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SCHUMACHER HOMESTEAD

MUSEUM AND SWISS HERITAGE CENTER

Our Swiss Story with Fred Steiner

2:00 P.M., APRIL 19

Join The Swiss Community Historical Society for a sneak peek at the updated P.B. Amstutz book Historical Events of the Mennonite Settlement in Allen and Putnam Counties, Ohio, written in 1925.

Bluffton historian Fred Steiner will give an update on an expanded version, Our Swiss Story, to be published in late spring 2026.

Steiner has been researching the non-Mennonite families of The Settlement known as the Swiss Reformed. Several families will be featured, plus more stories from the period.

The program will be on Sunday, April 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the Schumacher Homestead Historical Center at 8350 Bixel Road, Bluffton.  

Homemade pies and hot beverages will be available. Two nut pies (hickory and walnut) made from Dr. Ollie Lugibihl’s famous recipe will be offered for silent auction to support the society.  

The event will be livestreamed at https://fmcbluffton.org/first-mennonite-live-stream/ and subsequently available on the Swiss Historical YouTube channel.

by BlufftonPandoraSCHS

Schumacher Homestead Tours

The Schumacher Homestead offers a glimpse into the lives of Swiss immigrants in an area of Allen and Putnam counties known as the Settlement during the mid 19th century. Tours may be scheduled throughout the year.

Visitors may tour the house, summer kitchen, workshop, and barn—which are filled with original and period items—as well as the garden. In August 2023, reconstruction of the Bixel-Basinger barn began between the farmhouse and the bank barn. It will be the society’s new Heritage Center.

Prices for Admission: $5 per adult, Free for children 16 and under. Free for current members.

Those interested in scheduling a tour should contact Neil Allen at 567-387-9208 or email directorschs@gmail.com

Thank you to all of our members and donors for their support of the Swiss Community Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Memberships and donation payments can now be made by PayPal or check. Learn more: swisshistorical.org/join-us/.

Scenes from 2025 events

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SCHS transforming barn as Heritage Center

See our Facebook page for ongoing progress reports and photos.

The Swiss Community Historical Society has created a Heritage Center from the Bixel-Basinger Swiss Settlement barn previously located on the Dan and Cindy Basinger Farm. The repurposed barn is heated and air-conditioned and includes a large event space, classroom, artifact storage space, and public restrooms. The facility will allow for longer visits during tours and events, and eliminate weather restrictions on scheduling.

This project is made possible by individual, group, and corporate donors. Contact Capital Campaign Director Julie Stratton at 419-302-0369 or email swisshistoricalcampaign@gmail.com for information or to schedule a meeting.

Swiss Community Historical Society
PO Box 5, Bluffton, OH 45817

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Schs