Sidewalk chalk at WACO Air Museum and Airfield during its Eyes on the Skies event for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.
The Miami Valley Veterans Museum is located at 2245 S. County Road 25A in Troy.
Mike Ullery | For Miami Valley Today
Kathleen Leese | For Miami Valley Today
By Amantha Garpiel
For Miami Valley Today
MIAMI COUNTY — Whether you’d like to learn more about the area’s aviation history or take a deep dive into your family genealogy, there is something for you in Miami County.
The county’s communities are home to plenty of rich history and places to learn about it. Museums like the Overfield Tavern Museum, the John Scott Garbry Museum, or the Johnston Farm and Indian Agency provide a window to the county’s early days, showing visitors what life was like in the 19th century in this area.
The Museum of Troy History picks up where the Overfield Tavern Museum leaves off, depicting everyday life in Troy from the mid-19th century to the present day.
The Miami Valley Veterans Museum shines a spotlight on the sacrifices made by those who have served, collecting the stories of local veterans. The museum’s collection includes a variety of military artifacts, uniforms and more.
Those interested in tracing their family history can find a wealth of information in museums like the Tippecanoe Historical Museum, which houses an extensive collection of home and property records, obituaries and oral history recordings.
Overfield Tavern Museum
201 E. Water St., Troy
Phone: 937-335-4019
The Overfield is home to artifacts from Troy’s beginning. The oldest surviving building in Troy, it has served as a frontier tavern, church, school, courthouse and private residence.
Admission is $3 per person. They have a new exhibit, “On the Banks of the Miami: The Creation of a Community,” that recently opened. It explores a variety of themes in the early history of Troy and Miami County, including medicine and religion on the frontier, Native Americans and free persons of color. They also offer craft activities for children.
The museum’s mission is to preserve the 1808 Overfield log tavern and its early-nineteenth-century collections and to educate the public about the frontier history of the region.
Museum of Troy History
124 E. Water St., Troy
Phone: 937-339-5155
Open Saturday and Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m. from April through December and by appointment.
The museum promotes education about the county from 1850 to the present by providing artifacts from Troy’s past.
A rich history of Troy, Ohio is housed in the restored pre-Civil War house of John Kitchen. Rotating displays depict lifestyle themes in Troy and Miami County between 1850 and the present.
The mission of the Museum of Troy History is to promote education about the history of Troy, Ohio and Miami County, Ohio from 1850 to the present by providing a museum to collect and display appropriate artifacts and present general public and youth oriented programs in cooperation with the Troy Historical Society.
WACO Air Museum
1865 S. County Road 25A, Troy
Phone: 937-335-9226
WACO’s mission statement: Preserve the past of aviation, Inspire the future of aviation, and Be an asset to the community.
Hours of operation: Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed on Wednesday and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: Adults $8, Seniors and Military $6, Students $4, and ages 4 and under are free
WACO features two hangars of vintage WACO aircraft including the 1929 ATO “Taperwing” which won the 1936 Paris Air Show, the Model 9 “Miss McKeesport”, which was one of the first aircraft used to fly airmail in the U.S., a UMF3 which performed daily at King’s Island’s Red Baron and Snoopy show in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and so much more! The museum features history of WACO Aircraft Co., founded by Clayton Brukner.
Troy-Hayner Cultural Center
301 W. Main St., Troy
Phone: 937-339-0457
Hours of operations:
Mondays, 5 to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a..m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.
Offers cultural programs, displays, tours, meeting facilities and more. Formerly the Hayner family mansion and Troy-Miami County Public Library.
The museum usually has about five or six exhibits throughout the year. These are usually art exhibits but can also be historic in nature. Currently an exhibit is going up called: Flower Power: Flora in Fashion; this is curated by Gayle Strege of Ohio State University Historic Costume and Textile Collection. They also have a whiskey museum. Look at this page for a sneak peek: https://www.troyhayner.org/distillery-museum.html
The money for this house came from Mary Jane Harter’s family business which was Harter Medicine and William Hayner’s family business which was Hayner Whiskey. The Whiskey museum tells a bit about the history.
The mission of the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center is to preserve and maintain the Hayner Mansion as a cultural resource center for the present and as an historical legacy for future generations of the community of Troy, Ohio.
Miami Valley Veterans Museum
2245 S. County Road 25A, Troy
Phone: 937-332-8852
https://www.miamivalleyveteransmuseum.org/
The museum’s mission is to honor, preserve and perpetuate the memory and dignity of the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, Coast Guard and Wartime Merchant Machines. The museum includes displays from all eras and also has a piece of the wreckage from 9-11 available for viewing.
The Miami Valley Veterans Museum’s normal business hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All other hours are by appointment.
The museum serves Miami, Darke, Shelby, Champaign, Clark, Greene, and Montgomery counties telling the stories of the men and women who served our nation honorably.
The Museum features artifacts, photos, letters and diaries from Miami Valley veterans and their families throughout our country’s history. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is staffed entirely by volunteers. You can join us as a member, donor, sponsor, or volunteer in our mission to preserve the legacy and history of Miami Valley Veterans in all historical periods.
Those who are interested in touring the museum in groups of 10 or more after normal business hours are encouraged to contact Amy Cost at 937-332-8852 to arrange tour times and dates. There are no charges for admission, but the museum greatly appreciates any donations.
The museum’s collection is being constantly updated regularly. They receive donations of artifacts, and sometimes personal items from veterans or their families regularly. Depending on the significance of the artifact it may go on display after an assessment process has taken place.
On the first Wednesday of every month, the museum features a coffee and doughnut gathering and an informative program from 9 to 11 a.m.
Johnston Farm and Indian Agency
9845 Hardin Road, Piqua
Phone: 937-773-2522
Admission prices:
$10 for Adults, $9 for Seniors/AAA/Military, $5 for students, ages 6-12. Children 5 and under are free, as are OHC and Friend’s Members
The site includes Johnston Farm, a major trading site during the early 19th century, a history of Ohio farming museum and a portion of the Miami-Erie Canal. Open for groups by appointment April-May and September-October.
From June through August, the site is open Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. September through October and April through May, they are open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. by appointment only – visitors need to call ahead to schedule a time to visit.
The site is closed November through March, except for special programming.
When the site is open, guests can visit the Ohio Frontier and Canal Museum, tour the Johnston home and outbuildings, and ride a canal boat on a restored section of the Miami and Erie Canal. Staff and volunteers are on hand to answer questions on what life was like on the Ohio Frontier from roughly 1750 to 1850. The museum exhibits the restored Johnston home to showcase this time period.
The Johnston Farm & Indian Agency is an Ohio History Connection site that is managed by the Johnston Farm Council, a non-profit organization. Their mission involves helping guests grow their knowledge and appreciation of local and regional history and to understand the broader cultural environment of which it is a part.
Tippecanoe Historical Museum
20 N. Third St., Tipp City
Phone: 937-667-4092
www.tippecanoehistoricalsociety.org
Displays include artifacts from local families, schools and businesses. The museum is also home to local history and genealogy archives and oral history recordings.
Union Township Historical Museum and Quaker Research Center
47 N. Main St., West Milton
Phone: 937-698-3820
Offers displays on township history, archives and research collection on Quaker history and more.
Pleasant Hill History Center
8 E. Monument St., Pleasant Hill.
www.pleasanthillhistorycenter.com
Email: [email protected]
Hours of Operation: Every Monday from 3 to 7 p.m.
Displays include school related artifacts, memorabilia of the village’s local stores, and a Teflon coated muffin tin from Teflon inventor Roy Plunkett who attended Newton High School.
Covington-Newberry Historical Museum known as the Fort Rowdy Museum
101 E. Spring St., Covington
Phone: 937-216-2477
www.homegrowngreat.com/attractions/fort-rowdy-museum
Items are on display that are related to the history of Covington and Newberry Township. The 1849 schoolhouse was formerly home to a village council, a militia unit and a fire department. Open by appointment and during special events. Admission is free and donations are accepted.
A.B. Graham Memorial Center
8025 E. US Route 36, Conover
Phone: 937-368-3700
Museum and exhibit center honoring 4-H founder A.B. Graham.
Elizabeth Township Historical Society and Museum
5760 E. Walnut Grove Road, Troy
Phone: 937-205-2072
Email: [email protected]
www.elizabethtownshipohio.com/cc_historical_museum#historical
Hours are by appointment only.
The Elizabeth Township Historical Society Museum is home to a permanent collection of Elizabeth Township family histories, local history books, artifacts, military photos and uniforms. It also houses Elizabeth School artifacts, photos, school annuals, class composites, and more.
ETHS fosters and promotes interest in the history and cultural heritage of Elizabeth Township, Ohio’s first Rural Historic District on the National Registry of Historic Places. Housed in the Elizabeth Township Community Center, the ETHS Museum preserves and displays township artifacts and memorabilia, as well as holding genealogical information, historic documents, photos and the oral histories of its people. Museum hours Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours and genealogical assistance arranged by appointment.
