experience the spookier side of Wauseon during the Museum of Fulton County’s annual Haunting History Tours. Take an evening walk through historic Wauseon on October 25 or 26 to discover tales of local people, haunting places, and little-known events in Fulton County.
“Our annual Haunting History Tours offer a unique opportunity to discover the haunting history of your own backyard this fall,” shared John Swearingen, Jr., director of the Fulton County Museum. “As we venture through the streets of historic Wauseon, we will share unusual and sometimes spooky stories about people from the past including Barny Oldfield’s mother, a resident of an apartment at the History Manor, a Civil War veteran, and more!”
The 2024 Haunting History tours will be held on Friday, October 25 or Saturday, October 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The walking tours will begin at the Wauseon Depot at 225 Depot Street and will follow a route around downtown Wauseon. The hour-long tours will take off every 15 minutes, starting at 6:30 p.m. Each tour makes five stops along the way, but the walk is filled with even more history, hauntings, and great stories of a paranormal past.
“Our expert guides will be sharing historically accurate information along with legends that we have been told by word of mouth,” Swearingen added. “It often seems that truth is stranger than fiction and these true stories can often be unexplained, funny, weird, or even seem ‘haunting’.”
Prepaid reservations are required for the Haunting History Tours. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for members and children. Tickets are available for purchase online, at the museum, or by calling 419.337.7922. The Haunting History tours are held rain or shine, and the tour tickets are non-refundable.
PROGRAM - Ultimate Family Reading Experience
Wauseon-born author Merrill Wyatt’s popular mystery novel “Tangled up in Luck” has come alive through a new interactive reading experience now available at the Museum of Fulton County. Families will enjoy looking for clues at real-life Wauseon locations featured in the story to solve the mystery. Participating families will also be invited to an exclusive author book signing event at the museum.
The novel “Tangled up in Luck” is a fast-paced adventure and enjoyable mystery set in small-town Wauseon. While the book is written for children ages 8-12, older youth and adults also love this funny mystery about overly enthusiastic middle schoolers with a talent for sniffing out trouble!
Author Merrill Wyatt shares, “It all began with the mystery of the long-lost Hoal jewels. Someone had stumbled across the forgotten fact that the jewels even existed. That same someone wanted very badly to find them — by using the seventh grade to uncover hidden clues. What that person never counted on was two of those seventh graders putting all the clues together. That person never expected a couple of kids to try to get to the jewels first. Thirteen million dollars can motivate some people to do all sorts of dreadful things”.
The new “Ultimate Family Reading Experience” package includes a miniature steamer trunk filled with the novel, a travel journal, detective’s magnifying glass, compass, and activities to navigate families through their journey from 1887 to today. The experience package is available for $39.95 at the museum’s Legacy Gift Shop. The package may also be purchased online.
“This experience is an opportunity for families to read the book and hunt for clues at Wauseon locations featured in the story,” shared Doris Piercefield, business operations manager at the Museum of Fulton County. “Families can enjoy this experience at their own pace and if they are as clever as the story’s detectives and solve the puzzle, they will find ‘real’ jewels at the end!”
Available for purchase at Legacy Shop or online!
EXHIBIT - We The People of Fulton County
To celebrate the 175th anniversary of Fulton County’s founding, an exciting new exhibit is slated to open on October 2 at the Museum of Fulton County. The new “We The People of Fulton County” exhibit will highlight the ten largest groups of immigrants that came to Fulton County to make a new life.
Using mannequins in period clothing, artifacts, quilts, and photographs, stories will be shared of the immigrant families who were registered in the Federal Census between 1850 and 1950. Guests will be encouraged to visit the Spiess Research room to access online genealogy resources and genealogy forms will also be available for families to take home to work on their family tree. The new exhibit will also feature a flag flash card game for children, as well as a guest book and world map for people to record what country their ancestors came from. A look at the culinary history of immigrant families will also be offered with a new cookbook, “The Immigrant’s Table,” published as part of this project. The cookbook is available for purchase online or at the Legacy Gift Shop.
“This new exhibit will encourage guests to think about who they are, where they came from, and why it matters,” shared John Swearingen, Jr., director of the Museum of Fulton County. “The exhibit will explore who our ancestral residents were, their cultural backgrounds, and their motivations to live in Fulton County.”
Created in partnership with the Fulton County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, this new exhibit will be open throughout the anniversary year of the county. Several special events and genealogical society programs are planned for next year to augment the exhibit’s topics. Information about upcoming events will be shared online at museumoffultoncounty.org/upcoming-events
“When we know where we come from, we better understand why Fulton County is distinct from the other 87 counties of Ohio,” Swearingen added. “We look forward to having guests explore this new exhibit and join us throughout 2025 for special programs focused on genealogy, immigrant lands of origin, and the lives of our ancestors once they arrived in Fulton County.”
Admission to the “We The People of Fulton County” exhibit is included with a general admission ticket to the museum.
EXHIBIT - All Aboard! Train Exhibit
A new All Aboard! train exhibit at the Museum of Fulton County allows guests to journey back in time to explore the history of trains in this region. The interactive exhibit featuring train and depot artifacts, model trains, and hands-on activities focuses on the people who worked on and around the railroad.
“Since 1852, electric trollies, steam and diesel engines have crisscrossed the county and helped each village to thrive,” shared John Swearingen, Jr., director of the Museum of Fulton County. “Our new All Aboard! train exhibit shares information about the four railroad company lines that ran through the county including the New York Central, Wabash, Detroit Toledo and Ironton, and the Toledo & Western and Toledo & Indiana electric interurban railroads (cable cars). We are also telling the stories of local people involved with the railroad including passengers, depot employees and community members.
Located in the Worthington Gallery at the museum, this temporary exhibit features a variety of railroad-themed artifacts from train depots across Fulton County including tools, signals, lanterns, telegraph machines, and uniforms. Thanks to the Swanton Area Railroad and Model Train Club, the exhibit also includes a working model train display. Guests will love watching the Wabash and New York Central model trains travel round and round the homes, barns and shops representing a typical Fulton County landscape. Other exhibit highlights include a playhouse switch/watch tower where kids can catch all the action on the model train display, a monumental-sized storybook about trains, and a toy train set for toddlers to enjoy. There is a telegraph morse code game and a variety of other hands-on crafts focused on the railroad history theme.
“Guests exploring the new train exhibit are immersed in railroad history as they meet real people from our past including postmaster Bertha Emmons, Wabash crew member Grover Merillat, telegraph operator Esther Stone, signal operator Alva Shull, and many others,” Swearingen added.
