Prairie Trails

Prairie Trails, our main building, is home to exhibits that illustrate Shelby County’s history. In Prairie Trails you will find interactive exhibits ranging from a Youth Maker Space to a Military Exhibit Hall. If you are interested in researching, Prairie Trails also houses our Alwill Genealogy Research Center.

Hoskins Building

The Hoskins Building houses our collection of objects relating to Native American history. Learn about the inhabitants of Shelby County before the arrival of European settlers. The lower level of this building contains many interesting commerce related items including horse-drawn farming equipment, blacksmith shop, and cobbler’s shop.

Leland Cabin

Please note: Tours of the Leland and McIntosh cabins are currently unavailable while preservation work is performed. We estimate tours will resume Summer 2024.

This cabin was built in 1856 by Benjamin Leland and Samuel Lytle, Samuel was married to Benjamin’s daughter Sarah J. Leland. The cabin was constructed to house the two families and contained two rooms and a loft. The cabin was donated to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. Elven Steenbock and moved to its current location in 1972. 

McIntosh Cabin

Please note: Tours of the Leland and McIntosh cabins are currently unavailable while preservation work is performed. We estimate tours will resume Summer 2024.

Our McIntosh Cabin was built in 1857 by John McIntosh. This father of 15 lived with his large family in this home located in Grove Township. Over the years, updates were made as new discoveries and inventions occurred including the addition of electricity 1948. The building was moved to its current location in 1970.​

Virtual Tour

Check out our virtual tour to see all that the Shelby County Historical Museum has to offer! The virtual tour was created by longtime member of our Board of Directors, David Gaul.

The Shelby County Historical Museum is a great place to conduct family research whether in person or through our long-distance research request form. We have a knowledgeable and friendly staff who cannot wait to help you. Our comfortable reading room provides the perfect environment to research family history.

If you are planning on visiting the museum to complete your research, we strongly recommend you schedule an appointment two weeks in advance to ensure we can assist you properly. We realize that not everyone has the time to come to our museum to complete your own research, so we also offer long-distance research services as well! For your long-distance research please fill out this Research Request Form.