Versailles Area Historical Society

10/14/2026

Speaker Series 2026 continues at the Versailles Area Museum on Sunday, October 25. Doors open at 1 p.m. Program begins at 2 p.m. Join us for more history during this 250th Anniversary Year of our nation.

Steve Kaplan will be here to present the story of Hercules Mulligan, the spy who saved George Washington’s life -Twice. If you are of Irish descent, you will be particularly interested in this patriot. Mulligan, an unsung hero of the Revolution, was an Irish tailor and spy for George Washington and a member of the Sons of Liberty.

Steve Kaplan has served as president of the Ohio Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, state vice-president, patriotic outreach chairman, and compliance co-chair. Steve is also past president of the Richard Richmond Chapter which covers Miami, Shelby, Darke, Montgomery, and Preble Counties.

Admission is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. See you at the museum!

09/21/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our prohibition program on Sunday. If you want to learn more, there's a great book on prohibition by Daniel Okrent or a 5 hour series on PBS adapted from the book.

09/19/2026

Prohibition Program Tomorrow
Sunday, September 20th at the Versailles Area Museum. Doors open at 1 p.m and program begins at 2. Open to the public and admission is free!
It took the Prohibition Movement one hundred years to arrive at the 18th Amendment, banning alcohol in the U.S.
It took a decade for the masses to demand it's repeal.
Join us for an interesting, informative and fun afternoon!

09/14/2026

Program on Prohibition!
Join us this Sunday, September 20 at the Versailles Area Museum for a program on Prohibition, Bootlegging, Organized Crime, and local stories from this era. Doors open at 1 p.m. and program begins at 2. Open to the public and admission is free! Light refreshments will be served.
The battle between the "Drys" and "Wets" spanned 100 years culminating with the 18th Amendment taking effect in January 1920. A decade later the tide had turned and the 18th Amendment was repealed, the only amendment repealed in U. S. history. We all have stories on this topic, so bring yours and join us for a fun and informative discussion!

09/12/2026

James C. Condon flew 126 combat missions in Vietnam—and survived 91 days as a prisoner of war.

Condon moved to Versailles in 1945. He joined the Ohio Air National Guard, earned his navigator-bombardier wings, and went on to log approximately 6,000 hours aboard B-47 and B-52 bombers.

On December 28, 1972, his B-52 was struck by a surface-to-air missile near Hanoi. Wounded in the shootdown, Condon ejected and was captured. He remained a POW until his release on March 29, 1973.

Condon retired as a lieutenant colonel and returned to Versailles. His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, POW Medal, and Air Medal.

We’ll honor his extraordinary service at our September 19th fly-in at Darke County Airport.

09/05/2026

Mark Your Calendar!
Prohibition, bootlegging and rumrunning. This will be the topic of our next speaker series on Sunday, September 20 at the Versailles Area Museum. Program begins at 2 p.m. and doors open at 1 o'clock. Open to the public and admission is free.
Sarah Magoto and Elaine Bergman will lead the program with a short background on the history of Prohibition, with an emphasis on its local impact and the local stories.
Bring your own family stories and join us for what will surely be an interesting, fun, and informative afternoon!

08/20/2026

Are you ready to celebrate? Heritage Park is the place to be for America 250...Versailles style!

08/10/2026

What a fun afternoon on the lawn at the Museum! The weather was perfect. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed listening to Neal & Emmy, checking out the trucks, tractors and eating ice cream & baked goods. And lots of visitors & new faces enjoyed the air conditioning while browsing the exhibits inside the museum!

08/09/2026

Still time for music, ice cream, desserts, and museum browsing. We're here till 4 p.m.

06/09/2026