OSWEGO — As the Indiana Bicentennial approaches the history that surrounds the county becomes more and more relevant. For the next few weeks, A Summer For History will produce a story a week concerning a different museum located in Kosciusko County.

This week’s museum is the Pound Store Museum in Oswego. The building itself was built in 1838 by Dr. Roland Willard, Willard Barbee and Ezekiel French, and is today the oldest commercial building in Kosciusko County. The property is maintained by the Kosciusko County Historical Society. The museum concerns itself with the history of Oswego in particular, and on a lesser level, the county as a whole.

“In it’s day, when it was operating as a business, it was probably the biggest business in Oswego,” stated Kenneth Fawley, the 2nd vice president of the Historical Society and caretaker of the Pound Museum.

The general store began serving the area as a post office in the late 1840’s, making it an important location for anyone living in the Oswego area. In the beginning Ezekiel French operated the store and was post master for the area. The eponymous John Pound, a school teacher from Elkhart County, didn’t purchase the store until 1889.

The Pound Store Museum is open on Sunday from 1-4 p.m. from June to September.

“The tours are free… If you want to learn the history of Oswego and Kosciusko County, come and see us. All donations are welcome,” Fawley said.