Col. Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum Revisited

The wooden arrow from the Indian Ridge Museum –
at its new home in the New Indian Ridge Museum

Back in January (was it that long ago?), Colonel Raymond C. Vietzen and his Indian Ridge Museum were featured in a post that collected several articles about them from the Lorain Journal, dating from 1944 to his wife's passing in 1999.

Since then, I found an earlier article about Vietzen, and the publication of his book, Ancient Man in Northern Ohio. The article by Jean Weaver appeared in the Journal on August 23, 1941.

One of the articles from the earlier post (dated October 16, 1951) indicated that there would be four more parts in the series on the following Tuesdays. However, it appears that the intention to publish that many more articles was overly ambitious. I could only locate one more, which appeared on Wednesday, October 24, 1951 (below). The length of it seems to indicate that it contains the balance of the story. After the publication of this article, the Journal moved on to another multi-part historical series.

Here's another article that missed the cut to be included on the original blog post. It's from June 30, 1965 and promotes Col. Vietzen's latest book at that time, Indians of the Lake Erie Basin or Lost Nation.

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After that first blog post, local historian Col. Matt Nahorn of the New Indian Ridge Museum in Amherst provided me with some great photos to share.

Here's the Colonel, back when he was just Corporal Nahorn, outside the original Indian Ridge Museum. At right is the photo of the Museum from the 1951 article. Note the wooden arrow in the window; Nahorn salvaged it and it is shown in the photo at the top of this post.

Matt noted that the original Indian Ridge Museum was part of a 1920s filling station. The Museum was demolished in 2000, and Matt was able to salvage the original door. Here he is with it.

Lastly, here are photos of the two Colonels – four decades apart – posing with the statue from the original museum that now calls the New Indian Ridge Museum home.

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum – 1944 to 1999

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen in 1967 at his museum

Back in October, a blog post featured articles about Raymond C. Vietzen's unearthing of Indian skeletons on the Louis Frank farm near Vermilion in 1940, and his role directing excavation of the site. 

Col. Matt Nahorn, local historian (and Amherst Council Member at Large) noted in a comment, "The Franks Site was one of the largest Erie Indian village sites in the area, which encompassed some 80 acres of land. Much of the land now is owned by the MetroParks. Col. Vietzen worked as site supervisor for Oberlin College students and also worked there for some time, in the early 1940s. 

"He subsequently authored 17 books on archaeology, many of which documented local sites and local work. He operated the Indian Ridge Museum in Elyria from 1930-1995, and was the last living individual associated with the founding of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. His wife, Ruth was the first female officer and worked right alongside him at the archaeological sites."

The Colonel kindly sent me an article about Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum that ran in the Journal back in September 1967. You'll find it below, along with several other article about him that I found online in the newspaper's archives. The Indian Ridge Museum was a favorite subject of Journal articles.

The earliest mention of Vietzen that I could find was this article from March 24, 1944.

At the time of this October 16, 1951 article, the museum apparently had not yet acquired its name, and was only referred to in the article as being part of the Vietzen estate, known as "The Wigwam."

In this Feb. 28, 1959 article, we learn that Mr. Vietzen had received his Kentucky Colonel commission "from the governors of Kentucky and Tennessee for archaeological work done in those states."

This Sept. 15, 1967 article (courtesy of Matt Nahorn) features some nice photographs of Vietzen and his  museum.

This July 22, 1970 includes some great, frank quotes by Mr. Vietzen about the American Indian's high morals, and his own strict standards about displaying Indian bones. 

In this November 10, 1972 article (below), Vietzen talks about some of the incredible items found in his museum, including "a trundle bed, a rifle from the Daniel Boone period, hunting bags and powder horns, hearth brooms, a Buffalo robe from the Gold Rush, a plantation office desk from a slave family in Oberlin, an Apache Indian drum made from a hollow sycamore tree with two deer hides stretched over it, a covered wagon, a left hand plow, water power mill, a sleigh from a Sheffield family, dower chests and a cannon from the War of 1812." The article notes, "He also has the Jacob Shupe cabin which was the first one built in Lorain County, a cabin built by an ancestor of Jesse James, and a tymochtee cabin built in 1795 in the Sandusky River Valley."

The Indian Ridge Museum was featured again in this August 20, 1976 article.

Col. Vietzen weighs in with his thoughts about the contention that the Black River was called the "Canesadooharie" in this article from October 23, 1988.

This heartbreaking story from October 12, 1994 tells of some mindless vandalism and theft at the Indian Ridge Museum.

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen passed away in October 1995, followed by his wife Ruth in Sept. 1999. Below are their obituaries and the Public Auction listing for the dispersal of the contents of the Indian Ridge Museum.

Sept. 30,1999

Learn more about the Vietzens and the Indian Ridge Museum at Col. Matt Nahorn's The New Indian Ridge Museum website.

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UPDATE (April 27, 2026)

Be sure to visit my follow-up post on Col. Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum.

Landmark Burns – Nov. 5, 1965

The Underground Railroad ran right through Lorain County, with Oberlin, Elyria and Lorain all playing a role in the escaped slaves' trek to Canada.

Various historic homes and building are said to have been places of refuge for the slaves during their journey. One old structure believed to be part of the network went up in flames, 60 years ago today.

"A Lorain County landmark, believed to have been a stop in the "underground railway" during the slave days more than 100 years ago, was destroyed by fire early today," noted the article on the front page of the November 5, 1965 Journal.

"An unidentified passerby was credited with probably saving the lives of seven occupants of a house on the northwest corner of SR 113 and Murray Ridge Road.

"Because the exact history of the building isn't known, it is believed it was a former stagecoach stop and a station on the "underground railway."

"Col. Raymond Vietzen, first vice president of the Lorain County Historical Society, said: "It was never a very much talked about place." But, he said, it had everything needed for smuggling escaped slaves.

"A porch ran the length of the house and there was a unique woodshed made of brick and wood. He said a wagon could be driven into the shed and unloaded. Steps led from the shed into the kitchen.

"The basement of the house, he said, could be entered from the outside at ground level. The carriage house also had a basement that could be entered from ground level or from a trap door.

"In the 1930s the building became the Owl Club, a tavern that emerged after the repeal of prohibition." 

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I found a few ads connected with the building in the Lorain Journal. It became the Owl Club in August 1934, and then changed to the Silver Bell Inn in Feb. 1935. It lasted as the Silver Bell Inn until at least the fall of 1953, when it was robbed during a wild crime spree stretching from Cleveland to Oberlin.

Aug. 28, 1934

Feb. 14, 1935

Feb. 22, 1935

Indian Burial Grounds Discovered in Vermilion – 1940

Courtesy lookandlearn.com

Eighty-five years ago this month, Indian skeletons were unearthed on the Louis Frank farm, located two miles south of US Route 6 on E. River Road (today's Vermilion Road).

It's an interesting story and the article reporting the finding appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 15, 1940.

As the article notes, "Scenes of copper-skinned Indians offering a feast to the gods as they performed an ancient burial ritual were recreated by scientists with the unearthing of a large number of Indian skeletons on the Louis Frank farm, E. River-rd. near Vermilion.

"The latest excavations, made Sunday afternoon, yielded 13 skeletons, believed to be those of Erie Indians, buried more than 300 years ago. The excavation also turned up bits of pottery and other Indian relics.

"Earlier this summer, 34 skeletons were dug up at another point on the farm, which is approximately two miles south of W. Lake-rd on the Vermilion River.

"Bertram Kraus, Cleveland archaeologist, is head of the excavating party. Assisting him are Ray Vietzen, Elyria Indian relic collector, and William Worcester, also of Elyria.

"For more than three centuries, these remnants of a tribe whose history is clouded in obscurity have been hidden less than four feet below the surface. The discovery is expected to aid historians greatly in their study of the Eries.

"Also discovered in the burial ground was a fire pit, evidence that the Indians offered sacrifices before burial."

Here's the Page 3 continuation of the article, which also reveals that "a sizable Indian settlement was long ago located in the vicinity.

A year later, Oberlin College professors and students joined the research effort at the Indian burial ground site, as noted in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 30, 1941.

As the article notes, "Ancient Indian campsites and burial grounds unearthed in Lorain-co by an Elyrian, Raymond C. Vietzen, have attracted the attention of Oberlin college.

"Three Oberlin college professors and approximately 12 students tomorrow morning will continue further excavation and research of a site near Vermilion.

"They will work under Vietzen's direction.

"The site is located on the Louis Frank farm, E. River-rd, approximately two miles south of W. Lake-rd on the Vermilion river.

"It was here that Vietzen and his associates last October discovered an ancient burial ground and burial pit of the Erie Indians hidden less than four feet below the surface. 

"In all they dug up nearly 50 skeletons of members of the ancient tribe, bones of animals offered as sacrifice and numerous other relics."

I wonder where those Indian skeletons ended up?

Murray Ridge Landmark Burns – Nov. 5, 1965

It’s always sad when a historic Lorain County building is torn down to make way for a housing development or dollar store. But it’s even sadder when such a landmark is loss to fire.

Unfortunately that was the case with the building as reported in the article by Milt Haitema below, which ran in the Lorain Journal on November 5, 1965.

The landmark was located on the northwest corner of State Route 113 (which in 1965 was Lowell Street) and Murray Ridge Road, and was believed to have been as stop on the Underground Railroad.

The article includes a quote by Colonel Raymond Vietzen, who ran the Indian Ridge Museum on Murray Ridge Road from 1930 to 1995.