MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Agricultural Museum was the jewel highlighted during Wednesday’s Partners-In-Tourism event. Located on the Knox County Fairgrounds, the museum has experienced steady growth since it began 25 years ago.

The museum was started in 1984 by a group of men who wanted to preserve history, said Art Mizer, 2009 museum coordinator.

“The first display was in the flower building,” he said. “The following year they still had the flower building, but they put up a tent.”

In 1986 a 40-by-100-foot building was built.

“In 1990, we ran out of room, so we built onto the west end,” said Mizer. “In 1997 we built on again.”

This time it was a 3,000-square-foot room called the Earlywine Addition, named after Wilbur Earlywine, who in his will left money to the museum. This section includes items such as butter churns, washing machines and an early refrigerator dated 1893.

“And, of course, it filled up, just like everything else has,” said Mizer. “In 2008, here we were, just jammed to the roof again ... so in 2008 we built another wing on.”

That addition was a two-story, 56-by-50-foot building.

The museum includes several outbuildings. In 1988 a log house was acquired; its original homestead was east of Gambier.

“In 1994, we acquired the school house, and that was down on Tiger Valley road, outside Danville,” said Mizer.

A springhouse was added in 2004, and a smokehouse in 2006. Another attraction is a three-seater outhouse, the last remaining building from Hiawatha Park.

“We have over 5,000 items, and 18,000 square feet of buildings, not including the outbuildings,” said Mizer. “There’s no way you can see it all.”

Mizer said he has been a volunteer for a number of years, and even now, he will walk through the museum and see items he has never seen before. Items include an early Centerburg school bus, old tractors and a horse-drawn hearse, as well as a large assortment of hand tools, vintage clothing and signs, even part of an old silo. A recent acquisition is a 2009 Knox County map, placed next to a 1958 county map for comparison. The library features photos, books and an album of newspaper clippings chronicling the history of the museum. Most of the items in the museum are from Knox County, although a few are from Coshocton and Licking County.

Mizer said museum board members and volunteers have been busy this year, as in the past. Ten new showcases have been built, a stone sidewalk installed at one end of the museum and a stone well dug between the log house and springhouse. The museum will be open during the fair, and is open any time there is a function at the fairgrounds, such as a car show or flea market. Group or student tours can also be arranged.

“We have far more things than anybody,” said Mizer, referring to the extensive collection of items housed in the museum.

Fair board member Bruce Gregg agreed.

“We are very lucky to have this ag museum,” he said. “You don’t often see this much of a collection. ... I’m not sure that even the Ohio Historical Society has as nice a collection.”

Gregg gave a brief overview of activities planned for the 2009 fair, which include a performance by Lonestar, a celebrity harness race and school bus races. A new feature this year is an additional day of harness racing.

Traditionally, the fair runs from Sunday to Saturday; this year, the fair will run from Saturday to Saturday, July 25 to Aug. 1. Gregg said 12 races are set for Saturday, July 25. There will be free admission that day.

Wednesday’s Partners-In-Tourism event was catered by Sips.