Lecture With Mark Billingsley
2023-04-30 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum will hold a lecture on Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s Folsom Auditorium. Join museum docent and
volunteer, Mark Billingsley for his presentation Lima’s Beautiful Homes. This lecture is free and open to the general public, museum members, and docents.

Mr. Billingsley has researched homes that have been part of the history of Lima. Beyond the Golden Block, Lima’s architecture extends to a variety of homes that catch the eye of all. Billingsley will share information about these homes and the impact of the men that built them.
Mark Billingsley was born and raised in Lima, Ohio. In 1971, he enlisted in the United State Air Force and was in the Cryptological Security Communications area where he dealt with information which was classified as Top Secret and above. After the service, he joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 32. He retired in 2013 as in Electrical General Foreman after 36 years of service. He has been teaching at IBEW Local 32’s Joint Apprenticeship Training Center since 2014.
He became active at the Allen County Museum in 2014, where he provides guided tours to school children, schedules docents for floor duty, and participates in researching Allen County History. He has given presentations on Benjamin Faurot to numerous local organizations. His other hobbies include gardening and golfing. Mark married his high school sweetheart, Linda Schiffer, in 1972. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.
Please join the Board of Trustees and museum staff in welcoming Mr. Billingsley to the museum for his presentation.
The Allen County Museum is located at 620 West Market Street, Lima, Ohio 45801. Museum hours are Tuesday-Friday 1:00-5:00; Saturday 1:00-4:00 p.m. Contact Amy Craft Klassen by email at acraft@allencountymusem.org or by phone at 419.222.9426 to learn more about this program or visit us at www.allencountymuseum.org.

Lecture With Dr. David Strittmatter
2023-05-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Mother & Daughter Tea
2023-05-13 13:00 - 15:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Celebrate Mother’s Day with the Allen County Museum’s Mother & Daughter Tea at the MacDonell House, our Victorian mansion. Tickets are $35 each and may be reserved by calling 419-222-9426, by emailing Donna at dcollins@allencountymuseum.org or by registering online here.

Life In America
2023-07-14 13:00 - 16:00, 2023-07-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Movie Night
2023-07-20 20:00 - 23:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Docent Enrichment Week
2023-09-11 09:00 - 2023-09-15 12:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Orientation for New Docents & Children’s Discovery Center Volunteers
Date: September 11, 2023Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Docent Enrichment Sessions (for new and veteran docents)
Date: September 12-15, 2023Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Become a Volunteer at the Allen County Museum
An orientation session for prospective docents and Children’s Discovery Center volunteers will be held at the museum on Monday, September 11, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Morning sessions scheduled for September 12 – 15, 2023 are designed for both new and veteran volunteers. Speakers will present programs about museum exhibits and local history.Docents provide an invaluable service leading adult and children’s tours as well as guiding walk-in visitors around the museum. Children’s Discovery Center volunteers primarily assist with school tours in the hands-on area. Both docents and Children’s Discovery Center volunteers offer assistance with special events, such as the Christmas Tree Festival and the two-day Life in America event.After fulfilling their requirements of becoming a docent or Children’s Discover Center volunteer. volunteers are asked to serve at least 40 to 60 hours per year.
To register, please contact Sarah Rish, Curator of Education by phone(419-222-9426) or e-mail (srish@allencountymuseum.org), by September 6.

Drinks With The Director
2023-09-20 17:30 - 19:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum invites you to meet our new director, Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.
RSVP to Donna Collins at dcollins@allencountymuseum.org or by calling 419.222.9426.

National Fossil Day
2023-10-21 12:00 - 16:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Christmas Tree Festival
2023-11-29 10:00 - 17:00, 2023-11-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2023-12-01 10:00 - 20:00, 2023-12-02 12:00 - 18:00, 2023-12-03 12:00 - 18:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum’s 51st annual Christmas Tree Festival is Wednesday November 29, 2023 thru Sunday December 3, 2023 from 10 AM to 5 PM with special hours on Friday from 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday 12 to 5 PM.
This glorious holiday tradition is a partnership between the Allen County Museum, Allen County Master Gardeners and the Johnny Appleseed Park District. It features more than 100 trees and wreaths decorated by local businesses and organizations. There are plenty of activities, including everyone’s favorite, Evergreen, the Talking Tree.
Continue the tradition and be sure to bring your family to visit this year’s Christmas Tree Festival!

Holiday Soiree
2023-12-16 18:00 - 20:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Opening of Mirror Mirror Exhibition
2024-01-11 18:00 - 19:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum will be opening its first temporary exhibition of the year, Mirror Mirror, on January 11, 2024. Mirror Mirror combines the work of fourteen female artists whose work surrounds the complexities of their identities as artists, women, and, in some cases, mothers, wives, and daughters. The exhibition, which has been traveling since October 2022, is curated by the Director of the Allen County Museum, Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.
The museum is launching a temporary exhibition schedule in 2024. Each year, the museum will have three changing exhibitions in its temporary gallery space on a range of themes and subjects. We are looking forward to engaging in new conversations and programs with these exhibits.
Mirror Mirror focuses on artists and works that discuss the complexities of being a woman as well as so many other identities. Some works, like Jessica Gardner’s Mommy Wars, will show honest, real-life experiences of being a artist and a mother. In contrast, others, like Jessica Calderwood’s Public Private, are more metaphorical illustrations of the dualities of womanhood. It is an exhibition that may mirror any viewer’s experiences, regardless of gender identity.
The fourteen artists tell a wide variety of stories on this topic through an equally diverse number of mediums. Artists and their mediums include Erin Holscher Almazan, printmaking; Julie Blackmon, photography; Alicia Brown, painting; Jessica Calderwood, ceramics; Kristen Cliffel, ceramics; Rebecca Cross, textiles; Lalla Essaydi, photography; Jessica Gardner, ceramics; Marcella Hackbardt, photography; Mabi Ponce de Leon, mixed media; Bellamy Printz, printmaking; Stephanie Rond, mixed media; Margo Selski, painting; and Babette Wainwright, ceramics.
Dr. Fowler Shearer has spent the last twenty years advocating for and highlighting non-mainstream artists and regions in her exibitions and art historical writing. In 2010, she founded her own company, Fowler Artistic, to curate exhibitions with diversity in mind for museums, non-profits, collectors, and artists. She curated Mirror Mirror in 2020 before becoming the Director of the Allen County Museum in 2023.
The museum is excited to start holding temporary exhibitions more frequently and having the opportunity to share stories the permanent collection cannot tell. In addition, having changing exhibitions encourages visitors to come back and learn about something new several times a year.
The Allen County Museum is excited to start 2024 with such a compelling and rich exhibition. Mirror Mirror will be open from January 11 through March 23, 2024. A lecture about the exhibition will be held by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer on January 28, 2024, as a part of the museum’s annual meeting. Likewise, another lecture surrounding the exhibition will be held on February 24, 2024, by Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art. Allen County Museum would like to thank its partner, the Ohio Arts Council, for a grant that helped make Mirror Mirror possible.

Mirror Mirror Exhibition
2024-01-11 18:00 - 2024-03-24 17:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum opened its first temporary exhibition of the year, Mirror Mirror, on January 11, 2024. Mirror Mirror combines the work of fourteen female artists whose work surrounds the complexities of their identities as artists, women, and, in some cases, mothers, wives, and daughters. The exhibition, which has been traveling since October 2022, is curated by the Director of the Allen County Museum, Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.
The museum is launching a temporary exhibition schedule in 2024. Each year, the museum will have three changing exhibitions in its temporary gallery space on a range of themes and subjects. We are looking forward to engaging in new conversations and programs with these exhibits.
Mirror Mirror focuses on artists and works that discuss the complexities of being a woman as well as so many other identities. Some works, like Jessica Gardner’s Mommy Wars, will show honest, real-life experiences of being a artist and a mother. In contrast, others, like Jessica Calderwood’s Public Private, are more metaphorical illustrations of the dualities of womanhood. It is an exhibition that may mirror any viewer’s experiences, regardless of gender identity.
The fourteen artists tell a wide variety of stories on this topic through an equally diverse number of mediums. Artists and their mediums include Erin Holscher Almazan, printmaking; Julie Blackmon, photography; Alicia Brown, painting; Jessica Calderwood, ceramics; Kristen Cliffel, ceramics; Rebecca Cross, textiles; Lalla Essaydi, photography; Jessica Gardner, ceramics; Marcella Hackbardt, photography; Mabi Ponce de Leon, mixed media; Bellamy Printz, printmaking; Stephanie Rond, mixed media; Margo Selski, painting; and Babette Wainwright, ceramics.
Dr. Fowler Shearer has spent the last twenty years advocating for and highlighting non-mainstream artists and regions in her exibitions and art historical writing. In 2010, she founded her own company, Fowler Artistic, to curate exhibitions with diversity in mind for museums, non-profits, collectors, and artists. She curated Mirror Mirror in 2020 before becoming the Director of the Allen County Museum in 2023.
The museum is excited to start holding temporary exhibitions more frequently and having the opportunity to share stories the permanent collection cannot tell. In addition, having changing exhibitions encourages visitors to come back and learn about something new several times a year.
The Allen County Museum is excited to start 2024 with such a compelling and rich exhibition. Mirror Mirror will be open from January 11 through March 23, 2024. A lecture about the exhibition will be held by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer on January 28, 2024, as a part of the museum’s annual meeting. Likewise, another lecture surrounding the exhibition will be held on February 24, 2024, by Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art. Allen County Museum would like to thank its partner, the Ohio Arts Council, for a grant that helped make Mirror Mirror possible.

Annual Meeting
2024-01-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Join the Allen County Museum for its annual meeting, featuring a lecture from Executive Director Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.

Valentine Dinner - Sold Out!
2024-02-10 18:00 - 21:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Treat your sweetheart to a romantic dinner in the historic MacDonell House.

Lecture
2024-02-24 14:00 - 15:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum is proud to welcome guest lecturer Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art.

Lecture Sponsored by Cenovus Energy - Karlyn Lauer Finding Oil in Allen County: A Layman's Look at the History of Lima
2024-03-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Why is oil important in the history of Allen County? In 1885, the world’s largest oil field, which covered most of northwestern Ohio and much of northeastern Indiana, was found in Allen County, causing a boom in local industry. This lecture will go into a layman’s description of that early oil drilling in Allen County and its history, as well as highlighting the three crucial men that impacted the local oil industry: John W. Van Dyke, John D. Rockefeller, and Herman Frasch Jr.
Admission is free.

Space Day at the Allen County Museum
2024-03-23 13:30 - 16:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Come to The Allen County Museum on March 23rd to experience a fun afternoon of space and eclipse-related activities and crafts for the whole family! At 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., The Lima Astronomical Society will describe what an eclipse is and what happens during one. The Northwest Ohio Amateur Radio Club will let all ages use their radio transmitters, just like first responders may need to during the eclipse. COSI Science Kits about space, geared towards middle schoolers, and eclipse glasses will be handed out for free throughout the event.* A rocket from one of the COSI Kits will be set off during the event. There will be tons of excitement and learning for everyone: gravity tests, a constellation craft, examples of toys that were brought to space, and so much more. Visit The Allen County Museum on March 23rd to have fun while learning more about space and the eclipse!
*While supplies last for both COSI Kits and eclipse glasses (only 4 eclipse glasses per family).

The MacDonell House Opens for the Season
2024-04-02 13:00 - 17:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The MacDonell House reopens to the public for the 2024 season.
The 6,500 square-foot Victorian mansion contains five bedrooms, three full baths and one half bath. The house features six different parquet floors, coffered ceilings in three rooms, six fire places, fifty-three doors and ninety-five windows. German artisans hand-carved the quartered-sawed oak, cherry and mahogany wood throughout the home. An Art Deco twenty-pane stained glass window depicts a landscape scene along the east stairway. The exterior is clad in roman brick on the first floor and red slate on the second and third floors.
The MacDonell House is available by tour only. Admission to the MacDonell House is $3 per person for adults and children ages 9 and up and supports the continued preservation and maintenance of the house. Admission is free for members and children ages 8 and under.

Extended Hours Eclipse Weekend
2024-04-06 12:00 - 2024-04-07 16:00 | Ohio
To celebrate the eclipse with our community and visitors, the Allen County Museum will be opened for extend hours.
Saturday April 6: 12-5 p.m.
Sunday April 7: 12-4 p.m.
Free Admission.
Total Solar Eclipse phases. Composite Solar Eclipse.

Opening of Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-04-25 17:30 - 19:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum wants to welcome everyone to the opening of Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic on April 25 at 5:30 p.m. There will be a reception with food and drinks that is free to all. Come see photographs that depict the strength and tenacity of the American people through mass trials and tribulations.

Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-04-25 17:30 - 2024-07-21 17:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Extended for two more weeks based on popularity!
Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic will highlight depression-era photographers from the Work Progress Administration’s (WPA) Farm Security Administration (FSA) program as well as contemporary photographers reacting to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This exhibition features photography from two times of national tragedy, comparing them while also engaging patrons with photography from regional sites throughout Ohio and the United States. A theme throughout is the resilience of the American people as they tackle the trials and tribulations placed before them.
Curated by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer and Arnold Tunstall.
Depression Era Photographers: Esther Bubley, Jack Delano, Theodor Jung, Dorothea Lang, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans, Gordon Parks, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott.
Contemporary Photographers: Autumn Bland, Donald Black Jr., Angelo Merendino, Jane Alden Stevens, and Shane Wynn.

Mother and Daughter Tea at the MacDonell House
2024-05-04 13:00 - 15:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
A Mother-Daughter Tea will be held at the MacDonell House on May 4, 2024 from 1:00-3:00 p.m., the doors will open at 1 p.m., in support of the Allen County Museum. Guests will enjoy time in the Victorian House and a special presentation. A scrumptious menu of both sweet and savory items will complement the tea selection.

Lecture: Mark Billingsley on WPA in Allen County
2024-05-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Local Historian and Allen County Museum Docent, Mark Billingsley will be presenting a lecture on the WPA in Allen County.

This lecture is free to all.

Lecture: Dr. Christine Fowler-Shearer & Arnold Tunstall on Curating Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-06-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Ohio

Lecture: Dr. Leslie Heaphy Presents about The Great Depression
2024-06-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Ohio
The Allen County Museum is delighted to host Dr. Leslie Heaphy, Associate Professor of History at Kent State University, for a lecture on The Great Depression in Ohio. The presentation will be held June 29, 2024, at 2 p.m. in the museum. This lecture is being held in conjunction with the museum’s current temporary exhibition, Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic. Dr. Heaphy will give greater context to The Great Depression by looking at Ohio’s own history during the time period.
