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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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

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“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.”

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Admission to the “We The People of Fulton County” exhibit is included with a general admission ticket to the museum. 

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As part of the 175th anniversary of Fulton County, the Museum of Fulton County is creating a special exhibit that brings the county’s beginning years to life. Born during the politically volatile upheaval, Fulton County survived the crisis of the Civil War.

 

Visitors will meet county residents, both on the farm and on the battle lines, and experience those years through their eyes and the museum’s vast collection. Through patriotism, conflict, sacrifice, victory, loss, and generosity, the future of 4,000 residents and even today’s residents was changed forever.

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Excerpts from the museum's “Civil War Letters of the Borton Family” which chronicles the lives of one family during this early quarter of the county’s history will be included in this exhibit. These letters from Franklin Township’s Borton family farm and their sons on the front lines tell a fascinating, first-hand story.​​

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OPENING JULY 2025!