HHM Campus
.png)
1 & 2
HULL FLATER HOUSE
In 1970, five civic leaders of Findlay; Jim Brucklacher, Harold Corbin, Jack Harrington, Ed Heminger, and Joe Opperman, founded the Hancock Historical Museum Association. Their intent was to preserve and promote the history of Hancock County. In 1971, the Association acquired the Hull-Flater House at 422 West Sandusky Street and opened it as the Hancock Historical Museum.
Once the Museum Association acquired the property, it took extensive renovations to make the house appear as it had in the 1880s when the Hulls first built their home. As renovations on the Hull-Flater House continued, the Museum association looked to expand. Their first order of business was to add on to the rear of the Hull-Flater House to store the archives. This was completed in 1985.
3
CRAWFORD LOG HOUSE
Also in 1985, the Museum added the Crawford Log House to the grounds, moving it from Biglick Township where it had been in the Metzger Family for decades. Originally constructed in the 1840s, the log house now is used for teaching about and interpreting aspects of Findlay’s pioneer past.
4
EXHIBIT CENTER
In the late 1990s, the Museum decided to expand once again – this time to an even greater extent. They began a $2 million-dollar campaign to renovate and expand Museum facilities. Specifically, the Museum added the research center, Congressional Room, conference room, storage for Museum collections and archives, and converted the former storage space into an exhibit center. This work was completed in 2001.
5
AGRICULTURAL BARN
The agricultural and transportation barn was extensively improved in 2000 to house items like old farm equipment, a Buckeye Traction Ditcher, Grant automobiles, and an Adams Brothers Truck. In 2018, the Agricultural center was renovated to focus on the agricultural history of Hancock County with new exhibits, and the removal of the transportation items into the new Energy and Transportation building.
6
DEWALD-FUNK HOUSE
In 2009, the Museum added two additional structures to the West Sandusky Street campus. The DeWald- Funk House was built in the mid-to-late 1840s in Bascom, Ohio. It was purchased by the Historic Preservation Guild of Hancock County and moved to East Street where it was renovated and used by that organization. When, in 2000, the Guild came under the Museum’s direction, the DeWald-Funk House became a Museum property. In 2009, it was moved across town to its current location, just behind the barn and log cabin.
7
LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE
In addition to the buildings and facilities located on West Sandusky Street, the Museum also manages the Little Red Schoolhouse on County Road 236. The Little Red Schoolhouse is a one-room, rural brick schoolhouse built in the 1840s where schoolchildren can go and experience a 19th-century school day.
8
OXLEY
GOVERNMENT CENTER
The Michael G. Oxley Government Center opened in 2014 and uses technology to bring our rich local history of civic leadership to life. With interactive timelines, touchscreen kiosks, and audio-visual displays, guests of all ages are able to experience this history through a level of connectivity unparalleled among regional museums.
In 2015, Hancock County fourth-grade students began utilizing the Center as part of a day-long program to learn the importance of civic responsibility, the branches of government, and the first amendment. The program was designed with a strong focus on state curriculum standards.
9
MARATHON PETROLEUM CORPORATION ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION ANNEX
In 2014, the Museum built the Marathon Petroleum Corporation Energy and Transportation Annex, displaying the museum’s three Grant Cars, Adams Truck, Marathon Tankers, and exhibits on the history of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company and Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
10
DAVIS LEARNING INSTITUTE
William Davis built the home on what is now Tiffin Avenue a few miles east of Findlay in 1843. In 2009, the Blanchard Valley Hospital donated the house after acquiring the land and it was moved to West Sandusky Street – surviving being cut into four pieces and driven on flat-bed trucks across town. The extensive renovation on the Davis house was completed in 2018, and the Davis Learning Institute and Center for Digital Storytelling was born.