We
welcome you to come and view the many interesting exhibits our
museum has to offer... follow the Chillicothe Business College
sign (featured in one of our displays) to learn more!
Our main
building includes a railroad exhibit with a working train
whistle, Native American artifacts, antique guns, an iron jail
cell, and a mammoth tooth found in Livingston County. The second
exhibit room is dedicated to Main Street with displays of a soda
fountain, mom and pop grocery store, dental office, barber shop,
and beauty shop. This is where the memorabilia from the
Chillicothe Business College and Chillicothe High School are
also located, as well as the uniforms worn by Livingston County
service men and women from every branch of the military. We also
have several farm tools in all shapes and sizes. The
annex building located east of the museum houses the Moore
Monument wagon, the Churchill Truck Lines, Inc. Ford truck, the
Irvinbilt truck, and an antique fire truck that the children
will enjoy!
Woodcarvings
on display include one of a life-sized (8' tall) native American
which has been at the museum for many years. The statue was
carved from a tree trunk and then painted. Featured below... a
photo of a building from the Chillicothe Business College, a
jalopy from the annex building where the antique vehicles are
stored, and an assortment of displays.
  
Pictured below,
right, the art of weaving is demonstrated by Phyllis Koch of Chillicothe during
one of our annual
"spring teas." Photo courtesy of Paul Sturm,
C-T. 
Another display at the museum
is that of Depression Era
glass donated by Winnifred Evans, a retired elementary school teacher. Among the 17 pieces
displayed are pink, clear, and green glass. A special display is
dedicated to preserving memories of Chillicothe High
School. Among items on display are a
Chillette outfit, a cheerleader's megaphone, a 1924 black and tan sweater, a 1921 purple
and white banner and yearbooks.
The museum dedicates a portion of its facility to military
remembrances from the Civil War through Vietnam. Among items are those donated by Mary Skinner, widow of Bob Skinner, who was
a prisoner of war for some time, and a Purple Heart
given to Gene Carlton for his  service in the Korean War. Also on display are personal
war-time stories written by individuals with connections to the Grand River area. The
historical society hopes to expand this project as a means to preserve memories of
war-time experiences and the impact war had on the local area and its people.
Other exhibits include the Chillicothe Business College exhibit and the
black history display. Also, artwork by Fred Irvin, a former Chillicothe resident who
became a commercial artist in San Diego, is on display. Much of his artwork depicts scenes
of Livingston County. A photograph album preserves memories when big name entertainers,
such as Les Brown, Guy Lumbardo, Blue Barron, Chuck Cabot, and Wee Bonnie Baker visited
Chillicothe through the efforts of the late Buck Thompson. The museum also has an
extensive Indian display with arrowheads dating back 20,000 years. The oldest artifact at
the museum is a mammoth tooth, estimated to be one million years old. The tooth was found
when a man was dredging in the riverbed for gravel.
 Pictured:
Dr. Frank E. Stark, president of the Grand River Historical Society and board member Jerry Nibarger prepare the exhibit of local photographer Leo
Moren. Moren owned a camera shop on Washington Street, close to where the Chamber office is now, when photography was less than digital and more than a printable photo card no bigger than a thumb
print. The Grand River Historical Society Museum houses an exhibit of his equipment along with an exhibit of the old Chillicothe Drive-In Theatre, on Highway 65 going
north. C-T Photo/ Cathy Ripley
 Pictured:
An orange and black arrow, one of many used in a unique
method of outdoor advertising, dominates the Chillicothe
Business College exhibit at the Grand River Historical Society
Museum. The museum opened a special display about the college in
September, 2005, following the dedication ceremony of a
historical marker for the college at the corner of Monroe and
Springhill streets. C-T
Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley
Pictured: Dr. Jack Neal,
former curator of the Grand River Historical Society Museum,
prepared a special display at the museum about Chillicothe Business College. The museum
was open following the dedication ceremony of a historical marker for the college
on Friday, September 30. Members of the public, especially former CBC students,
attended. Visit our news' page to find the
complete press release on this event with related photos. C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley
 Pictured:
Gone are the days when soda jerks poured sodas and made ice
cream floats behind the bars of their fountains at corner drug
stores. However, anyone interested in seeing a soda fountain
which was used for decades on Jackson Street is invited to the
Grand River Historical Society's Museum.
The 16-foot
long soda fountain (complete with eight stools) was originally
used in
Horn's Drug Store, which later became Miller's Drug Store. It
was used for the last time at the Strand Hotel and is one of
several new displays at the museum. Richard Smith, former owner
of the Strand Hotel, donated the local artifact to the museum
this year and guessed Wednesday that the fountain is at least 80
years old, if not older. "I bought it from Mr. (Jesse)
Miller in the late 1970s and I decided to put it downstairs in
the hotel for the kids to use after school," Smith said. He
added that the fountain was used at the hotel from 1979 to 1981
alongside a pinball machine, and other games for children. Smith
said that at that time, Miller worked at the hotels front desk
and on Friday evenings, he often volunteered to man the fountain
downstairs. "He (Miller) enjoyed the soda fountain, I
think, and he had positive, upbeat way with the kids, too,"
Smith said.
 The
museum also boasts two displays courtesy of former Chillicothean
Billie Post. Museum curator Dr. Jack Neal and historical society
president Dr. Frank Stark reported that Post, a 1941 Chillicothe
High School graduate, had an extensive collection of model cars,
airplanes and ships which have been donated to the museum. Each
model car is labeled with information on the vehicles. For
instance, the model of a 1941 Lincoln Continental Convertible
comes with a label stating that the cost of the life-sized
version was $1,858, it's weight was 3,840 pounds and 725 of them
were made.
The table
holding old F.R. Bailey wedding photos proved to be one of the
biggest
attractions at one of the Grand River Historical Society's
season-opening spring teas held at the society's museum. Bailey used
the photos in his business, Bailey Studio, before selling it to Jon Shannon and retiring
in 1997 after about 40 years in business. Those
attending the event were encouraged to look through the 16-by-20 inch board-mounted photos
and help identify the subjects in the pictures. The pictures
were offered for
free to subjects in the pictures who were already members of the
historical society. C-T
Photo by Laura Schuler
 Pictured: F.R. Bailey (left), retired owner and founder of Bailey Studio, and Dr.
Frank Stark, president of the Grand River Historical Society, show two of the almost 500
old display portraits that Bailey donated to the society. The portraits are being
organized and stored at the Grand River Historical Society Museum and offered to the
people in the pictures in exchange for membership in the society. --
C-T Photo by Dave Kinnamon
Another
popular exhibit is the Gist and Megaskey Secondhand store area.
This area also features a salesman's sample of a wood burning range, a 1926 Montgomery Ward Bluebird stove, an antique collection of kitchen utensils, a lard press, and much more. There are also old sewing machines, including one dating back to the 1850s, and several spinning wheels dating back to the Civil War days and earlier.
The museum is filled with thousands of items, most of which were commonplace years ago. And, they are on display for public viewing.
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