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The Ashland County Historical Society has been very blessed to have so many donors over the years. Nearly every day someone calls or brings in something that they treasure, but are unable to keep, or something that has no connection to them, but they are wise enough to see that someone else might treasure it. Without our thoughtful donors we would not be able to offer the kind of quality experience to the visitor that we can now.
There are several donors that contributed entire collections to us, and we would like to feature them in this section.
William Kunkle Wiley loved his hometown more than anything, and was very interested in helping the Historical Society fulfill its vision of "preserving the past for the future". He was generous with his time, his expertise, his belongings and his finances. He included the Historical Society in his will, and his gift will continue to fund the work of the Society into perpetuity. Bill liked beautiful things, and two of his collections reflect that, the quill baskets and the art glass tumblers.
The Thornburg family provided us with a great many treasures, some that had been in the family for generations. These include Thomas Thornburg's insect collection, and much of what is in the natural history section of the museum once belonged to the Carter's, ancestors of the Thornburg's and one of the first families to settle here in Ashland County.
Elizabeth Myers Mitchell grew up in the house we now call the Manor house, as the daughter of Guy Chase and Kate Moore Myers. She was so gracious, and shared with us many of her family's belongings. One collection that stands out is Kate's collection of pressed glass goblets. They glitter happily along one wall of the dining room, along with the furniture that matches the breakfront monogrammed with an "M" in stained glass.
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