About Us
Warren County Historical Society & Museum
105 S. Broadway
Lebanon, Ohio 45036
Phone: 513-932-1817 Fax: 513-932-8560
E-mail: wchs@wchsmuseum.org
The museum is open year-round
Tuesday to Saturday 9 A.M. to 4 P.M..
Sunday Noon to 4 P.M..
We are closed on Mondays and holidays.
Tours take approximately one hour.
The museum is open to scheduled group and school tours. These tours can be scheduled by calling at least two weeks in advance to 513-932-1817.
Children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
School tours should have at least four adult teachers/chaperones. Each school tour group should have no more than 30 students.
The museum is handicap accessible. An elevator is located in Harmon Hall and connects all three floors. An interior ramp hallway connects Harmon Hall to the Post Office Building Annex.
Parking is available on the street or in nearby Municipal parking lots (no charge) on both South and North Mulberry Streets as well as the lot on Rte.63 just west of the Museum.
Tour dropoffs and pickups can be done at the front of the museum-the buses cannot park there, but must move to the municipal parking lots.
Museum Admission Fees
- Adults - $5
- Seniors 65+ - $4.50
- Students ages 5 to 18 - $3.50
- Family rate is $15 for parents with up to four children
* Members are always free *
Combo Admission to the Museum and Glendower Mansion:
- Adults - $8
- Seniors 65+ - $7
- Students ages 5 to 18 - $5
- Family rate - $28
The Warren County Historical Society Museum is housed in a three story, 28,000-square-foot brick building. It contains artifacts from prehistoric eras to the mid-20th century periods. Harmon Hall is the current home for Warren County history artifacts.It holds more than 30 exhibits on three floor levels displaying thousands of items that will interest both young and old alike.
The Warren County Historical Society can trace its roots to the late 1930s when a group of 19 Warren County residents decided that there needed to be a safe and controlled setting in which to store and exhibit the artifacts that define the history of the area. In 1945, this group acquired Glendower State Memorial to serve as the first museum. The society continued to operate from there for the next 15 years.
As the museum began to gather regional interest and more objects were acquired, it became obvious to all concerned that a larger facility was required. So in 1960, through arrangements with the Harmon Civic Trust, the society moved into Harmon Hall. This building was built in 1913 , to be a recreation center, and was then donated to the City of Lebanon, by Mr. Willam Harmon. In 1961, this building became the home of the Warren County Historical Society Museum. This stately three-story structure gave the society a more spacious area in which to exhibit artifacts and a more convenient l location for visitors.
The diversity of the society’s collection and historical documents grew with the move to Broadway. In a short time, additions to the collections stretched this building’s resources. The society decided that it would be impractical, from both a financial and a logistical standpoint, to move from Harmon Hall, so plans were made for a fund raising campaign to expand and remodel. This effort, which began in 1978, was completed in 1981 with the opening of the Shaker Gallery and the addition of 10,000 square feet on the back of the building. The Harmon Civic Trust deeded the building to the society to ensure that they would have a permanent home.
Post Office Building Annex:
It seems that about every 20 years, the museum has outgrown its facilities and finds itself in desperate need of expansion. Because the museum building is land-locked, expansion of Harmon Hall was not an option. So in 1998, the historical society purchased the former Lebanon Post Office next door to Harmon Hall. It will provide the needed space in which to continue the tradition of presenting, preserving and storing one of the finest county museum archival and three-dimensional collections in the United States. Renovation began soon thereafter. An integral enclosed and heated concourse connects this building to the basement floor of the Harmon Hall building. The Post Office Building was built by the WPA in 1935. This building public waiting room is also available for rental events. Call the Museum at 513-932-1817 for information.
Do you appreciate Shaker furniture, Marcus Mote paintings or Russel Wright pottery? Perhaps you would like to do some research in our local history and genealogy library. You may find just the right gift in our book store and gift shop, The Rocking Horse.
Glendower Mansion
Located on a hill overlooking downtown Lebanon, Glendower is one of the finest examples of residential Greek Revival architecture found in Ohio. This historic mansion was erected between 1836 and 1840, and was given the name “Glendower” by its original owner, John Milton Williams, to honor the Welsh prince and hero Owen Glendower. The house has had other illustrious owners, most notably Durbin Ward, a distinguished attorney, statesman and Civil War general. This home has been called “one of the finest examples of the Greek Revival architecture style in the Middle West”.
The mansion’s exterior features include Ionic and Doric columns, classic carved cornices and porticoes and a hipped roof with a captain’s walk. The stately interior provides a natural setting for many elegant Empire and Victorian furnishings from Warren County’s past.
In 1945, Glendower became the first home of the Warren County Historical Society.
In a joint operating agreement with the Ohio Historical Society, Glendower is open on a seasonal basis and staffed by museum volunteers.
In 2007, Ohio Historical Society turned over full control of the structure to the Warren County Historical Society.
Glendower’s lawn is available for event rentals. Call the society at 513-932-1817 for information.
Glendower Mansion, 105 Cincinnati Avenue, Lebanon, Ohio 45036
Phone: 513-932-1817
BEGINNING SUMMER 2009 - Open the first Wednesday of June through the last Sunday of October;
Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Open weekends only after Labor Day.
Christmas at Glendower: December dates vary.
Glendower is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays.
Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $3.50 for students ages 5-18. Family rate is $15 for parents with up to four children.
