Atlas Obscura · People & society

Ohio's Small Town Museum Preserves Local History

Ohio's Small Town Museum in Ashville, Ohio, preserves the unique history and oddities of the former boomtown. The museum, housed in the former Dreamland Theater, relies on donations and volunteers.

Founded by locals in 1975 to preserve social history after the town's decline, the museum features a diverse collection. Exhibits include local culture, innovation, controversy, and myths.

A key attraction is Teddy Boor’s patented motorized traffic light, which holds the Guinness record for the longest operating traffic light (1932-1982).

The museum's exhibits often correspond with the book 'Amazing Ashville' by Bob Hines, detailing the lives of individuals connected to the town.

Notable figures represented include puppeteer Vivian Michael, cookbook author Florence Brobeck, singer Corinne Welsh, 'Bourbon Cowboy' Jack Fox, and porn star John Holmes.

The museum also showcases local folklore, such as ghost sightings, theories of Viking inhabitants, UFOs, and a tale of a rooster paying for its feed.

Ashville confronts its past as a 'sundown town' by displaying a Ku Klux Klan robe, contextualized by the town's later lifting of bylaws and election of a Jewish mayor.

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