About Us

Society Mission Statement:

Historical Societies and history spark our imagination and help us learn to respect and preserve our past. The Westfield-Washington Historical Society is dedicated to this effort through

-promoting community and statewide awareness of history, especially our history and our programs

-encouraging historic preservation and awareness through public education programs, cooperatives with businesses, individuals and museums

Services through the Westfield Washington Historical Society include monthly meetings, public and charitable education programs and other public events designed to encourage and celebrate our local history.

Museum Mission Statement:

· To promote Westfield Washington Township through the creation and maintenance of a museum and associated projects;

· To preserve the history of Westfield Washington Township for current & future generations;

· To increase local and national awareness to Westfield Washington Township history.

Our History

Westfield and Washington Township were first inhabited by Native Americans. It is documented that Delaware and Miami Native Americans lived in this area. European-Americans arrived to settle in 1831. Westfield (then called West Field) was laid out on May 6th 1834 by Asa Bales, Simon Moon and Ambrose Osborne (Ambroze Ogbine), all Quakers originally from North Carolina. (The Bales name later became Beals for some families.)

The interest in Westfield's history started to increase for the 150th anniversary in 1984 and with the publication of the "Our Westfield 1834-1984" book with the help of the Hamilton County Historical Society. The Westfield-Washington Historical Society was founded in 1995 and incorporated as a non-profit in October 1997.

We opened our first museum in Westfield's old fire station and town hall in 2008 with help from many individuals and organizations. A large grant was acquired from the Hamilton County Visitor & Convention Bureau - Visit Hamilton County to help with the first build out of the museum and computer hardware. We moved to our current location at 130 Penn Street in 2017.