The Great Bend Museum

04/02/2026

We are incredibly grateful to the Jackson County Commission for its generous commitment of $20,000 toward the restoration of the Sayre Log Cabin!
This support is a tremendous first step in helping us preserve one of our community’s most meaningful historic places. The Sayre Cabin has been part of local traditions, memories, and events for generations, and this investment will help ensure that it remains part of our community for years to come.
We are deeply thankful to the Commission for recognizing the importance of the cabin and for investing in the preservation of Jackson County history.
Thank you for helping us protect this special place for future generations!

The Commission just approved a $16.6M balanced budget—a $1.1M jump from last year. Plus, an urgent plea to save the historic Sayre log cabin in Ravenswood. 🪵🏚️

Article in comments! 🔗

02/19/2026

📸 Captured in Crisis: Clara Weisheit’s Photography of the 1937 Flood

In 1937, one of the worst disasters in Ohio Valley history. As floodwaters rose, photographer Clara Weisheit took to the waters by boat to document the destruction.

Her powerful images remain vital records of the 1937 flood, capturing not only the damage but the strength and resilience of our community in the face of crisis.

Join us as we explore Clara Weisheit’s remarkable photographs and the story they tell about Ravenswood during one of its most challenging moments.

🗓 February 28th
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Ravenswood Public Library
💲 Free Admission — Snacks Provided!

We hope to see you there as we reflect on this important chapter of local history.

01/09/2026

🥃 Tonight’s the Night! 🥃

Step back in time at Prohibition Night at Appalachian Distillery! Join us this evening for a behind-the-scenes tour and guided tasting as we explore the stories, secrets, and traditions of Prohibition-era distilling in Appalachia.

Come for the history, stay for the spirits. ✨

📅 Tonight, January 9
⏰ 6:00 PM
📍 Appalachian Distillery

We can’t wait to see you there!

12/17/2025

🥃✨ Sip into the Past! ✨🥃

We’re excited to invite you to Prohibition Night at Appalachian Distillery! Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour and guided tasting while exploring the fascinating history of Prohibition and Appalachian distilling traditions.

Come for the history, stay for the spirits. 🥃

📅 January 9th | ⏰ 6PM
📍 Appalachian Distillery

12/04/2025

If you’ve been watching recent City Council meetings, you may know that the museum has been facing several building-related challenges, and unfortunately, those issues have also affected our beloved Sayre Log House.
For generations, the Sayre Cabin has been a hub for our community. It has been the center of Eagle Scout projects, ORF ice cream giveaways, and senior center excursions. It has celebrated Groundhog Day traditions, the museum's Fright & Folklore Nights, and has been the perfect setting for numerous homecoming photos. It has watched runners cross finish lines, families drive through Christmas lights, and countless visitors stop and connect with Ravenswood’s past.
Most importantly, the Sayre Cabin has held our stories, stories of family, culture, and heritage, for many, many years.
Recently, we discovered serious concerns with the cabin’s roof as well as a few logs in the home's structure. To preserve this irreplaceable piece of history, the museum is actively pursuing grants to fund essential repairs and restoration. Many of these grant opportunities depend on community support.
If you have a moment, we would be incredibly grateful if you would:
💬 Leave a comment sharing your support in the restoration of the cabin or a memory you have involving the Sayre Cabin.
—or—
📩 Email your support to [email protected]
Even if it is just a sentence, every message helps demonstrate how much this cabin means to Jackson County.
Thank you for being part of preserving our history. ❤️

11/20/2025

🎬 It’s Movie Night! 🍿

Join us tonight at 7 p.m. at the Historic Alpine Theatre for our $1 Movie Night featuring The Unsinkable Molly Brown!

Come enjoy the story of Margaret “Molly” Brown — a woman whose courage, generosity, and unstoppable spirit made her truly unsinkable.

🎟️ Admission: Just $1
📍 Historic Alpine Theatre | ⏰ 7 p.m.

11/19/2025

🎬 Tomorrow Night! $1 Movie at the Historic Alpine Theatre 🎟️

Join us tomorrow, November 20 at 7 p.m., as the Great Bend Museum hosts a special $1 Movie Night featuring The Unsinkable Molly Brown at the Historic Alpine Theatre!

The film celebrates the remarkable life of Margaret “Molly” Brown, whose courage and determination made her an icon of early 20th-century America.

After the show (or anytime this month!), stop by the Great Bend Museum to see our new Clara Weisheit photography exhibit, featuring stunning images of the 1920s — the same era of transformation that shaped Molly’s world.

🎟️ Movie: The Unsinkable Molly Brown
📍 Alpine Theatre | ⏰ 7 p.m. | 💵 $1 Admission
📍 Exhibit: Great Bend Museum | Ongoing

11/17/2025

🍿 Something Fun (and Affordable!) for a Fall Evening

Looking for a cozy night out? Join us for the Great Bend Museum’s $1 Movie Night at the Historic Alpine Theatre on November 20 at 7 p.m.

We’ll be showing The Unsinkable Molly Brown — an uplifting story about courage, change, and making your own way in the world.

Come with friends, family, or fly solo — just don’t miss this little piece of history on the big screen!

11/14/2025

💪 Who was the real Molly Brown?

Before she became “unsinkable,” Margaret “Molly” Brown was a social reformer, philanthropist, and Titanic survivor who fought for education, women’s rights, and workers’ causes.

Her story of courage and compassion inspired the beloved film The Unsinkable Molly Brown — showing at the Historic Alpine Theatre on November 20 at 7 p.m.

🎟️ Tickets are just $1!
Come see why her spirit still inspires more than a century later.

10/24/2025

🎃✨ Tonight’s the Night! Fright & Folklore Returns! ✨🎃

The wait is over — join us TONIGHT at 7 PM at the Great Bend Museum for our 2nd Annual Fright and Folklore Night!

We’ll gather outdoors by the historic Sayre Log House for an evening of spooky stories and local legends. Bring your family, friends, and a blanket — it’s the perfect way to celebrate the season! 👻🍂

Enjoy free popcorn, freshly baked cookies, and warm apple cider while you listen to tales that will send shivers down your spine. 🍪☕

✨ Don’t forget to wear your costume and bring a carved Jack-O’-Lantern for a chance to win fun prizes!

📍 Great Bend Museum | Sayre Log House | 7 PM Tonight
🎟️ Free & open to all ages!

Check out these photos from last year’s magical evening — and get ready to make new memories tonight!

10/09/2025

Friday 3rd. Winny, our chief cook and bottle washer, left today to visit her hopeful son (Edward) who is living in that paradise of negroes, Pomeroy. In consequence, I have to take her place in the kitchen (Although the confession is humiliating). I certainly do not think my forte lies in cooking. I must say that I do not in the smallest particular, fill the situation as creditably as she did.

In this moment, we see how deeply 19th-century households, both North and South, relied on the labor of enslaved women to maintain not just daily routines, but also the appearance of order, refinement, and respectability. Tasks like cooking, cleaning, and child care were essential to the smooth functioning of the home, and by extension, to a family's social standing. Though rarely acknowledged in the historical record, the contributions of women like Winny were foundational to the domestic ideals and the social graces that defined the era.

Stay tuned for Henrietta's next entry! Barr was the daughter of Henry and Henrietta Fitzhugh, who inherited the property where Ravenswood is from their great-uncle, George Washington. They moved to the area in 1837 and founded Ravenswood in 1852. In 1860, there were 362 residents. 13 known families were Confederate, with the rest of the town siding with the Union. The Fitzhugh family was Confederate, and Henrietta’s diary contains many Confederate beliefs. We share these entries in order to present a comprehensive portrayal of history, but they do not reflect the beliefs and values of the Great Bend Museum. The diary was transcribed and published by Norman Fitzhugh, the College of Marietta, and Sallie Winn in 1963, and we are grateful for their work bringing this valuable historical document to light.