Lima, Ohio, 2016.

The Emerald City’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz reached into his bag and pulled out a diploma for the Scarecrow, a ticking watch heart for the Tin Woodman and a medal of courage for the Cowardly Lion. That bag had a little something for everyone (except Dorothy, but forget about that for now).

The Allen County Museum is kind of like that bag full o’ randomness—if there was ever a place with something for everyone, this is it.

On the outside, the museum is a relatively inconspicuous columned brick building with a funky modern annex stretched around it.

On the inside, the building is bursting at the seams with… well, all kinds of stuff! The sheer number of things to see is almost daunting (especially when you show up an hour before closing time, like I did—hence, the crappy photos). I’m not even sure where to start, so I’m just going to start listing some of the things you can see here.

• Old-time cars and vehicles, including a horse-drawn milk truck, a full-sized steam engine and this sweet ride:

• A log cabin (outside)
• Photos and artifacts from early Lima and Colonial life, including a real Conestoga  wagon:

• A turn-of-the-century “main street” complete with a doctor’s office, a general store (with a cigar-store Indian outside), barber shop and… an iron lung

• Old-school media stuff, like record players (the wax cylinder kind), TVs and musical instruments (plus a great tribute to the town’s historic Faurot Opera House)

• Homages to the local fire department, police and scout troops
• Early American artifacts

• Rocks, minerals and fossils
• Classic toys, dolls and books, including Mary Poppins and Jackie & Caroline Kennedy paper dolls

• A really cool kids’ area with a mini-covered wagon and a walk-in one room schoolhouse classroom (with Abe and George represented at the head of the class)

• Tributes to local celebs like Hugh Downs and Phyllis Diller (I don’t know who the third guy is; I just thought he looked awesome)

And much, much, much more!

Among the more unusual displays is a whole section dedicated to John Dillinger and his sordid Lima past. In 1933, the infamous gangster and two cronies robbed several area banks. Dillinger was arrested in Dayton and sent to the Allen County jail to await trial.

A couple weeks later, Dillinger’s friends confronted Sheriff Jesse Sarber and demanded he let the gangster out. The crooks shot and killed Sheriff Sarber, grabbed the keys and set their buddy free, escaping to Arizona. The sheriff’s murder and jailbreak set off a nation-wide manhunt for the gang—and earned Dillinger the dubious title of Public Enemy No. 1.

All were eventually arrested and sentenced—and got their comeuppances one way or another. One crony was shot and killed by a prison guard at the Ohio Penitentiary; another was executed by the state; and a third was released 35 years later when he discovered he had cancer (he died four months later). Dillinger, of course, was gunned down in an ambush in front of Chicago’s Biograph Theatre in 1934.

The museum’s display features newspaper articles about the crimes from Lima’s newspaper, a few Dillinger artifacts (including his super-creepy death mask) and a display honoring Sheriff Sarber. And  you can step right into the scene, thanks to a tableau  jail scene depicting the good sheriff sitting at his desk while the gangster looks mournfully on from behind bars.

There’s another somewhat infamous display at the Allen County Museum that’s a little more nondescript, but packs a powerful punch when you read the placard: THINGS SWALLOWED (and eventually retrieved from the throats and shnozzes of Limanians by local ear, nose and throat specialists Drs. Estey and Walter Yingling).

Among the consumed items: diaper pins, coins, bobby pins, buttons and some kind of rubber tube.

It’s weird for sure, but the kids love it (during my visit, three boys were gathered around exclaiming in disbelief before declaring the display “cool”).

There are about a gazillion other things I could tell you about, but let’s just keep this post short(ish) and sweet. You should just click your heels together and go yourself! It is absolutely worth the trip—just make sure to get there early enough to spend some real time exploring this little world that would impress even the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Here’s all the info:

620 W. Market St., Lima, Ohio, 419/222-9426. Tues.–Fri., 1-5 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., 1-4 p.m. Admission is by donation (suggested donation: $5).