NEW KNOXVILLE, OH (WLIO) - The museums of Auglaize County welcomed visitors to open houses on Sunday.
The New Knoxville Historical Society is unique because it's made up of six different buildings instead of one, and each contains items relating to several areas of history.
For example, in the Heritage Center, you can find uniforms worn by veterans from the village, including one from a World War II POW. There's also school history, like yearbooks, trophies, desks, and textbooks. Another building is a former doctor's office built by Dr. Fledderjohann in 1980. Inside, you'll find old tools of the trade, wheelchairs, and even a bottle of poison ivy medicine the doctor was known for mixing himself.
"It housed three rooms, very unique in it's period. With the original lighting and one room, of course we have all the original lab equipment and cabinets that he used at that time," Rusty Elsass, the historical society's curator, said of the doctor's office.
Almost all of the items on display are from New Knoxville or linked to it and have been donated by members of the community.
"Most villages don't have a museum, or it is one big building, and that's it. So far, we're very active, and people, when they see us active, they're willing to give you some of their treasures. Just an amazing array of things from the New Knoxville community. We're here to preserve the New Knoxville community and share it with other people. So we hope people come to see it," added historical society member Diane Fledderjohann, who lives on the property where the former town physician Dr. Fledderjohann grew up.
The many museums and historical societies across Auglaize County hold open houses on the 4th Sunday of every month now through October.
