Museum at the Friends Home

Waynesville, OH > Waynesville Groups & Organizations > Museum at the Friends Home

address:115 Fourth Street, Waynesville, OH Waynesville, OH 45068 contact:Trustees phone:513-897-1607 fax:513-897-1607 website:Museum at the Friends Home email: tags:local history, Waynesville, Quakers, New Burlington, Oregonia, Lytle, Corwin

Situated at the top of historic Quaker Hill at Fourth and Miami Streets in this quaint village, the Museum at the Friends Home occupies a 103-year-old structure built by the Society of Friends to accommodate elderly members of their community. After over 90 years of service as a home to retirees, traveling Quakers, single female school teachers, and finally Warren County MRDD patients, the building now houses a unique collection of local history.

The sixteen boarder rooms are each dedicated to a slice of the past, preserving the memories of small towns which are fading from existence including Corwin, Oregonia, Lytle, and the now-submerged New Burlington. Laundry and canning facilities, a schoolroom, doctor’s office, children’s area, and a time-warping trip to the 1950s round out this wonderful collection of memories. The Quaker community is highlighted as well, and the Museum is a delightful place to spend an afternoon browsing through local history. Third-graders and senior citizens alike marvel at the artifacts on display and many return for repeated visits.