Submitted News
The annual fundraiser for the Ohio Tobacco Museum drew a large crowd this spring, continuing strong support for preserving the region’s tobacco heritage while helping fund improvements and educational efforts at the museum.
Approximately 350 guests attended the Ohio Tobacco Museum’s annual dinner meeting and reverse raffle held April 11 in Ripley. The event, catered by Scioto Ribber, awarded $13,500 in cash prizes and served as the organization’s primary fundraiser for the year. Organizers are already encouraging supporters to mark their calendars for next year’s event, scheduled for April 10, 2027.
The evening also honored four longtime tobacco growers through induction into the Ohio Tobacco Museum Hall of Fame. Honorees included Don Pope of Gallia County, Patrick Raines of Adams County, and Larry Hall and Kenny Ring of Brown County, recognized for their decades of contributions to tobacco production and agricultural leadership.
Museum board elections resulted in the reelection of David Dugan, Larry Hall, Nick Layman, and Kenny Ring, each returning to serve three-year terms.
Museum visitors can expect visible changes in the coming months. Landscaping improvements around the museum continue through the work of Martha Fithen, Cindy Kratzer, and Denise Bolinger of the Brown County Master Gardeners. Additional accessibility upgrades are underway, with H&S Excavating preparing to extend an existing sidewalk and install a ramp into one of the museum’s outbuildings.
Future projects include renovating outbuildings and reorganizing collections to allow visitors safer access to historic tobacco presses and equipment currently in storage.
Inside the museum, volunteers led by Shelley Inskeep are organizing photographs by year to improve public access to historical collections. Laura Schadle has loaned photo and slide scanners to the museum, allowing historic images to be digitized and potentially transferred to visitors’ flash drives.
The museum is also preparing for seasonal educational demonstrations as tobacco plants growing on museum grounds near transplanting stage. Upcoming demonstration days will be announced on the museum’s Facebook page. As in previous years, surplus tobacco plants will be offered to the public in exchange for donations supporting museum operations.
The Ohio Tobacco Museum will also participate in the July 4 America 250 celebration at the Brown County Fairgrounds, featuring exhibits highlighting local tobacco history and agriculture.
In an effort to preserve personal stories connected to tobacco farming, the museum has begun collecting written memories from former growers and community members. Recent submissions from a local farmer will be added to a public resource binder available at the museum. Organizers hope enough stories will eventually be collected to create a published volume tentatively titled “Tales from Behind the Tobacco Barn.”
Museum officials encourage individuals with memories of tobacco farming to contribute written accounts by mail or email. Free speech-to-text applications may be used, and editing assistance is available for contributors.
Those interested in volunteering, sharing specialized skills, becoming members, or supporting the museum financially may contact the organization through Facebook Messenger or email at ohiotobaccomuseum@yahoo.com. Donations may be mailed to Ohio Tobacco Museum, Inc., P.O. Box 61, Ripley, Ohio 45167, and supporters may also contribute through the museum’s Amazon Wish List.
The Ohio Tobacco Museum remains open to the public free of charge and relies largely on volunteers and community support to preserve Southern Ohio’s tobacco heritage for future generations.