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In 1906, lumber baron William J. Orr began to build his dream home in Bellefontaine. This showplace would have qualities that other homes of that era could not match.
The Orr Mansion, currently undergoing a careful restoration, is now part of the Logan County Museum. The Orr Mansion took two years to build and cost $40,000. The Greek design of
the colonnades that support the porch and portico was followed throughout the home.
The Logan County Historical Society recently has overseen extensive architectural restoration of the Orr Mansion, concentrating special attention to the third-floor ballroom, a stained-glass
window in the second floor and the tile roof. Restoration of the mansion will continue in the years to come.
Some of the features of the house include:
- Beautiful woodwork and beveled glass in entranceways and sliding pocket doors;
- Two main parlors with fireplaces;
- Formal dining room;
- Second-floor study that leads to a balcony;
- Four Bedrooms, and
- Third-floor ballroom with its own balcony.
At the rear of the Orr Mansion is the museum display area, with rooms dedicated to a particular theme, area or individual subject. These include a Logan County display, Indian room,
one-room school house, railroad display, doctor's office, toy room general store, military room, etc.
Many display areas have been updated in recent years and enhanced with new lighting, and other rooms will follow in the future. In addition, the museum staff and volunteers periodically
feature special displays or rotate the museum’s artifacts.
Provisions have also been made for temporary displays that highlight local collectors and local history.
Logan county had a big role in the early history of the Northwest Territory and the State of Ohio. The villages of the Shawnee, Seneca, Delaware, Wyandot, Cherokee and Mingo dotted the
county and served as the stages where history was played out. Among the prominent early figures who made the county their home were Chief Blue Jacket, Simon Kenton, Tarhe-the-Crane, Captain John Lewis, Isaac
Zane and British Indian agent Alexander McKee. Several of these were signers of the Greenville Treaty, which set a demarcation line that runs through northern Logan county and created an uneasy peace that
signaled the end of major hostilities in the area.
The arrival of the canal system in the 1820s and 1830s resulted in the expansion of the Lewistown Reservoir (the current Indian Lake) as a source of water for the system.
Canals were quickly replaced by railroads, and Logan County was a major converging point for several railroad systems. in the 1940s, railroads shuttled hundreds of passenger and freight
trains through Bellefontaine and Logan County.
In 1945, a group of dedicated citizens formed the Logan County Historical Society to preserve items relating to these personages and events. Starting in a member’s home, they outgrew
several locations until they purchased the old Orr Mansion in 1988.
Thousands of hours of volunteer work have made it into an extensive museum with approximately 10,000 square feet of exhibit space to display artifacts, documents and other historic items from
all over Logan County. The Society also has a satellite exhibit at the Logan County Fairgrounds, where a restored railroad caboose is on permanent display.
Additional Features:
- The museum archives contain a large store of information and photos relating to local history.
- The museum also is home to the Logan County Genealogical Society, which has an extensive archives of official and family records.
- A meeting room and adjacent kitchen area are used for various historical society functions and are available to the public for club meetings and other events.
- A new gift shop at the main entrance to the Logan County Museum offers a wide variety of books, collectibles and other items popular with both adults and children.
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