Ashland County Historical Society

Preserving the History of Ashland County

About Us...

The Ashland County Historical Society is located in the heart of the Center Street Historical District of Ashland, Ohio. Its campus consists of three houses.

The Manor House was the first property purchased by the Historical Society. It was built by J.P. Cowan in 1859 and sold to P.A. Myers in 1906 to be given to his son Guy and his new bride Kate as a wedding present. It was likely the first brick structure on the street.

Guy and Kate resided in the home until P.A.'s death. After that, several Myers relatives lived there. Then in 1952, it was given to Ashland College to be used as a residence for the President. In 1969, the University used it as a Historical Center until the sale.

In 1981, the Historical Society bought the house, after the generous people of the county supported a fundraiser. The Carriage House followed. Then in 1996, thanks to a generous bequeath from Eloise Ridgeway Noonan, a long-time board member and supporter, the Noonan House was built.

On June 27, 2021, the Historical Society held the Freer Home Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Office Hours

The office is located in the Noonan House (red brick building) and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.


Touring the Museums and Exhibits

The museum buildings are open for tours Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Special or group tours can be arranged by calling the office in advance at (419) 289-3111. One location is $5 per adult, $3 per child. Two Locations are $8 per adult, $6 per child. Guided tours must be scheduled in advance. Guided tours at one location are $10 per adult, $5 per child; or for two locations: $15 per adult, $8 per child. Enter first at the Noonan Building because this is where tour tickets may be purchased and where all tours begin.


Location

The Ashland County Historical Society is located at 420 Center Street, two blocks south of the downtown business district (Main Street) and adjacent to the Elks Lodge. Parking is available behind the museum.


Making Donations

Personnel will continue to accept donations and handle research requests by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling 419-289-3111. In order to accept item(s), they must meet certain criteria. Space is limited so when considering a donation to us, please keep in mind item(s) need to be in good condition and most item(s) accepted must be relevant to Ashland’s history and displayable in a museum or special display setting. It is always good to call first to determine if we can accept or are in need of your donation.


Staff

See our Staff bio's here.


Board of Trustees

See our Board of Trustees here.


Historic Ashland Photos

Looking for photographs of Historic Ashland? Click here to link to Photofinale where there are currently over 60 different images to choose from. You are able to choose and order the photos directly from the site.

You can also stop in at Spectrum Photo on Claremont Avenue and order the photos there.