History

The Athens County Historical Society and Museum is the one organization which concentrates on Athens County and the surrounding area - its history and heritage, culture and people, and the related and relevant artifacts.

Nearly all items in the exhibits come from our own collection, which continues to grow. All are donated since it is the policy of the ACHS&M to buy no artifact. All of our exhibits, save for the King Midget exhibit, are hands-on and interactive in nature. School groups sign up for our Artifact Exploration lesson, which

It's always fun for a museum docent to explain to people of the safety-and-electric-razor generations the necessity of the razor strop, as a straightedge razor is shown. Or to see a child's wide-eyed questioning when pointing to the chamber pot in the 19th century bedroom exhibit. "Why didn't they just go to the bathroom?"  It is hard for any of us to envision life unlike our own, and a visit to our museum is often a real awakening for some of the many students who come through each year. When the museum opened just over twenty years ago, we could nearly always count on most school-age visitors having some relative who lived on a farm, or at least in a rural setting. That is no longer the case and makes preserving the accouterments of the past, even recent past, important.

Perhaps the most satisfying, however, is to be in the library and hear a visitor from a far-off state yell, "I've found my grandfather!" The Athens County area was rather like a funnel, accepting pioneers from eastern states and after several years or generations sending them on west. Now researchers are coming back to our area, to see where family members were buried.

The genealogy records, which have been, and are constantly being developed and made available, are considered among the best in the state. Over and over researchers tell us how complete they are, and how helpful our volunteer librarians are.

The programs offered to the membership and the public provide in various forms information about the county. Each exhibit has accompany lectures and other special events for adults and children.

Membership dues were, and are, the major means of support, but early on ACHS&M was remembered by persons in their wills, and received several  bequests. Later, with the addition of the Levering inheritance the ACHS&M was able to buy the building at 65 North Court Street. More recently, the ACHS&M became a recipient of a large bequest from Foster and Helen Cornwell. Leaving money to the ACHS&M to increase its endowment is considered a satisfying way to express one's appreciation for what the area has meant to the benefactor.

The ACHS&M is a not-for-profit organization open to the public. Basic membership dues are $15, but categories range up through Individual to Patron. Click here for Membership Form