The Board of Directors of the Butler County Historical Society has established new hours of operation for 2017 for its Benninghofen House Museum, Randall Research Center and Emma Ritchie Auditorium for 2017. The society’s facilities are located at 327 North Second Street, Hamilton, and will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Group and individual tours of the house museum can be arranged by appointment.

At the board’s January meeting Greg Young was welcomed as a new director and will serve a two year term through 2019. Other members of the Board of Directors are Jack Whalen (president), Sara Butler (vice-president), Richard O Jones (secretary), Bill Groth (treasurer), Jack Armstrong, Chris Carroll, Richard Piland, Brian Smith, and Katie Wells. The executive director is Kathy Creighton. The society has nearly 320 members living in 23 different states and would welcome new members interested in Butler County history.

During 2016, more than 4,900 people visited the society’s facility and over 4,100 people attended one or more of the 100 speaker’s bureau presentations. There were five special exhibits at the society focused on the weddings of Butler County, postcards of Hamilton, theatres of Butler County, Native Americans of the Miami Valley and the history of broom-making in the county. Four multi-generational programs designed for children and their parents and grandparents were conducted at the Benninghofen House and several other presentations were given including talks by distinguished speakers taking part in the Ohio Humanities Council Chautauqua celebration in Hamilton and a showing of a film based on a novel written by Hamilton resident Fanny Hurst.

The society participated in several events during Hamilton’s 225th Birthday celebration, took part in the Butler County Fair and paraded Neptune, the oldest steam pumper fire truck made by the Ahrends and Company still in existence, at the Lebanon Carriage Parade.

The Butler County Historical Society is a private non-profit formed in 1934 to preserve and promote the history of Butler County through the collection and conservation of artifacts and the sharing of knowledge through education and community engagement. It owns and operates the Benninghofen House, a high-Italian style home filled with the furnishings of a wealthy family during the Victorian Era. Group tours of the society’s exhibits and the Benninghofen House Museum can be arranged by calling 513-896-9930.