Wayne County Historical Society

Wayne County Historical Society was organized on May 26, 1917, and was incorporated in 1922. The purpose and objectives of the Society as stated in its by-laws are: To collect and preserve historical records of persons, places, and events in Wayne County. To preserve and maintain a research library and museums of relics, books, maps, paintings, and all other articles, which further public interest in Wayne County's history. To make every effort to preserve and restore historical buildings, landmarks, and sites. To educate the population of the history of the area and its historical value.

The Wayne County Historical Society strives to achieve our goal of preserving the objects and educating the residents and visitors of Wayne County in several different ways. Interfacing with our daily visitors, interacting with our social media followers and conducting community outreach by partnering with other organizations in our area. We seek and encourage partnerships with our local schools, at every grade level, to introduce them to the valued history of Wayne County so that they will learn to appreciate the history of not only Wayne County, but beyond. We seek to connect with people through our educational workshops, museum tours, and special events that we hold each year to bolster learning about Wayne County history.

Goal One: WCHS endeavors to expand our educational reach by increasing advertising, involvement in events, and forming new partnerships to educate people about the history of Wayne County.

Goal Two: The annual Historic Preservation Award: a fanfare of publicity and appreciation for achievement and commitment to history given to people who preserve local buildings or a historical object.

Goal Three: Canal Park at Lock 31, a 16-acre property with walking trails, a pavilion, and a restored 1800’s farmhouse. Local visitors encouraged us to build the pavilion, add signage, and create a canal boat.

We joined the membership of a local economic development agency to help our staff find new funding steams, new partnerships, and becoming a more efficient organization.

In the Fall of 2023, it was decided that the Board of Trustees membership would be reduced to 15 members. The motion was introduced as a measure to make our organization more efficient. At the time, we had several vacancies and by deciding not to fill them, we have become more productive and communicate more easily. Our organization was incorporated in 1922 and has had the same number of Trustees since the beginning, needless to say this was very large change in the way that we conducted business and is proving to be a good decision for our group.