A historic total eclipse is coming to Ohio on April 8th, 2024 and Galion is in the Path of Totality! The Galion History Center is excited to host a Blackout Block Party in honor of this rare solar event featuring viewing, tours, vendors, food, music, and more!

VIEWING
Viewing for the eclipse will be available on the Historic Union Schoolyard from the start of the event through the duration of the eclipse from 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket! GHC will not allow parking on the school lot.

BROWNELLA COTTAGE
Brownella Cottage (main level) and the Galion History Museum & Gift Shop will be open for self-guided tours from 11:00-2:00 p.m.! Brownella Cottage tours are $5 per person!

SOUTH LAWN
Craft Vendors of all varieties and DJ Marcia Yunker will be set up on the South Lawn!
If you are interested in being a vendor at this event, please email us at galionhistory@gmail.com or call our office at (419) 468-9338!

FOOD
The Messy Bun Food Cart and A&M's Donut Wagon will be on site from 11:00-2:00 p.m.!

ASTRONOMY PORCH RAFFLE
The Galion History Center is raffling off the chance to view this historic solar event from a historic place – Bishop Brown’s Astronomy Porch located on the 4th floor of Brownella Cottage! Raffle tickets are $5 and are available for purchase online only at www.galionhistory.com/shop. A raffle ticket enters you to win two spots on the astronomy porch to view the solar eclipse in its entirety (1:50 -4:30 p.m.) The drawing will take place on Monday, March 25th!

Eclipse Timeline for Galion, OH
Partial begins - 1:56:50 pm
Full begins - 3:11:50 pm
Maximum - 3:13:36 pm
Full ends - 3:15:22 pm
Partial ends - 4:27:34 pm

If you have any questions about this event please feel free to reach out at (419) 468-9338 or email us at galionhistory@gmail.com!

The Galion History Center staff have been working on something sweet! On Friday, February 23rd, Executive Director, Tanesha Pickering, and Curator, Keily Cunningham, met Tony Weibl and his family in the Galion History Museum as his family surprised the renown Galion baker with GHC’s newest exhibit Tony’s Pastry Shop! The exhibit showcases artifacts from Tony’s Pastry Shop and pays homage to the incredible life of master baker Tony Weibl and the impact his bakery had on Galion.
Originally from Yugoslavia, Tony Weibl and his family fled to Germany when Russia advanced on Yugoslavia in 1943 and took the family property. Their once well-off family was devastated from the effects of WWII. With Tony’s father away at war and experiencing hunger, at age 13, Tony became the apprentice to a German baker. Tony was often able to take baked goods home to his family after his work day. The family came to America in 1951 where Tony joined the U.S. Army and put his baking skills to good use and quickly learned English.
In 1959, Tony moved to Galion and bought the Malloy Bakery at 244 Harding Way E. The Grand Opening of Tony’s Pastry Shop took place in early February of 1960. The shop served a variety of breads, rolls, pastries, cake, cookies, pies, doughnuts, and delicacies over it’s 29 years in uptowne Galion. It truly was a beloved business by so many in Galion! Tony retired and closed his shop in 1988. At age 91, Tony Weibl still spends time baking at Andrew’s Pastries in Marion. Andrew’s Pastries keeps Tony’s recipes alive and well to this day!
The Galion History Center will hold a public unveiling of its new exhibit in the Galion History Museum and Gift Shop (located in the Brownella Cottage Carriage House – 132 S. Union St.) on Saturday, March 16th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tony’s famous sugar brownies will be provided by Andrew’s Pastries while supplies last! Admission is by donation only! We look forward to seeing you there!

The Galion History Center is excited to host its 3rd Annual Holiday Cookie & Wine Pairing Tours at Brownella Cottage! Tours will be held Friday, December 15th at 5:00, 6:00, & 7:00 p.m. Guests will take a self-guided tour of Brownella Cottage and find 4 wine and cookie pairing stations along the way! Tickets are $25 per person and includes a commemorative Galion History Center wine glass. We are pleased to again, partner with Fox Winery and Cake & Icing Bakery for as taste of Galion flavor!

The 2023 Pairing List will be posted soon!

Brownella Cottage is located at 132 S. Union St. in Galion, Ohio. The home was built as wedding present for Bishop William Montgomery Brown and his wife Ella in 1887. The Cottage remains filled with their original furniture and is a time capsule of Victorian era life in Galion. Don’t miss this unique seasonal tour!

If you have any questions regarding our Holiday Cookie & Wine Pairing Tours call our office at (419) 468-9338 or shoot us an email at galionhistory@gmail.com!

Join us for an evening holiday tour of Brownella Cottage! On Wednesday, December 6th and Thursday, Dec. 7th from 5:00 -7:00 p.m. the main level of Brownella Cottage will be open to visitors for a self-guided holiday tours of the Cottage! Santa will be at Brownella to visit and take pictures with kids on December 6th from 5:00-7:00 and December 7th from 5:00-6:00 p.m.!

Admission is by donation only! Don’t miss seeing this beautiful Victorian home all decked out for the holiday season!

The Galion History Center’s Annual Holiday Open House at Brownella Cottage will be Saturday, December 2nd from 1:00-4:00 p.m. during the community wide Come Home to Galion holiday festival!

The Brownella Cottage main level and the Galion History Museum & Gift Shop will be open for visitors free of charge! Don’t miss seeing Brownella Cottage decorated for the holidays!

Brownella Cottage will once again be open for the Galion Community Trick-Or-Treat hours on Sunday, October 29th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Take a short walk through the Cottage, all decked out for Halloween, while volunteers pass out candy! Décor will be fun and festive, but not scary! All ages are welcome!

Join at Brownella Cottage for a tour full of spooky stories, metaphysical experiences, and paranormal encounters! Brownella Cottage Ghost Tours are highly interactive tours that let you experience the paranormal and learn about the history of the historic Brownella Cottage! Ages 12+ are welcome to join in on the fun! October ghost tours are scheduled for Friday, October 27th and Tuesday, October 31st @ 8:00 p.m.! Tickets are $20 per person and go on sale on our website Friday, October 6th @ 10:00 a.m.! Ticketing can be found under the “Shop” tab!

Space on our Ghost Tours are limited and tend to sell out!

Comfy shoes are a must as our tours entail a lot of walking and several sets of staircases!

Put on your glad rags and get all jazzed up! There is a roaring mystery to be solved at Brownella Cottage on Saturday, October 21st! Join us for a live-action game of the classic whodunnit board game - CLUE! The Caretaker at Brownella was found murdered during a dinner party and it’s up to you to solve who did it, in what room, and with what weapon - in the dark!

Tickets are $20 per player and will go on sale on our website on Friday, Sept. 29th at 10:00 a.m.

Games are played at 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 21st and will take approximately 90 mins. Ages 12+ are welcome!

Guests are encouraged to dress in their best 1920s era rags!

* If you have any questions about CLUE call our office at (419) 468-9338 or shoot us an email at galionhistory@gmail.com

Purse Bingo is Back!! Our 2nd Annual Women of Galion Purse Bingo will be held on Saturday, September 9th at the St. Joseph Activity Center in Galion. Doors will open at 6:00p.m. Join us for food, fun, drinks, raffles and, of course, BINGO! This year we are honoring another 18 important ladies from Galion’s history and playing BINGO for 18 BRAND-NEW designer purses featuring Kate Spade, COACH, Michael Kors, Fossil, and more! Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 4th @ 10:00 a.m. on our website under the “Shop” tab! Tickets are sold by the Full Table and Half Table only!

Full Table (8 Tickets) - $300

Half Table (4 Tickets) -$150

We want to give a BIG Thank You to our sponsors and raffle donors: Dostal & Kirk Financial Services, Park National Bank, Alluvial Private Wealth, Cander Excavating, Craig A. Miley Auction and Realty, Crossroads Original Designs, Galion Building and Loan, HORD Family Farm, Schneider-Gompf Funeral Home, Phil’s Deli, First Federal Bank of Ohio, Bucyrus Road Materials, Peacock Water, AVITA, Kimmel Corporation, Mizick Miller Accounting Professionals, & Ralphie’s Sports Eatery!

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!

The Galion History Center is excited to introduce a new “add on” tour of Brownella Cottage! This Red Bishop audio tour will release on June 29th and deep dive into Bishop Brown’s career in the Episcopal Church, his changing beliefs in religion and politics, and the Heresy Trials (1924) that made him infamous! Never before seen artifacts are on display in Brownella Cottage for this tour to help bring the story of “Bad Bishop Brown” to life.

A smart phone and headphones are required to take this tour!

It is highly recommended that visitors take a General House Tour before the Red Bishop Tour.

Red Bishop Tour Admission is $7 per adult.

Downloads of the audio tour will be available on our website on June 29th for $7 for those who would like to listen to the information before visiting Brownella Cottage. If you purchase this download - the receipt will be good for 1 adult admission at Brownella Cottage.

Who killed the caretaker at Brownella Cottage? It’s up to you to find out! Saturday, April 22nd is the Spring  date for live-action Murder Mystery Clue at Brownella Cottage (132 S. Union St.).  There will be a game at 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. The game was designed after the beloved CLUE board game we played as kids, except the characters and suspects are real!  With "lights on," players tour the house and meet the suspects.  The game begins at "lights out!"  Each player is provided a flashlight to navigate Brownella Cottage in the dark, determine the guilty person, the weapon used, and the room where the Caretaker was murdered. Tickets for this date are limited!  Cost is $20 per player.  Tickets are available on our website starting April 1st under the “Shop” tab!

Tis’ the Season! The Galion History Center will be hosting its annual Brownella Cottage Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 3rd from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Come Home to Galion community-wide event! With every room lit with a tree and decorated for the season, our holiday tours are a “must-do” event! The Galion History Museum located in the Brownella Cottage Carriage House will be open for the duration of the event.

Brownella Cottage will be open for Galion’s community Trick-Or-Treat hours on Sunday, October 30th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Vistors will take a short walk through the main floor of Brownella Cottage that will be decorated for Halloween (nothing scary!) as volunteers pass out candy! It’s a must visit on your trick-or-treat path!

Murder Mystery CLUE is BACK at Brownella Cottage this October! The Browns were hosting dinner for their friends when the Caretaker is found DEAD! Join us for a live-action version of the CLUE board game played in Brownella Cottage - in the dark! Guests will tour the Cottage and meet the Browns and their dinner guests. Once guests have gotten to know the suspects, lights go out while you solve the crime! Join us for this whodunnit on Friday, October 14th, and Saturday, October 15th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and will go on sale on our website on Friday, September 16th. Flashlights are provided!

*Please be aware that our CLUE involves a lot of walking and climbing stairs!

**Tickets are non-refundable. Ticket sales for this event are a fundraiser for the Galion History Center. In the event that you cannot make it to the event, your ticket purchase remains a donation to the Galion History Center.

We are excited to partner with the 1803 Brewery & Taproom on the 14th and 15th for Murder Mystery-themed cocktails! Show your CLUE email confirmation at the bar and receive $1.00 off a Murder Mystery Margarita, an Old Fashioned Murder, or Solve It Sangria!

The Galion History Center will be hosting a Women of Galion Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser on Saturday, September 24th, 2022 at the Galion St. Joe’s Activity Center (115 N. Liberty St. Galion). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for food, drinks, raffles, and, of course, BINGO! Purses and wallets designed by COACH, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors! Tickets will be sold by Half Table (4 tickets $150.00) and Full Table (8 tickets $300.00). Tickets will be available to purchase on our website under the “shop” tab starting on August 15th at 10:00 a.m.! Ticket sales are final and non-refundable. Tickets must be purchased by September 17th, 2022.

Contact: Tanesha Pickering • (419) 468-9338 • galionhistory@gmail.com

On Saturday, July 2nd from 12:00-4:00 p.m. the Galion History Center and Friends of the Galion Public Library will open the Heise Park Cabin for the public during the Pickle Run Festival 2022!

The Cabin, built c. 1822, was the building where both the Galion History Center and the Library got their start! Covered in wooden siding, the cabin was the first-ever Galion library from 1901-to 1904 and also served as the Galion History Center’s first museum space - Heritage Cottage - from 1966-to 1984. When the building was slated for demolition, the wooden veneer was removed and the log cabin was discovered and the demolition process ceased. Experts were brought in to dismantle the cabin and rebuild it in Heise Park. The City of Galion currently maintains the building.

On Saturday, June 18th the Galion History Center will partner with the Crawford Park District Astronomy Club to set our sights on the heavens with high-powered telescopes! Did you know that Bishop Brown loved astronomy and even taught an Astronomy class at the Galion High School in the 1920s? Bishop’s 3rd-floor observatory porch will be open exclusively for this event. Brownella Cottage and the Galion History Museum & Gift Shop located in the Carriage House will be open for the duration of this event! Admission to this event is the regular $7 per adult and $5 per child (6+). We look forward to seeing you there!

Local author, Mike Robinette, will be releasing his new book, "The MOB Lynching of Frank Fisher", at a special book signing event at the Historic Grace Church on Saturday, April 30th at 4:00 p.m. No reservations are required for this event! The book is $10 and all proceeds will benefit the Galion History Center!

In his new book, Mike Robinette has compiled and analyzed a multitude of resources to help us better understand the horrible events that unfolded in Galion in April of 1882. We look forward to hearing him speak and sharing this book with the community.

The Galion History Center will be holding a Pick-Up Event to return at 2020 veteran banners to their sponsors on Tuesday, April 26th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Historic Grace Church. The person who filled out the original registration form as sponsor for the banner has been contacted via mail regarding this event and pick-up details! Please call our office at (419) 468-9338 or shoot us an email at galionhistory@gmail.com with any questions regarding this event!

The Galion History Center is excited to offer Holiday Cookie & Wine Pairing Tours at Brownella Cottage (132 S. Union St.) on Saturday, December 11th at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 p.m.! Tickets for this event are $25 per person and $20 for GHC members! Each guest will receive a commemorative Galion History Center wine glass with their tour! Cookies and Wine from Fox Winery and Cake & Icing Bakery! Tickets for this event go on sale Friday, November 12th! Tickets can be purchased on our website under the Shop tab!

Tis’ the Season! The Galion History Center will be hosting its annual Brownella Cottage Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 4th from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Come Home to Galion community-wide event! With every room lit with a tree and decorated for the season, our holiday tours are a “must-do” event! The Galion History Museum located in the Brownella Cottage Carriage House will be open for the duration of the event. A Crossroads Candles gift basket will be up for raffle!

**Please be aware that we will be limiting the number of people in the Cottage during this event to prevent overcrowding. Visitors may be asked to wait to enter the Cottage.**

The Hayden-Helfrich Annex Museum will be open on Thursday, November 11th and 18th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Admission to the museum is $7 per adult! The museum is located at 331 E. Railroad St. in Galion, OH. If you have any questions regarding these tours please call the office at (419) 468-9338 or shoot us an email at galionhistory@gmail.com

Make Brownella Cottage a stop on your trick-or-treat path! Volunteers will be passing out candy during Galion community Trick-Or-Treat hours from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. All little monsters welcome!

Ever wonder if the Browns are still at home? We know they are. On Friday, October 22nd, we invite you to take a tour of Brownella Cottage learn the history of the home, and Bishop and Ella Brown, and find out who still haunts the halls of the Cottage. The tour will conclude with an EVP/Spirit box session. If you have any questions about this event, please call the office at (419) 468-9338 or shoot us an email at galionhistory@gmail.com!