Hancock Historical Museum

Hancock Historical Museum Preserving the rich heritage of Hancock County to honor the past and inspire the future. The museum carries out a variety of programs in these facilities.

The Hancock Historical Museum is a privately-funded, non-profit history museum founded in 1970 by five Findlay residents to collect and preserve the rich history of Hancock County. The Museum is located in the Hull-Flater House at 422 West Sandusky Street, and first opened to the public in 1971. An addition was built on to the Hull-Flater House in 1985, serving as an exhibit center and meeting are

a while also housing the archives and museum collections. At the same time, a barn was constructed behind the museum, currently displaying exhibitions about transportation and agricultural life in Hancock County. The Crawford Log House, originally built in Biglick Township, was then moved behind the barn, completing the museum structures housed on Sandusky Street. The Hancock Historical Museum also maintains a site on County Road 236 – the Little Red Schoolhouse, furnished as a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse, and the Brucklacher Memorial Park. For school-aged children, the museum hosts a Fifth Grade Hands-on History program, a Fourth Grade Government Program, and Girl Scout badge-earning workshops. For adults, there are monthly Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series presentations, a Senior Symposium for senior residential care centers, and various workshops. All ages can enjoy the exhibit center, with constantly updated displays and exciting insight into the rich history of Hancock County. The museum houses permanent exhibits relating to the Gas and Oil Boom of the 1880s, Findlay Glass, Petroleum V. Nasby, the Civil War and World War II. In addition, there are rotating exhibits pertaining to Findlay businesses, social life in Hancock County, and other topics of local and regional interest.

🔍 is here! Can you guess what this object is?⚠️ House rules: No Googling, no reverse image searching, and yes — we ca...
06/01/2026

🔍 is here! Can you guess what this object is?
⚠️ House rules: No Googling, no reverse image searching, and yes — we can tell when you asked AI! 😄 The fun is in the genuine guessing, so put on your thinking cap and take your best shot!
All real guesses welcome. We'll reveal the answer tomorrow! 🎉

Findlay, May 29, 1885. Photographer Crozier & Linaweaver captured this dramatic midnight scene as the Karg Gas Well roar...
05/30/2026

Findlay, May 29, 1885. Photographer Crozier & Linaweaver captured this dramatic midnight scene as the Karg Gas Well roared to life, launching Findlay into one of the greatest oil and gas booms in Ohio history. Almost overnight, industry and investment poured into the city, and Findlay earned a new nickname: the "City of Light."

Let’s paint history together, Hancock County! We’re creating a massive, interactive America 250 mural, and YOU can help...
05/29/2026

Let’s paint history together, Hancock County!
We’re creating a massive, interactive America 250 mural, and YOU can help bring it to life. Grab your coworkers, friends, and family and join us for Community Paint Days at Brucklacher Memorial Park.

No painting skills? Perfect. Awakening Minds Art will walk you through everything in a simple paint‑by‑color style.
✔ 30‑minute volunteer shifts
✔ All supplies included
✔ Up to 8 volunteers per shift
✔ Family‑friendly and FUN

This mural will feature hidden symbols, educational tie‑ins, and a special spot for visitors to snap a photo as part of the artwork. It’s a once‑in‑a‑generation project — and we want YOU in it.

Claim your spot: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449A5AF2EA1FDC43-63931912-community #/

This week we are featuring a stunning cream lace dress and jacket ensemble from our collection.This delicate two-piece ...
05/29/2026


This week we are featuring a stunning cream lace dress and jacket ensemble from our collection.
This delicate two-piece features an intricate allover lace pattern in a warm champagne tone. The sleeveless dress is layered with tiered panels at the hip and a softly flared skirt, finished with a scalloped lace hem. It is accented with a narrow satin belt and a small decorative silver and rhinestone buckle at the waist. The coordinating jacket features sheer chiffon sleeves and an open front, draped elegantly over the dress.
The drop waist silhouette and Art Deco details point to the late 1920s, an era when lace ensembles like this were a fashionable choice for afternoon teas, garden parties, and special occasions.
A beautiful example of the craftsmanship and elegance of the period.



Findlay had its own Civilian Conservation Corps camp?Pictured is the 3523rd Co. CCC Camp D-3, Findlay, Ohio, showing...
05/28/2026

Findlay had its own Civilian Conservation Corps camp?
Pictured is the 3523rd Co. CCC Camp D-3, Findlay, Ohio, showing officers and Bureau of Agricultural Economics (BAE) personnel. The camp was located at Riverside Park where the volleyball courts stand today. The Blanchard River is visible in the background with the Blanchard Street Bridge to the right.
Some of the local projects completed by the camp included the Riverside Park Pool, the Bandshell, and the rerouting of the Blanchard River.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a work relief program that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression. Considered by many to be one of the most successful of Roosevelt's New Deal programs, the CCC planted more than three billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide during its nine years of existence, helping shape the modern national and state park systems we enjoy today.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the CCC with an executive order on April 5, 1933 as part of his New Deal legislation, putting hundreds of thousands of young men to work on environmental conservation projects during a time of devastating unemployment.
The CCC enrolled mostly young, unskilled, and unemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25, primarily from families on government assistance, for a minimum of six months. Each worker received $30 per month in addition to room and board, but was required to send $22 to $25 of that home to support his family. Some corpsmen also received basic and vocational education while they served. It is estimated that around 57,000 illiterate men learned to read and write in CCC camps.
By July 1, 1933, more than 1,433 working camps had been established and more than 300,000 men put to work in what was described as the most rapid peacetime mobilization in American history.

Caroline "Carrie" Beardsley was born to Daniel and Jane Beardsley on May 27, 1857. Carrie attended the Findlay public ...
05/27/2026

Caroline "Carrie" Beardsley was born to Daniel and Jane Beardsley on May 27, 1857. Carrie attended the Findlay public schools and began teaching in Findlay at the age of 17. At age 23, on October 6, 1880, she married attorney George Washington Ross. The Rosses went to Wayne County for a few years but returned to Findlay in 1889. George joined his father-in-law's law practice for four years, then joined A.C. Kinder's practice for 15 years before starting his own. He was general counsel for a number of large business concerns and served as city solicitor from 1892 to 1896.
The Rosses had no children of their own but raised two adopted daughters. Carrie was a member of the Symposium, the Colloquist Club, and the Shakespeare Club, served on the Findlay Public Library board, and was very active in musical circles.
Carrie's real passion was her work on the County Board of Visitors, where she worked tirelessly on behalf of child welfare. She helped establish the Friendly Inn, a combination detention home for delinquent boys and girls and a rescue home for neglected children. It was founded in 1912 and located at 210 Baldwin Avenue, then moved to 228 North Main Street until 1915, when it was sold to Washington School. It later moved to 1730 South Main Street but closed in late summer of 1915 due to insufficient funds.
Carrie was also active during WWI. She died at her home at 623 South Main Street on May 8, 1947, at the age of 89.

400-404 South Main Street has seen nearly two centuries of Findlay history unfold on a single stretch of sidewalk.Thi...
05/26/2026


400-404 South Main Street has seen nearly two centuries of Findlay history unfold on a single stretch of sidewalk.
This site is home to Findlay's first courthouse, built in 1833. By 1837, the courthouse had been converted into the American House Hotel. It later became home to Wheeler's Dry Goods from 1863 to 1868, built by W. H. and J. J. Wheeler.
The Wheelers sold the building to Elijah P. Jones, founder and president of the First National Bank. When Jones moved the bank in 1872, he completely remodeled the building at a cost of $40,000, replacing the original brick facade with stone and adding a massive decorative cornice with the name JONES carved into it and surrounded by raised leaves. It was the pride of the Jones family and a landmark on South Main.
Today the building is owned by the Guglielmi family and is home to the Fitzgerald and Mihalik Law Firm, Yeager's Modern Man, and the Jones Building Artists Studios on the second floor.

Pictured: First Courthouse, Jones Block c1900, and today.

The Hancock Historical Museum will be closed today, Sunday, May 24th in observation of Memorial Day weekend. We will ope...
05/24/2026

The Hancock Historical Museum will be closed today, Sunday, May 24th in observation of Memorial Day weekend. We will open again as scheduled on Wednesday at 10:00 am.

🇺🇸 Findlay's Memorial Day parade, 1973! Marchers carrying American flags and military colors cross the Main Street bridg...
05/23/2026

🇺🇸 Findlay's Memorial Day parade, 1973! Marchers carrying American flags and military colors cross the Main Street bridge, pausing to throw floral wreaths into the Blanchard River in honor of the fallen before making their way to the War Memorial at Maple Grove Cemetery. 🌸
A Findlay tradition of honoring those who served, still going strong today.

✨ ✨This exquisite cream cotton dress from our collection is a testament to the fine needlework of the 1920s. Sleeveles...
05/22/2026

✨ ✨
This exquisite cream cotton dress from our collection is a testament to the fine needlework of the 1920s. Sleeveless with a wide pointed collar, the garment features elaborate whitework embroidery on the bodice with floral and scrolling motifs, a lace insertion band at the waist, and repeating embroidered panels throughout the skirt.
The delicate handwork and lightweight cotton construction suggest this was likely a warm weather day dress, reflecting the skilled needlework traditions of the Jazz Age.

Address

422 W Sandusky Street
Findlay, OH
45840

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+14194234433

Website

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