History is all around us, especially when you’re exploring Deerfield Township and Mason, Ohio. The area offers many engaging experiences, from cultural attractions to museums, that will excite and inspire your children to learn how the past has influenced the present. Learn about the local history awaiting your discovery in and around Mason with these great local attractions.
Heritage Village Museum
Take a short drive from Mason to Sharonville and rediscover life in 19th-century southwestern Ohio. The Heritage Village Museum interprets the culture and heritage of the region for visitors. Homes, outbuildings, and equipment throughout the museum grounds serve as artifacts of living history and offer guests a glimpse of Ohio’s past. These structures arrived here from other regional locations, providing a tangible way to preserve and tell the stories of Ohio’s history.
During special events at the museum, families can witness living historians demonstrate 19th-century crafts and activities, including candle-dipping, soap-making, carpentry work, hearth cooking, spinning, and weaving.
The Heritage Village Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., May through September. From October through April, the museum is open for self-guided tours and exhibits on Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Guided tours with admission to the museum cost $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 5 to 11. Self-guided tours with admission to the museum cost $3 for adults and $1 for children ages 5 to 11. Visitors can walk through the village if they take an outside-only self-guided tour or attend special events. The historic buildings aren’t always staffed and are open for entry only through guided tours.
- Location: 11500 Lebanon Road, Sharonville.
- Telephone: 513-563-9484.
Alverta Green Museum
Home to the Mason Historical Society, the Alverta Green Museum enables families to peek into Mason’s past with interpretive exhibits and historical artifacts that tell the story of this community and preserve its legacy. The museum bears the name of Alverta Bedacht Green, a Mason antique dealer and longtime resident who deeded her Victorian home to the historical society in January 1987. William C. VanFossen, who served four terms as Mason’s mayor, built the house in 1892 in the heart of the town’s historic district.
The Alverta Green Museum is open every Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed.
- Location: 207 W. Church St., Mason.
- Telephone: 513-398-6750.
Chrisholm Historic Farmstead
The Chrisholm Historic Farmstead in Trenton, Ohio, interprets the history of a once-thriving Amish agricultural community. This farmstead, the second farm owned by pioneer Christian Augspurger, is now managed by MetroParks of Butler County.
Augspurger bought the farm and constructed a bank barn and home on the rise overlooking the Great Miami River south of Trenton. Born in 1782 in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, France, Augspurger led a group of six Amish families who immigrated to America and Butler County from France in 1819. He eventually came to hold nearly 2,000 acres, enough to leave each of his surviving children a farm of approximately 160 acres.
Today, the Chrisholm Historic Farmstead is open to the community to explore and learn more about the Amish Mennonite settlements in Ohio. Open-hours tours occur each third Saturday, May through September, from 1 to 3 p.m. Additional programs are held at various times of the year, and you can find out more about them on the farmstead’s website.
- Location: 2070 Woodsdale Road, Trenton.
- Telephone: 513-468-1973.
Loveland Castle and Museum
Tucked away in Loveland, the Loveland Castle and Museum, also called Château Laroche, occupies a spot on the banks of the Little Miami River. In 1929, Harry D. Andrews, a Boy Scout troop leader and World War I veteran, constructed the castle with support from the Knights of the Golden Trail, a local group of Boy Scouts Andrews mentored during his life.
Andrews acquired land for the castle as part of a Cincinnati Enquirer offer during the 1920s. Anyone who paid in advance for a one-year subscription to the newspaper received plots of land along the Little Miami River, and Andrews took the paper up on its offer, purchasing 11 parcels of land to house his masterpiece.
Today, Loveland Castle and Museum is open to visitors. Guests can discover a working fortress, a dungeon, a bell tower, and an English battle deck. A German game room on the castle’s first floor includes exhibits with chess, checkers, and several puzzles. Visitors can explore the terraced gardens that Andrews used to grow fruits and vegetables year-round. (Fun fact: Railroad lanterns heated the hotbeds for the gardens.)
Loveland Castle and Museum is open every day, April 1 through Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Nov. 1 to March 31, the site is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, except for major holidays. Admission is $5 per person and free for children ages 5 and younger.
- Location: 12075 Shore Drive, Loveland.
- Telephone: 513-683-4686.
Wright “B” Flyer Hangar and Museum
Celebrating the legacy of the Wright brothers, the Wright “B” Flyer Hangar and Museum interprets the legacy of the Wright brothers and their contributions to modern aviation. Visitors will discover information and photos of the Wright Company, where the Wright brothers constructed the world’s first mass-produced aircraft, the original Wright “B” Flyer, in America’s first airplane factory.
The museum is building a modern Wright “B” Flyer lookalike of the Wright brothers’ first product, the “B” Flyer. When completed, the Wright “B” Flyer lookalike, nicknamed the “Brown Bird,” will feature modern components and materials.
The museum is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Admission is free.
- Location: 10550 Springboro Pike, Miamisburg.
- Telephone: 937-885-2327.
Make Exploring History Memorable in Mason
Instill an appreciation for history in your children and cultivate a desire to learn more about their community by visiting these historical sites. What did you think about our list of attractions? Do you have recommendations for other experiences in our area? Please write to us and let us know. Our Crème de la Crème of Mason team members will happily share your suggestions with moms and dads in the surrounding Deerfield Township community.
Loom and spinning wheel by Sharron is licensed with CC BY 2.0