Open Dreamsville, USA: Extend Access to the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, National Historic Landmark

FAIN: ZPA-283358-22

Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, Inc. (Dennison, OH 44621-1402)
Wendy Robin Zucal (Project Director: May 2021 to January 2026)

The retention of five staff for the operation of a museum presenting and interpreting the history of the last remaining Homefront Canteens where over 1.5 million soldiers were served during World War II.  

Dennison, OH was nicknamed Dreamsville USA by WWII soldiers that stopped at the Dennison Canteen because the service they received was like a dream come true. In 2011, our Depot became a National Historic Landmark as the best example left in the nation of a WWII Homefront Canteen. Since 1989, our museum has been open to the public with a full calendar of events, programs and exhibits 6 days a week, year round. However, the pandemic caused a devastating adverse effect on our Landmark, greatly limiting public access due to a forced closure and lost revenue. We lost of all school and bus tours, special events, programs and fundraisers. We have been forced to cut or layoff staff and shorten hours of operations. This has tremendously reduced humanities programming and preservation efforts on our significant facilities left with only a skeleton crew in place. With these grant dollars, we will be able to restore our staff, reopen access again and bring our focus back on to our mission