TROY — The future of Ohio’s oldest log tavern is uncertain after the Overfield Tavern Museum in Troy went up in flames over the weekend.
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As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, much of Troy’s oldest building was damaged in a fire over the weekend, and while some things are irreplaceable, there are efforts to rebuild.
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The Overfield Tavern Museum, built in 1808, was turned into a museum in 1965.
It was designed to transport visitors back in time and give them a first-hand look at how a family lived in the early 19th century.
Now some of those artifacts are lost forever.
Troy fire crews were called to the museum in the 200 block of East Water Street just before 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
A Troy Police Sergeant told News Center 7 that no one was inside when the fire started.
Now, Museum officials are mourning the loss of several historical artifacts they say they can’t replace, and they’re unsure of what the future looks like for the museum.
Troy’s mayor, Robin Oda, announced Sunday that the city will put up to $75,000 towards renovations for the museum.
There are still some things that money can’t restore.
“A building can be rebuilt- but the loss of artifacts and the history that they’ve gathered and all the furniture, probably the specific things that belong to the Overfield, you cannot replace that,” Tonya Hittner, the Membership and Social chair for the Historical Society of Vandalia-Butler said.
The museum said that not all of the contents were lost, as many things from the kitchen were saved, but the damage was much worse in other parts of the building.
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