Wood County Museum

Last updated
Wood County Museum
Lunatic House and Infirmary.jpg
Wood County Museum
Former name
Wood County Infirmary
Established1975 (1975) (Museum)
Location13660 County Home Road, Bowling Green, Ohio [1]
TypeHistory museum
Website woodcountyhistory.org

The Wood County Museum, located in Bowling Green, Ohio, is the original site of the Wood County Infirmary also known as the Wood County Home or the Poor Farm. This structure was the home to poor, mentally- ill, physically disabled and anyone in need of public assistance who were residents of Wood County.

Contents

History

Infirmary

Wood County Infirmary
Wood County Historical Center and Museum front Arch.jpg
Wood County Museum
Geography
LocationBowling Green, Ohio, United States
History
Construction started1868
Opened1869
Closed1971
Links
Lists Hospitals in Ohio

The main Infirmary building was built in 1868. [2] Regulations by the State of Ohio prescribed a minimum standard of living in the construction, including minimum square footage per person, healthy food, and clean laundry, among other amenities. [1] The Infirmary opened in 1869 where it also operated as a Poor Farm, giving it a degree of self sufficiency. [1] [3] The presence of an Infirmary in Bowling Green was a contributing factor that helped it gain status as County Seat instead of Perrysburg, Ohio. [3]

In 1885 a Lunatic House was built on the grounds to house the mentally ill. [3] Many of the first residents to live there had been moved from prior quarters in the waterlogged basement of a jail in Perrysburg, Ohio. [3] Treatments prescribed included fresh air, Laudanum with Mercury and Alcohol added, and Herbal medicine. [3] The Lunatic House ceased operations in the 1930s, when it was converted to serve as a hospital and dormitory for families during the Great Depression. [3]

By 1898 the east and central wings of the infirmary were condemned and rebuilt. [2] Oil wells built on the property as a result of the Ohio oil boom supplied heating and lighting oil until 1904, and the lack of heating in the East and Central wings was again an issue in 1979. [2] In the 1920s the director of the Infirmary hand built a stone wall around the site. [2] [4] From 1935 on, the Infirmary shifted operations to be closer to a nursing home. [1]

The Paupers Cemetery contains at least 355 burials. [5] Removal of the headstones to make mowing the lawn easier made identification difficult. [3]

Museum

On 1971[ citation needed ] the Infirmary closed its doors and residents were moved to a new location. [4] Between 1971 and 1974 the vacant building was heavily vandalized. [2] Lyle Fletcher, a local historian and director of the city parks convinced the county commissioners to save the building. [4] By spring 1975 the building opened as the Wood County Museum. [4] As of 2018 the complex was one of the few preserved poor houses remaining in Ohio. [6] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Museum was shown on WBGU-TV program Scenic Stop, which premiered December 6, 2012. [7]

Exhibits

The Museum is home to over 30 exhibits about this building's history and the social history of Wood County.

Outbuildings

There are several outbuildings, including a pest house to isolate men with communicable diseases such as scarlet fever and influenza, a hog barn and an ice house.

Mary Bach

The museum hosts the fingers of Mary Bach, who was murdered in October of 1881. [8] [9] The fingers were kept as evidence and preserved in whisky before being transferred to a formalin solution, and later to a contemporary preservation scheme in 2015. [10] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood County, Ohio</span> County in Ohio, United States

Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowling Green, Ohio</span> City in Wood County, Ohio

Bowling Green is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Ohio, United States, located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Toledo. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and a member of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perrysburg, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

Perrysburg is a city located in Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 25,041 at the 2020 census. Part of the Toledo metropolitan area, the city is 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Toledo. Perrysburg served as the county seat from 1822 to 1868, and although it is currently the second-largest city in Wood County after Bowling Green, it is one of the fastest growing cities in Northwest Ohio and now the largest suburb of Toledo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowling Green State University</span> Public university in Bowling Green, Ohio, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBGU (FM)</span> Radio station in Bowling Green, Ohio

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton Township, Wood County, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

Middleton Township is one of the nineteen townships of Wood County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 5,611 people in the township.

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Rossford High School is a public high school in Rossford, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Rossford Exempted Village School District. The district mainly serves the city of Rossford and also includes parts of the city of Northwood, Perrysburg Township, and Lake Township within Wood County.

Joseph Edward Baird was a U.S. Representative from Ohio for one term from 1929 to 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowling Green City School District</span> School district in Ohio

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Rossford Public Schools is a school district in Northwest Ohio. The school district serves students who live in the communities of Rossford, Northwood, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township, and Lake Township located in Wood County. The superintendent is Dan Creps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood County Courthouse and Jail</span> Local government building in the United States

The Wood County Courthouse and Jail, located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States, is Wood County's third courthouse. It was built after citizens decided to move the county seat from Perrysburg to Bowling Green. Ground was broken on November 28, 1893, and the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1894. The architectural firm of Yost & Packard of Columbus designed the courthouse and construction was overseen by T.B. Townsend of Youngstown. The winning tender for the project was $153,803 and the final construction costs totaled $255,746.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood County Airport (Ohio)</span> Airport in Wood County, Ohio

Wood County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northeast of the central business district of Bowling Green, in Wood County, Ohio, United States on the campus of Bowling Green State University. It is owned by the Wood County Airport Authority and is also known as Wood County Regional Airport (WCRA). As per the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is classified as a general aviation airport.

Lime City is an unincorporated community in Wood County, Ohio, United States. It is part of Perrysburg Township and located at the intersection of Lime City Road and U.S. Route 20. Lacking a post office, Lime City's zip code falls within Perrysburg's 43551.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Dundee Liff Hospital</span> Hospital in Angus, Scotland

The Royal Dundee Liff Hospital, previously known as Dundee Lunatic Asylum and Dundee Royal Lunatic Asylum, was a mental health facility originally established in 1812 in Dundee, Scotland. It was originally located in premises in Albert Street Dundee, but later moved out of the town to new buildings in the nearby parish of Liff and Benvie. Buildings at Liff included Greystanes House, which was the main building, and, Gowrie House, which was the private patients' facility. Both Grade B listed buildings.

The murder of Mary Bach was a prominent murder case that took place in Wood County, Ohio on October 10, 1881, when Mary Bach was stabbed to death by her husband, Carl Bach. Paraphernalia associated with the murder, including a jar containing three of Bach’s severed fingers, are currently on display at the Wood County Museum in Bowling Green, Ohio, where they have become a point of interest for regional tourism. In recent years, scholars have cited the murder as a case of historic domestic violence and femicide, and the display of Bach’s fingers and other objects associated with her killing have prompted conversations surrounding museum ethics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McLaughlin, Jan Larson. "'Poor farm' exhibit examines historical safety net for 'worthy poor' – BG Independent News" . Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Flick, Jim (25 May 1979). "Hundred-year-old mansion captures county history". BG News (Student Newspaper). No. The BG News May 25, 1979. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ellsworth, Katy (8 March 2001). "Building under repair housed the 'lunatics'". BG News (Student Newspaper). No. The BG News March 8, 2001. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Whitakar, Cindy (9 July 1981). "'Hall of muses' full of Wood County history". BG News (Student Newspaper). No. The BG News July 9, 1981. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  5. ↑ Petkosik, Amber (22 October 2012). "'Infirmary tours' return for fall". BG News (Student Newspaper). No. The BG News October 22, 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  6. ↑ McLaughlin, Jan Larson. "Kling grows into job as county historical center director – BG Independent News" . Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "WBGU-TV Scenic Stops - Wood County Historical Center and Museum". wbgutv.org. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "A WIFE MURDERER HANGED". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Horrible Murder in Ohio--A Father Kills His Son". The New York Times. 19 August 1867. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Wood Co. museum rethinking how to show fingers of 1881 murder victim". Sentinel-Tribune. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Feehan, Jennifer. "Museum's jar with 3 fingers tells brutal tale". The Blade. Retrieved 7 October 2019.

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