Event and Exhibit Details
Events, Programs & Exhibits
EVENT - Hobo Day/Day of Play to be held September 26 at the Wauseon Depo
Enjoy an afternoon of fun and delicious food as you discover the true adventures of hobos during the Museum of Fulton County’s annual Hobo Day/Day of Play event. This free family event will be held on Saturday, September 26 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Wauseon Depot.
“We look forward to having families and friends gather at the historic Wauseon Depot for our annual Hobo Day/Day of Play event,” shared John Swearingen, director of the Museum of Fulton County. “This popular fall event is a great opportunity to get together with others in the community for a delicious meal, fun activities, and the chance to learn a little more about our local history.”
Guests of all ages will enjoy visiting the old New York Central Depot, the caboose, and learning about model trains. Explore the new exhibits in the depot featuring railroad themed artifacts from train depots across Fulton County including tools, signals, lanterns, telegraph machines and more! The Swanton Area Railroad and Model Train Club will have trains running on the spectacular model train display in the depot! The Swanton Historical Group will also be sharing a short presentation full of interesting information about hobos.
A real “Hobo Dinner” will also be served at this community event. Guests can enjoy a delicious meal of sausage, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, corn bread, cookies, and water. The delicious meal can be taken home or enjoyed in the park. A free will donation is suggested to help support the Fulton County Historical Society.
To celebrate the Worldwide Day of Play, a variety of outdoor activities have also been planned at the Wauseon Depot to encourage kids and families to get up, out and play around! As part of the Hobo Day/Day of Play event, guests of all ages are encouraged to play games in the yard including corn hole, Jenga, life-size checkers and more. There will also be opportunities to take a selfie as a hobo or train conductor and enjoy free popcorn.
“Hobos were unemployed men who traveled across the country looking for work. With no employment prospects at home, they would take to the rails in search of any job,” Swearingen shared. “Many hobos would travel for free by jumping on and off the box cars of trains. At the height of the Great Depression, it is estimated that nearly 20,000 men were hobos. These men created their own culture with a unique language and foodways.”
The Wauseon Depot is located at 225 Depot Street in downtown Wauseon. Built in 1896, the depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses railroad artifacts and a model train display. It served passengers of the railroad until the mid-1970s. The depot is currently owned by the City of Wauseon and is managed by the Fulton County Historical Society.
The Hobo Day is presented annually by the Museum of Fulton County which features the permanent exhibit “Preserving the Past, Embracing the Present, and Making the Future”. Two special exhibits are also on display – “Born in Turmoil” and “Thirteen Moons in 1776 – Life Along Turkeyfoot Creek”. Other special events planned this year include Senior Discovery Days, Haunting History Tours in Metamora, Adult Painting Classes, Genealogy Workshops and more!
PROGRAM - Senior Discovery Days
Gather with friends for a field trip close to home to experience the joy of learning from specialists in the field of local history. Museum Senior Discovery Days are open to all seniors age 60 and over. A $5.00 fee includes admission to the Museum, light refreshments and a special program/activity/guided tour (actual value of the experience is $25 – what an amazing deal!). Pre-registration is required. To register please call 419.337.7922, stop by the museum, or make reservations at the Fulton County Senior Center (if needing transportation)
Dates: Third Thursday of every month
Time: 9:30-11:30 AM
Fee: $5.00
Program Schedule:
September 17 – Sip it. Simmer it. Love it! - Create a cozy Cold & Flu Herbal Tea and a deliciously fragrant Fall Simmer Pot to fill your home with the scents of the season.
October 15 – Best of Fulton County Haunting History Stories
November 19 – Historic Holiday Sing-alongs at the Museum
Senior Discovery Days are part of a special partnership with the Fulton County Senior Center. Seniors are welcome to drive themselves, or if at least ten seniors sign up for bus transportation from the Fulton County Senior Center, the bus will transport you for an additional $3 per person, suggested donation, from 695 S. Shoop Ave., Wauseon. If you’re riding the bus, meet at 8:45 a.m. to leave on the bus at 9 a.m. Sign up by calling the Museum of Fulton County, 419-337-7922, or call the Fulton County Senior Center at 419-337-9299.
After returning to the Senior Center, why not stay for lunch to continue your conversations! Chances are that you'll eagerly make plans to come back to the museum next month for Senior Discovery Days!
New Acquisition: Madame’s First Ladies
The Museum of Fulton County is proud to announce a new collection of dolls collectedand donated by Shellie Barclay of Wauseon, OH.To celebrate the United States Bicentennial, a collection of the first 38 White Househostesses was produced for sale to the public beginning in 1976.
Each 14-inch doll wasdesigned to reflect the personal style of the First Lady they represent, with specialattention to detail on their inaugural or most elegant gown. The original dolls weredisplayed in historical venues, including the LBJ Presidential Library.
When Madame Beatrice Alexander, founder of the company, died in October of 1990,the collection ended with First Lady Pat Nixon. The Museum of Fulton County’sOperations Manager, Doris Piercefield, has added the remaining First Lady dolls to theBarclay Collection, making the museum’s collection one-of-a-kind.
A complete collection of the White House Historical Society’s Christmas ornaments fromthe Sevenich Collection will also accompany this exhibit. The First Lady’s display will bepart of the museum’s permanent collection throughout 2026 as part of the country’ssemi-quincentennial anniversary.
NEW EXHIBIT - Thirteen Moons in 1776 –
Life along Turkeyfoot Creek
As part of the America 250-Ohio celebration, a spectacular exhibit is now open at the Museum of Fulton County. “Thirteen Moons in 1776 – Life along Turkeyfoot Creek,” features life throughout one year in the land we now call Fulton County.
As visitors explore the new exhibit they will travel through one year (13 lunar months), during the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A fictional fur trader and his wife will explain the change of seasons, the monthly lives of an Adawe village and their winter journey up the Turkeyfoot Creek, and facts about the year’s thirteen moons.
The three-dimensional, historical fiction exhibit will be laid out in 13 equal sections that, from above, resemble the back of a turtle (the Anishinaabe name for North America is Turtle Island). A timeline of colonial American events during the Revolutionary War will also run throughout the exhibit.
“Our new exhibit will focus on a fictional, French speaking fur trader, based on the real person, St. Vincent from the Captain Thomas Morris’ 1764 journal, who is married to an Odawa Chief's (Chief of the Wolf Rapids Band at Kin-jo-no, now Providence, OH) daughter,” shared John Swearingen, Jr., director of the Museum of Fulton County. “Guests will learn about their summer home near the mouth of what is now the North Turkeyfoot Creek in Henry County and how they traveled north to “The Six Mile Wood” during hunting and syrup harvesting season. They would have also travelled on the “Rice Road” (now County Road RS) through what is now Fulton County during the rice harvest season.”
Partially sponsored by America 250-Ohio, the new exhibit will feature a variety of unique artifacts including a large collection of items once given to the museum's founder, Colonel Dresden Winfield Huston Howard by his Native American friends. The exhibit will also include artifacts used during the Revolutionary War, and fun family-centered interactives related to the history of Nouvelle France (New France) fur trading that occurred in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana in 1776. French-American heritage thrived in northwest Ohio from the late 1690s through the 1830s.
“We recognize and honor the Algonquin Anishinaabeg as the original stewards of the land where the Museum of Fulton County now stands,” Swearingen added. “This traditional territory, which was never ceded, continues to hold great historical, spiritual, and sacred significance for the Algonquin people, whose enduring presence we respect.
The "Thirteen Moons in 1776: Life along Turkeyfoot Creek" exhibit is funded in part by the America 250-Ohio Commission. This new exhibit will be open throughout 2026 and admission to the exhibit is included with a general admission ticket to the museum.
EXHIBIT - Born in Turmoil
To celebrate the 175th anniversary of Fulton County’s founding, a spectacular exhibit is now open at the Museum of Fulton County. The new “Born In Turmoil” exhibit brings the county’s beginning years to life as museum guests learn how Fulton County survived the crisis of the Civil War.
While exploring this temporary exhibit in the Worthington Gallery, visitors will meet Fulton 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,” shared John Swearingen, Jr., director of the Museum of Fulton County. “Guests are sure to be inspired by this new exhibit at the museum!”
Another highlight of the new exhibit is the opportunity to hear actual transcripts of letters written during the Civil War. As part of the audio cell phone tour, guests will be guided through time as they hear a fascinating, first-hand story of the Borton family and their sons on the front line.
“As guests listen to the audio tour, they will hear two actual transcripts of the Borton letters,” Swearingen added. “These letters were mailed to family members during the war on the same week but neither received their letters. Join us to find out why!”
This new exhibit will be open throughout 2026. Admission to the “Born In Turmoil” exhibit is included with a general admission ticket to the museum.
