preserving and promoting the history of Toledo, Ohio through exhibitions, outreach & education
We are on the Air!
In collaboration with WGTE Public Media, the Toledo History Museum is hosting a radio program that delves into the history of Toledo and Northwest Ohio. We look at our culture and heritage. The program airs Wednesday evenings at 7:00 and each episode is available to listen online at wgte.com/timewalk. These programs are part of The Local Thread, a community news collaboration between WGTE and Toledo History Museum.
Toledo has an incredible manufacturing history. Many of the items you will see in our virtual exhibit helped change the American lifestyle. Click here to experienceMade in Toledo!
Toledo’s Auto History
In the early 20th Century, Toledo was a major hub for automobile manufacturing. View this video to learn about this exciting time in Toledo history from a WTOL-TV presentation by Lou Hebert.
Featured articles, audio, and videos
A look at Toledo Museums including the Toledo History Museum
Host Jaden Jefferson interviews guests from several different Toledo-based museums in the latest Toledo Works podcast from the Toledo Free Press and WGTE. One of the guests is Toledo History Museum president London Mitchell. He discusses a belief that not only can the Museum take us on a journey into Toledo's past but also help us understand the community's culture and heritage. Follow this link to listen to the podcast.
The Electric Auto-Lite Strike of 1934
This video captures scenes from the deadly Auto-Lite strike in 1934 considered a major factor in the launch of the United Auto Workers.
A look at Toledo radio in the 1940s
From the Toledo History Museum Quarterly Journal of December 2007 we pull Marjorie Waterfield’s look back at “WSPD Radio in the 1940s” and local radio before television and the Internet. Radio was our audio window to the world with the broadcast day filled with a variety of programming. Read Marjorie’s well-researched article by clicking on this link.
Research reveals dugout canoe may be one of region's oldest artifacts
Baseball fans at Swayne Field saw two of baseball's greatest, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, face off against each other. And Cobb was wearing a Toledo uniform! Click here for John Husman's account of a special moment from 1917.
First radio-dispatched patrol cars were in Toledo
Did you know the first successful test of dispatching police vehicles by radio happened in Toledo in 1921? Follow this link to read the story about another first for Toledo.
Mystery of lost aviator has links to Toledo
Aviator Paul Rinaldo Redfern was trying to make history as the first pilot ever to fly nonstop from North America to South America. Click here to read Lou Hebert's account of this nearly 100-year-old mystery.
Toledo's million dollar robbery
Written by Lou Hebert, the true life story behind one of the biggest Post Office robberies in history. And, it happened in Toledo. Click here to read.
Albert King, Toledo's first black police officer
It was 1887. Albert King was appointed to the Toledo Police Department. His life offers an insight into the lives and experiences of Blacks in Toledo at the turn of the century. Read his story by Shirley Green.
Rich history of the University of Toledo
London Mitchell's podcast interview with Barbara Floyd on her in-depth book on the history of the University of Toledo. Click here to listen.
Was a "death ray" invented in Toledo?
Here is the story of a man they called Toledo's "radio wizard" written by Lou Hebert. Click here to read.
Learn about the uniqueness of Toledo's Old West End
The annual Old West End Festival celebrates the history and culture of this premier Toledo neighborhood. You'll get some interesting insight in this audio interview with Associate Professor of History at BGSU, Douglas Forsythe. Click here to listen.
Sight Center celebrates 100th anniversary
The Sight Center has prepared 100 short videos to recap its 100-year history. Click here to visit the Sight Center YouTube channel.
Tests reveal dugout canoe may date to American Revolution
Did you know the first successful test of dispatching police vehicles by radio happened in Toledo in 1921? 
Aviator Paul Rinaldo Redfern was trying to make history as the first pilot ever to fly nonstop from North America to South America. 
Written by Lou Hebert, the true life story behind one of the biggest Post Office robberies in history. And, it happened in Toledo. 
His life offers an insight into the lives and experiences of Blacks in Toledo at the turn of the century. 
London Mitchell's podcast interview with Barbara Floyd on her in-depth book on the history of the University of Toledo. 
Here is the story of a man they called Toledo's "radio wizard" written by Lou Hebert.