WAPAKONETA, OH (WLIO) -Â Continuing their celebration of the 175th anniversary, the Auglaize County Historical Society has a new initiative to bring visitors to their museums.
From the outside, the many museums of Auglaize County look like ordinary buildings, but inside each of them are centuries-old pieces of town history, and friendly volunteers ready to teach you all about them, like Linda Knerr, the volunteer guide of the Wapakoneta Museum on 206 W. Main Street.
"It has all kinds of memorabilia from Wapakoneta. We have some things from Neil Armstrong, we have some things from the Shawnee Indians, we have displays of the Kreitzer buggies, sports, toys that were made here in Wapakoneta," Knerr said.
To encourage people to get out and learn more about their local history, the Auglaize County Historical Society kicked off their new passport program on Sunday. If you visit five different museums and take selfies at two of them between now and October 22nd, you'll be entered to win one of three local-themed prize baskets. Each worth at least $150. Whether or not you win, completing your passport will broaden your knowledge of Auglaize County history.
"Each town has certain things that's specific to that town. New Bremen, New Knoxville, Minster, St. John's, Uniopolis, St. Marys, Wapak. Each one of them is different in their displays," Knerr explained.
Each museum also comes with several printed explanations of some of the displays, like ones about industries of the time, famous residents, and even unique exhibits like a 19th-century jail cell. Many people don't know the museums are there, and even fewer know just what's inside.
"Even though this is a small museum, I think they're surprised that there's so much here that tells the history of Wapak. I think they would be interested in especially the Indian artifacts, the arrowheads and that kind of stuff," Knerr said.
To learn more about the museums, or the passport program, you can reach out to the Auglaize County Historical Society on their Facebook page or email them at auglaizecounty1948@gmail.com.
