Spring Meeting – Sunday, May 5

The Swiss Community Historical Society will hold its Spring Meeting on Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 p.m. in the Patio Room at Maple Crest. Gary Wetherill will give a presentation on the native people who lived in Ohio prior to settlers arriving in in the late 1700s.

Wetherill, who has studied native culture for over 50 years, will give a presentation on the native people of Ohio, particularly the Shawnee. He will be talking about the material culture and lifeways of the Shawnee and other woodland tribes who called Ohio home.

An extensive display of books, artifacts and reproductions will be available for hands on exploration.

SCHS transforming barn as Heritage Center

See the Swiss Community Historical Society Facebook page for ongoing progress reports and photos of Heritage Center Construction.

The Swiss Community Historical Society is building a Heritage Center from the Bixel-Basinger Swiss Settlement barn previously located on the Dan and Cindy Basinger Farm.

The repurposed barn will be heated and air-conditioned and include. a large event space, classroom, artifact storage space, and public restrooms. The facility will allow for longer visits during tours and events, and eliminate weather restrictions. on scheduling.

The barn was dismantled in 2022, groundbreaking took place in August 2023, and it is now being reassembled between the farmhouse and bank barn.

This project is made possible by individual, group, and corporate donors.

Contact Capital Campaign Director Julie Stratton at 419-302-0369 or email swisshistoricalcampaign@gmail.com for information or to schedule a meeting.

Swiss Community Historical Society
PO Box 5, Bluffton, OH 45817

Tours of the Homestead

Tours may be scheduled throughout the year. The Schumacher Homestead offers a glimpse into the lives of Swiss immigrants in an area of Allen and Putnam counties known as the Settlement during the mid 19^th century.

Visitors may tour the house, summer kitchen, workshop, and barn—which are filled with original and period items—as well as the garden.

In August 2023, reconstruction of the Bixel-Basinger barn began between the farmhouse and the bank barn. It will be the society’s new Heritage Center. Visitors may view, from a safe distance, the progress of that project.

Prices for Admission: $5 per adult, Free for children 16 and under.

Free for current members. Memberships are available for immediate purchase. $30 per household for one year.

Thank you to all of our members and donors for their support of the Swiss Community Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Memberships and donation payments can now be made by PayPal or check. Learn more: swisshistorical.org/join-us/.

Those interested in scheduling a tour should contact Susie Gratz at gratzds@roadrunner.com or call 419-358-4822 and leave a message.