Benches at Kidron Heritage Center

Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center

Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center

Hours

Days of Operation

We are open during the months of April through October. November through March are by appointment only. Visit us  Saturdays only from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Admission

Admission is free! Donations very much appreciated!

Items & Displays

Our nationally acclaimed museum features items and displays related to the Swiss Anabaptist culture that developed in the Kidron-Sonnenberg area of Wayne County, Ohio.

Gift Shop

Be sure to stop by and check out our gift shop located inside the Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center. You’ll find a variety of items including family trees, genealogy books, and blank family trees ready to be filled-in by the aspiring genealogist in your family. You can download our Gift Order Form here.

Research Library

If you are looking to find out more about your Swiss family roots be sure to visit our research library located inside the Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center. Over the decades, the Kidron-Sonnenberg Heritage Center has assembled an impressive collection of research material. Genealogies, notebooks detailing life in Kidron from baseball teams to the fire department to one-room schools, newsletters, maps, and resources about the history of the Amish and Mennonites are just some of the items in our library. Many of these items are rare, custom-created or expensive to own privately. We welcome visitors to make use of our collection. Together, these items tell the story of our community. It is a story worth both preserving and sharing. Plus you can access our computer-based genealogy database that now contains over 675,000 names and is part of the over 100 databases that make up the Swiss Anabaptist Genealogical Association (SAGA).

Exhibits

Some of the permanent exhibits on display include:

Furniture and Tools

The cabinet makers of Sonnenberg produced a wide variety of unique case goods, tables, chairs, benches, boxes, barrels, and shoes. The tools made and used by these craftsmen are themselves works of art in their own right.

Frakturs and Books

Housed at the museum is the most extensive collection of freehand fraktur (pronounced frock-tur) in the state of Ohio. Some of the earliest books brought to Ohio are also on display, including copies of song books, prayer books, the Bible, and Martyrs Mirror.

Weaving and Textiles

The tools, loom and spinning wheel used for some of the fine linens that Sonnenberg weavers created are on display. Linen towels, quilts, clothing and rag rugs created from the fabric that was produced locally are also displayed.

Arts and Crafts

The Sonnenberg Mennonites generated many items in their everyday activities, including decorated willow baskets, turned wooden items, folk art of all varieties, dolls, toys, cross stitching, corn husk mats, and painting.