Retired Exhibits

The German heritage of Defiance from 1800 to 1900 is central to the story of our community. The German immigrants came to the Confluence (Defiance) seeking freedom from the oppressions of their German state. They brought to their new home the energy and ingenuity that created the growth and development of Defiance and its surrounding area. German coins from the Tuttle collection stories and images of the families that settled in the Defiance area are highlighted in this exhibit.

Exhibited July 2019 to July 2020.

As part of this year's commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the building of Fort Defiance, the Andrew L. Tuttle Memorial Museum presents "General Wayne's Defiance: Images of Fort Defiance."

Many people have found inspiration in the early history of the Defiance area, imagining how the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers might have looked when General Anthony Wayne's Fort Defiance took shape. No drawings or paintings exist of the Fort as it was when constructed in August of 1794, and no archaeological evidence can tell us exactly what existed above ground. However, local artists have produced paintings, drawings, and other works that try to bring that time to life.

The earliest image that we have of Fort Defiance is the plan drawn by its architect, Major Henry Burbeck. It is included in the exhibit, along with works by local artists Louis Simonis, Lathop Berry, Fern Cunningham, and others. Paintings, drawings, and prints, as well as commemorative plates, tokens, advertising images, and other printed materials display a variety of visions of old Fort Defiance.

A Morning at Fort Defiance, 1794 to 1796
Artist, Louis Simonis

The updated exhibit features a miscellaneous collection of items from Defiance businesses of the past and present including pharmacy and beverage bottles, advertising give-a-ways, and decorative pieces. Commemorative plates featuring Fort Defiance and other Defiance sites and institutions are also on display.

In 1928 the Simplex Airplane Corporation began manufacturing an airplane it would soon fly and advertise as far away as California. For as little as $3500, a person, even in small Defiance, Ohio, could own a plane of his own - but where was an airport to accommodate this marvel? The Defiance Chamber of Commerce proposed to build that airport and planned to purchase forty acres of land, twenty acres on either side of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, east of Squires Avenue and south of the Children's Home on Second Street. The Chamber eagerly suggested a community fundraiser - a "flying circus" for Labor Day 1928. A temporary runway was constructed just to encourage other aviators to fly in and show off. Twenty thousand folks crowded the flying circus, so many that the National Guard and local police kept order, and a hospital tent sat close by just in case of accidents. The B and O Railroad sent ten policemen to keep the crowd from overflowing onto the train tracks. The Diehl Brewing Company set up a concession stand selling "Chocolate Baby" for a nickel. There were two bands, a zeppelin, a parachutist whose lines tangled up, thirty airplanes, flying races, but, alas, "wing-walking" was not allowed. The entire story of the Simplex Corporation is the current feature exhibit at the Tuttle Museum.

The Andrew Tuttle collection of coins and currency is extensive, including traditional and nontraditional coinage and currency from many countries and time periods. Presently coins from the United States Colonial Era are displayed in the massive vault that was part of the former Home Saving and Loan, and which now is an attraction of the Andrew L. Tuttle Memorial Museum.

Money includes more than just paper bills and metal coins. For thousands of years, countries and cultural groups have developed their own unique forms of exchange.

Andrew L. Tuttle collected currency,coins and various forms of money from countries all over the world. Featured in this exhibit are some of the oddest and largest pieces from his collection, such as a piece shaped like the body of an alligator, shoe money, pieces pierced with holes and those shaped like knives or straight razors. The exhibit attempts to answer questions regarding the history of money and how it has been used through the years.

The lives of Milt Buckner and "Wild Bill" Davison, two noted jazz musicians from Defiance, are highlighted in this exhibit. Their contributions and innovations to the world of jazz music are presented with photographs, posters and their music.

Milt Buckner

"Wild Bill" Davison