Welcome to the Butler County Historical Society and Museum
The Butler County Historical Society is a private non-profit organization that formed in 1934 to preserve and promote the history of Butler County, Ohio. The society, incorporated in 1948, owns and operates the Benninghofen House Museum, a high-Italian style home built in 1863 that is filled with the furnishings of a wealthy family during the Victorian era. It also manages the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument on Front Street and the McCloskey Wonder Works.
What’s Happening at BCHS?
Upcoming events:
August Lecture Series “Cleaning up the Bomb Factory: Grassroots Activism and Nuclear Waste in the Midwest” Thursday August 27, 2026 7:00pm-SOLD OUT
“Hit the Record Button: A Live ‘Crimes of the Centuries’ Podcast Experience with Amber Hunt & Amanda Rossmann”-Saturday September 12, 2026 7:00pm-Ticketed Event.
Current Exhibit
“Points of Interest: 225 Years of Butler County Maps”
“Points of Interest: 225 Years of Butler County Maps”
Opening Mid-September 2026
Upcoming Event
“Chem-Dyne at Fifty”-Hamilton’s Largest Environmental Disaster and it’s Legacy
Thursday September 24, 2026: 7:00pm
“Chem-Dyne at Fifty”-Hamilton’s Largest Environmental Disaster and it’s Legacy
The worst ecological disaster in the history of Hamilton occurred 50 years ago at Chem-Dyne in the city’s North End. Join Brad Spurlock, board member of the BCHS and Historic Hamilton Inc., along with Tim McLelland, Ground Water Consortium Manager of the Hamilton to New Baltimore Ground Water Consortium to hear about the circumstances that created the “perfect storm” of mishandling and neglect that led to the inferno, how the disaster unfolded in real time, and the lingering environmental impact of the disaster today. In partnership with the Lane Libraries and Hamilton to New Baltimore Ground Water Consortium.
Admission is free for BCHS members or $5.00 for non-members payable at the door. Reservations are required-and limited to 100-please use the link on the website to register. If you have any questions please call BCHS at 513-896-9930!