Overland Inn Museum reopens century-old general store

McCUTCHENVILLE — A century-old general store is the newest exhibit at the McCutchen Overland Inn Museum. The Anderson General Store opened to the public in May. Museum curator Sarah Hunt said the historic building — which had most recently been used for storage — now depicts an accurate representation of what a general store might have looked like back in the 1800s. "This building kind of had become a collection storage area so there were saws on the floor, there was all kinds of stuff," said Hunt. The former history teacher decided that she wanted to turn the structure into something useable. "The more I looked at the building, the more I thought it was kind of a disservice to the history of the building. And so the more that I looked at it, the more I really fell in love with the idea of the general store," she said. The building dates back to shortly after McCutchenville was founded in 1829. Originally it stood across the road. Hunt said through the years it's been the site of three general stores, most recently the Anderson General Store. When the Plank Road Tavern wanted more parking space, the building was sold to the Wyandot County Historical Society and moved to its new location behind the Overland Inn, where it was used for storage the next several years. "I had a home school group contact me and say, 'We're reading Little House on the Prairie.' They had just gotten to 'Little Town (on the Prairie)' and they were kind of enthralled with the idea of a general store," Hunt recalled. "'We hear that you were potentially doing something with it. Would that be open for us to do?'" About the same time, she said, the Wyandot County Museum decided to make a change to an area that had included a walk-through streetscape that contained a general store, pharmacy, barber shop, cobbler shop, carpenter shop and blacksmith shop. Many of those items were moved to the general store exhibit. "We decided it was the best time to trade everything out and get this building started," she said. The building was basically in good shape, but the changeover required hours of "blood, sweat and tears" said Hunt. She credited Wyandot County Museum curator Ron Marvin Jr. for helping bring her vision for the exhibit to life. Among the special pieces included in the collection is a saddle that once belonged to Mother Solomon, a member of the Wyandot tribe who was born in Upper Sandusky in 1816. When the Wyandot Peace Treaty was signed in 1842, which forced the tribe's relocation, Mother Solomon moved in Kansas. But she returned to Upper Sandusky in 1865 and lived there until her death in 1890. A rare wooden stagecoach jack is also on display. Hunt explained that the tool was used to change the wheels on buggies and stagecoaches "It is an old piece. It's fantastic, and we are really lucky to have one because not many are around anymore," she said. The exhibit also includes old-time corn shuckers, one of the first versions of an electric washing machine and a high-wheeler bicycle. Hunt said children who visit are amazed to learn that these old-time general stores offered so many different items. "We talk to the kids about how at that point in time they would have bought 5 to 10 pounds of flour versus 1 (pound) because they wouldn't have been making trips to the store as frequently. They would have come maybe once a month or once every other month depending on how much money they had and what they could afford and how far away they lived from the stores," she said. "It's so much fun to see their amazement." Hunt said the complete renovation of the building will be a multiyear project. She is applying for grants to redo the plaster walls and ceiling, restore several windows that have been covered over and update the electricity. "I tell people, we got it to look like it is now. Eventually everything will come out as we start the restoration project, but I wanted to be able to show the building in its glory as soon as possible because it was just a disservice to have the building and the pieces just sitting here," she said. Visitors are also able to tour the Overland Inn at 283 Ohio 53, which was dedicated as a stagecoach museum in 1967. The original log cabin was built in 1829 by Col. Joseph McCutchen and was used as a hotel, and it later served as a stagecoach stop on the Harrison Trail. McCutchen operated the inn until 1845 when he sold the property to Christopher Pierson. A few months later, Pierson sold the land and building to John and Elizabeth Myers, who moved in with their 13 children, said Hunt. The family added the front portion of the building and operated the inn until 1918, when it was sold at public auction. Hunt said Hays Shireman purchased the building and ran it as a boarding house and apartment building. The Wyandot County Historical Society acquired the building from the Shireman estate in 1964. The inn had fallen into disrepair by that time, she said. It took three years for community volunteers to restore the building to its stagecoach days. The inn is one of the last two stagecoach inns in its original placement in Ohio (the other being the Golden Lamb in Lebanon), this one being the most original, said Hunt, adding that there's no air conditioning on hot summer days. A second major renovation/restoration project was started in 2002. The inn's foundation was reinforced. The log cabin was dismantled — log by log — the foundation was replaced and the cabin was rebuilt. An outpouring of support from current and former Wyandot County residents, businesses and organizations, including money collected by McCutchenville school children, provided financial resources as well as volunteer workers to complete the project. A grand reopening was held in 2007. Museum hours are 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and weekdays by appointment. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children. For tour information, contact the Wyandot County Historical Society at 419-294-3857 or email wycohs@sbcglobal.net Wolf: 419-427-8419