“We have a severe fire at the museum. We are not sure how it began,” the post reads. “Troy Fire Department is on the scene ... This is a tragedy for our community and for Ohio history.”
The museum was heavily damaged by the blaze, according to a subsequent post on the museum’s page three hours later.
“The museum has sustained major damage,” the post reads. “In speaking with fire officials, the outer walls seem to be hanging in there, but the interior appears to be largely gutted.”
Museum officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but have continued to post occasional updates on social media.
Museum leaders thanked Troy officials and firefighters from surrounding communities that responded to the call, adding that the response salvaged as much of the structure as possible.
“Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Troy Fire Department and other fire departments that responded to this morning’s fire, as well as the Troy Police Department that helped control the scene,” an update, posted around 1 p.m., reads. “Their service will hopefully allow us to begin the long road back.”
The update goes on to state while some portions of the building are “likely a loss,” and other areas may survive, though additional assessment is needed.
“From initial (not official) reports we’re hearing from fire officials, we believe the heavily-timbered portions of the museum (the 1808 tavern and the 1803 kitchen/Overfield residence) will hopefully survive,” the post reads. “... We mourn the loss of much of Miami County’s early material culture in this morning’s blaze. We do not yet know a cause.”
The Overfield Tavern, the city of Troy’s oldest structure, is a two-story, hewn-log building constructed in 1808 by Benjamin and Margaret Overfield.
In its early years, the building served as a frontier tavern, inn, courthouse, and general gathering place for the community, according to the museum’s website.
The county court met in an upstairs room of the tavern from 1808 to 1811, records show. The tavern also housed the local Masonic Lodge, one of the first in the state of Ohio. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In recent history, the building has been open to the public from April through October as a museum featuring an extensive collection of late-18th- and early-19th-century artifacts reflecting daily life on the Ohio frontier prior to 1850.
The museum also regularly hosts events, including History on Tap, Yuletide Dinners, and Tea at the Tavern.
Held annually on the first full weekend in December, this year’s Yuletide Dinner events were set to take place this weekend.
According to the museum’s Facebook page, the dinners were to be held as scheduled, now at the St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen, located inside the Hobart Community Kitchen facility at 25 N. Mulberry Street, across the street from the museum.
Tickets for the dinners were sold out.
“... Thank you to everyone who has reached out to support us today; it’s greatly appreciated,” museum officials said in a post just after 2 p.m. “Now, let’s get together this evening and Sunday evening and find some merry amidst the tragedy.”
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