Greene County Historical Society Grounds Tour
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Description
Tour of the grounds and outbuildings at the Greene County Historical Society. This is a work in progress so check back for new updates!
1. Greene County Historical Society and Museum
The Greene County Historical Society is located in the historic Greene County Home which housed the county’s poor, infirm, and elderly residents between 1861 and 1969. The original section of the building was built as a home for the Rhinehart family in 1857 and the building was then expanded in 1861, 1886, and 1890 to accommodate inmates of the County Home. The Greene County Historical Society was incorporated in 1925 and moved into this building in the 1970s.
2. Print Shop
This building was likely constructed around the turn of the twentieth century and served as the Grain House for the Greene County Home. Currently the building houses the museums collection of printing presses and related equipment. Most of the presses are still operational and on select days the print shop is open for demonstrations.
3. Cabin
This cabin was reconstructed at this location in 2008. It is largely reconstructed from a single cabin with additional pieces from a second cabin and some more modern materials (typically seen in the ceiling materials). The original cabin was larger, but many of the original logs had rotted so this cabin's footprint is smaller.
4. W & W RR Shed
The W&W Shop houses the Second No. 4, a locomotive that was in service between 1916 and 1933 on the Waynesburg & Washington Railroad. The Waynesburg & Washington was a 28-mile narrow-gauge railroad that connected Waynesburg, PA and Washington, PA. The Pennsylvania Railroad indefinitely loaned the locomotive to the Greene County Historical Society in 1958 and it has been on display here since 1974. Also housed in the W&W Shop is W&W Passenger Coach No. 6, currently under restoration by GCHS volunteers.
5. Barn
The original section of the barn was likely constructed in the 1860s, during the early history of the Greene County Home/Poor Farm. The side closest to the main building that has open bays was an addition, probably added around the end of the 1800s. The barn is a Queen Truss style bank barn. Livestock were housed on the lower floor--troughs are still visible in the floors of what is now used as museum storage. The upper floor was used for thrashing and this portion of the barn is now used to exhibit farm and transportation equipment and for events. The structure is largely in its original state and may be one of the oldest barns still standing in Greene County.
6. Sawmill
The Headlee sawmill was originally located in Wayne/Perry Township and was donated by the Headlee family in the 1990s. It is a rip saw operation, designed to cut with the grain of the wood, and is powered by the tractor located next to the sawmill. The sawmill still runs and will occasionally be in operation for visitors to view.
7. Library (Boiler House)
The boiler house dates to roughly 1887-1890, slightly after the construction of the West Wing in the main building. When the West Wing was constructed it had its own heating system built in, but the rest of the building did not. The boiler house was constructed to heat the rest of the building. Around 1890 the system was reworked so that the boiler house heated the entire County Home building. The building now houses the Greene County Historical Society library and research center.
8. Smokehouse
This smokehouse was likely constructed around the same time as the West Wing, probably around 1886-1890. The interior of the structure still has rows of meat hooks along the ceiling and evidence of years of use. Originally there was a roof connecting the smokehouse to the boiler house that covered a cistern in between.
9. Dogtrot Cabin
This dogtrot-style cabin was reconstructed in 1981 on the Historical Society grounds. Typical dogtrot cabins have two log cabins connected by a breezeway under one continuous roof. This cabin is slightly altered because the roof is at two levels. The majority of the logs (about 70%) came from a two-story cabin in Spraggs, PA and Russell Headlee was mainly responsible for the reconstruction of the cabin here.
