MUNICIPAL CLOCK--The Municipal Building Clock was given to the Village in 2005 by the Archbold Rotary Club to commemorate the completion of the renovation to the downtown streets and utilities.  

ARCHBOLD RADIO--The Archbold radio station was started by Max Smith Sr. in 1968 with call letters WHFD 95.9 FM and in 1989 they switched to call letters WMTR 96.1.  The jukebox can still be found in Mom's Diner, but is representative of all the excellent dining establishments within Archbold.  

RUIHLEY PARK--Ruihley Park was named after Mayor August Ruihley  in 1928.  It was Ruihley's vision that Archbold needed a park and soon after the park was established, he passed away while in office.  To honor his foresight, the park was named in his honor.  

H.J. WALTER--In 1937, H.J. Walter, Archbold Postmaster, caught a 1-5/8 lb. carp in front of the post office at 100 Depot Street after a heavy rain storm flooded the downtown area.  A photograph of this event led to Archbold being labeled as "Carp Town" by our neighbors.  Archbold embraced this moniker and celebrated Carp Fest for many years.  

 
SAM HORNISH--The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 2006.  Archbold alumnus Sam Hornish, Jr. won from the pole position.  Hornish went on to win 19 IndyCar races and three IndyCar Championships (2001, 2002, and 2006) before moving on to a career with  NASCAR.  

NORTHWEST STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE--was originally founded in 1968 as Four County Technical Institute.  The college began offering classes in 1969, and in 1972 moved to its current location and was renamed Northwest Technical College.  In 1994 it became a community college.  Northwest State Community College proudly celebrates over 50 years of service to the 77,000 families and 192,000 individuals in the six-county area.  NSCC is as focused as ever to train and educate students to improve our communities through family-sustaining wages.  

WATER TOWER--The Archbold Water Tower was erected in 1953 and is an icon for the Village with the Bluestreak logo.  



CENTENNIAL BUTTON--Archbold celebrated its 100th anniversary (Centennial) in 1966.  Archbold was experiencing significant growth during this time with the population increasing from 2,348 in 1960 to over 3,000 in 1970.  This button represents a logo from the centennial printed on a variety of memorabilia.  

DR. E. A MURBACH was the son of Archbold's first doctor, A.J. Murbach (who started practicing in 1863), and the father of Dr. E. R. Murbach, making three generations of Murbach doctors serving Archbold for over 100 years.  Dr. E. A Murbach still found time to serve on the Archbold School Board for 45 years.  

SAUDER WOODWORKING--Archbold has a rich history of industry and innovation.  In 1934, Erie Sauder started his woodworking business in a barn behind his home in Archbold.  His design of the snap-together table marked the beginning of the ready-to-assemble furniture industry.   Originally a builder of custom cabinetry and church pews, he began crafting small occasional tables form the fine, leftover wood.  In 1940, the workmanship of these tables eventually inspired a traveling salesman to place an astounding order of 25,000 - a seemingly impossible purchase order for a budding company.  But, with a little ingenuity and a lot of determination, Sauder Woodworking Co. grew and flourished.  Fast forward to 1953 for Sauder to find the answer to its calling - a patented table that could be assembled at home.  And it was this snap-together table that marked the beginning of the ready-to-assemble furniture industry.  Sauder Woodworking Co. is North America's leading producer of ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture and one of the top five residential furniture manufacturers in the United States.  Sauder is a privately held, third-generation, family run business.  Subsidiaries include:  Progressive Furniture Inc., a designer and importer of wood bedroom and accent furniture; and Sauder Manufacturing Company, a leader in church, educational and healthcare seating.  

CARP This depiction of the carp that was caught by Postmaster H.J. Walter led to Archbold being nicknamed Carp Town. 


ARCHBOLD AMERICAN LEGION BLW POST 311 & VETERANS MEMORIAL - The overall theme in this box is a tribute to all Archbold veterans who have served or are currently serving our country. The American Legion pin represents the Archbold American Legion BLW Post 311 which was founded December 19, 1919. The rifle and helmet in the boots are a traditional tribute to all fallen military comrades who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country; most notably was Archbold native David Aeschliman who lost his life in Vietnam January 12, 1970. The dog tags are a tribute to Archbold’s World War I soldiers who gave their lives in defense of our great country. Their namesakes Buehrer, Lauber, and Weckesser represent the BLW in Archbold BLW Post 311.

SODA FOUNTAIN - Two Archbold drug stores, the City Drug and the Red Cross Drug both had old fashioned soda fountains in their stores. The Red Cross Drug soda fountain existed from 1956 through 1969 in the store that was recently torn down in 2016, and is the area where the new Archbold Wall Mural is located.  It was especially a popular hangout during lunch hours for Archbold Junior High and High School students. That soda fountain was moved there from its former location on the east side of downtown dating back to the early 1900’s.  The City Drug soda fountain dated back to the early 1900’s as well and was still a popular hangout for teens through most of the 60’s.   Many patrons remember grabbing a popular comic book from the shelf and reading it while enjoying an original cherry coke.   Both soda fountains depicted a simple and fun way of life for families and typically soda fountains were almost always located in local drug stores.

MUSIC --This box represents the strong instrumental and vocal music tradition we have in Archbold. The old band drum was a fixture in Ickey’s Restaurant for many years, but earlier than this it was used in the 1940’s by the AHS Band.  Legend has it the drum major depicted is the late Charles Winzeler, former guidance counselor and band director at AHS.

WELCOME TO ARCHBALD SIGN --  On May 23^rd, 1866, Archbald was incorporated as a Village in Fulton County with a population of 300.  James “Archbald” who was a vice-president, chief engineer for the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad built the famous “Air Line” railroad from Toledo to Indianapolis. Along that route lay a prosperous town close to the border of Indiana which is what is now “Archbold”.   In 1880 the mayor changed the spelling to Archbold. 


SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS -  Archbold has a strong presence of service through various volunteer organizations. Many residents, young and old, take pride in serving to enrich our community.  From top to bottom, Service Organizations represented are Archbold Knights of Columbus #7552, Girl Scouts of America, Archbold Rotary Club, Archbold Lions Club, Boy Scouts of America Troup 63 and 4-H Clubs.


WMTR 96.1 COFFEE MUG  AND MICROPHONE are a salute to Larry Christy, who was the morning show and sports voice of Archbold for many years.

OSU & MICHIGAN ceiling tiles have been on display in Ickey’s restaurant for many years and represent the rivalry within this community between supporters of the two schools.

G0 BLUE BUTTON - This button from 1972 is representative of many ways Archbold sports fans proudly show support for the Archbold Bluestreaks.

BLACK SQUIRREL - Unique to this part of Northwest Ohio, the black squirrels are a common sight in and around Archbold. Rumor has it that the black squirrels were brought into one neighborhood and have since taken over the village.

YELLOW BUTTON – Archbold traditionally observes the Village’s anniversaries every 25 years.  Mementos like this 1991 button from the 125th anniversary, along with minted coins, apparel, etc. were created to commemorate the occasions.

SMALL “a” ABOVE THE “O” IN  ARCHBOLD - The small “a” above the O in Archbold is a reminder that our community was once named “Archbald”.  It merely symbolizes a bit of our past history and is sure to stir up a lot of conversation as to how we got that name and the reason it was changed.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS - Archbold Festival of Lights began in 1990. Gary Short and Cecily Rohrs were some early planners along with Chamber Director, Fred Witte. The idea came from Olgebay State Park in Wheeling, West Virginia. The light display is set up by volunteers, and is turned on the day after Thanksgiving following the Parade of Lights, and remains lit through New Years Day.

ICK & AUD'S FUN HAUS– In 1967 Robert (Ickey) Dominique took over a restaurant from Harold Nagel.  Along with his wife Audrey (Aud), Ickey’s was established at 219 North Defiance Street.  Their son, James (Bummer) Dominique moved the business to the present location in 1979. 



DEALER PLATE - The dealer plate represents Archbold’s rich history of Auto Dealerships. Currently Archbold has three new car auto dealerships; Terry Henricks Ford, Terry Henricks Chrysler, and Christy Chevrolet Buick. There is also a well-known established used auto dealership, Car One. The number 2601 on the Dealer plate is assigned by the State of Ohio. The 26 = Fulton County and the 01 = Archbold.  Archbold has the most Dealerships in Fulton County. Collectively they all employ close to 75 people and produce the most State sales tax in the area. Archbold’s car dealerships date back to the early 1920’s. Liechty Motors Dodge, Rich’s Ford, and Nofzinger Pontiac GMC were the oldest dealerships. Both Liechty Motors and Rich Ford are currently owned and operated by Terry Henricks. Christy Motors dates back to the early 1950’s and although operates under the same name, it is currently under new ownership. Car One is a 4^th generation family of the Nofzinger Pontiac GMC dealership.

LACHOY FOOD PRODUCTS -  which originated in Detroit and relocated to Archbold in 1942, is the oldest and most successful American-based producer of Oriental food products. When sales declined in 1943, the firm was acquired by Beatrice Food Company, and the “family pack” of chop suey/chow mein was introduced and in demand. Over the years LaChoy constructed bean sprout growing bins, a frozen food line that included egg rolls and dinner entrees, and a state-of-the-art soy sauce process.  Although many acquisitions have taken place over the years, LaChoy - now owned by ConAgra Inc. - is still thriving in Archbold and continues to be a very successful company.



ARCHBOLD SPORTS - Archbold offers 18 competitive sports for both males and females throughout the school year.  Presently, Archbold is a member of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) and has won several league championships, along with sectional, district, regional, and state titles.  Our student-athletes have great pride in representing the Blue and Gold.

BLUESTREAK JACKET & YEARBOOK – Examples of Archbold school pride with a jacket representing varsity sports and music letter winners along with the first yearbook "Bittersweet". 1912 was the only year the yearbook had this name with “Blue and Gold” and “Bluestreak” used in following years. 

FAIRLAWN RETIREMENT COMMUNITY has been serving senior Archbold residents since 1964. Over 300 individuals call Fairlawn home and enjoy the safe, convenient and friendly lifestyle that Fairlawn offers. Founded by 12 area Mennonite churches, Fairlawn remains a faith-based not-for-profit organization today. The beautiful campus, north of downtown, provides options for Independent Living, Assisted Living, Short-term Rehab and Long-Term Care.

CARDINALS - The cardinals have been added to the mural by artist, Dave Rickerd, as his unique signature detail, and is taken from the Bob Marley song Three Little Birds – “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be all right.”

SOCIAL MEDIA - In this age of social media, a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), is used on social media websites and applications to identify digital content on a specific topic.  When posting a photo of the mural and typing #archboldmural in the social media post, anyone who searches #archboldmural will see all other posts including that #.  The hope is that this will bring worldwide attention to the project through social media.

NEWSPAPERS - The three newspapers depict the Archbold Herald,  started by E.W. Ames and its dates of publication were from 1885-1898.  The Archbold Buckeye, started by W.O. Taylor, started publishing in 1905. Farmland News dates of publication are from 1959 to the present, and was started by O. Roger Taylor.  The donut and coffee cup represent the many establishments one can go to for a cup of coffee and breakfast.

POLICE CAR - This is one of Archbold’s early police cars.  Prior to the 1950’s,  Archbold was protected by a Town Marshall, rather than a Police Department. 

THE ARCHBOLD FIRE DEPARTMENT and their dedicated volunteers have served the community since 1876.


OHIO MAGAZINE - In 2012, Ohio Magazine chose Archbold to be one of the Best Hometowns in Ohio.  At that time, Jim Wyse was Mayor of Archbold.

LUGBILL AUCTION had its humble beginnings in 1934 when Peter, Eli and Sylvanus Lugbill began to hold weekly livestock auctions in a barn located a mile south of the railroad tracks in Archbold.  The first auction took place on June 4, 1934 and drew 500 people from as far away as Pennsylvania.  In 1938, they began to hold annual open class “Show and Sales” where FFA and 4-H Club youth from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan brought their club calves to be judged and then sold in a special auction.  This became a 3-day event featuring a parade, performances by the high school band, refreshments and educational experience.  The signature steer, owned by Larry Grieser, was the grand champion club calf at the 1950 “Show and Sale” and later became an iconic part of the building’s sign. Over the years, the company branched into other divisions including a farm and feedlot operation named Lugbill Bros., Inc. as well as Lugbill Supply Center, which continues to be a local source of building materials, hardware, paint and more in our community today.  The auction barn was purchased by Michigan Livestock Exchange in 1989 and the company closed the operation in 2001.  In October of 2002 the landmark building was demolished and new businesses took its place.

THE ARCHBOLD COMMUNITY LIBRARY contains many books on the history of Archbold, including The Sound of the Hammer and August Ruihley: A Private History.  These two books are about early Archbold mayors.


JOHN DEERE TRACTOR & GAVEL really represent several historical facts about Archbold. First off, the gavel represents Yoder and Frey Auctions which is known to be the largest farm and implement auction in the country. Dating back to 1947 they still operate a consignment auction every second Tuesday of the month which draws bidders from several midwestern states to buy and sell their used farm equipment. The tractor represents our local rich farming industry and our local farming implement dealership sales. Kenn-Feld Group located in Archbold, formerly known as Liechty Farm Equipment, is a well-known John Deere dealership specializing in both new and used farm equipment. Redline Equipment located north of Archbold serves as a Case IH dealership also specializing in new and used farm equipment. Both dealerships have several other locations and serve the local farming, commercial, and industrial industries. We are very fortunate to have both.

CHURCH STEEPLE - Although the church steeple is that of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, the oldest church in the community, it is representative of the faith-based community that Archbold is known for, making it a great place to raise a family.  The 12 churches within the community will welcome participation in worship services, as well as the many programs they offer, including day-care and preschool programs.

THE FARMERS & MERCHANTS STATE BANK  opened in Archbold in December, 1897. Branches are now found across northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana.

TROLLY CAR – Beginning in the early 1900’s and lasting for several decades, an electric-powered interurban rail car ran through Archbold on the current Holland Street. Archbold was a stop on the Toledo to Bryan line with the station housed in the current Archbold Municipal Building. 

SAUDER VILLAGE - In 1976, Erie j. Sauder passionately built a living history village to serve as a constant reminder of the pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit of Ohio’s ancestors…so that we “never forget”.  He was committed to creating an experience to honor the history and values that shaped our country.  More importantly, Erie wanted to inspire his guests, especially students, to leave their own mark on the world. Sauder Village, Ohio's largest living history destination moves guests from the modern, fast-paced life into a world that celebrates unforgettable sights, sounds, and memories from the past, in a walk-through time from 1803-1920s. The 235-acre Sauder Village complex includes:

• Living History farm and craft village preserving more than 75 historic structures and nearly 50,000 artifacts
• 98-room Sauder Heritage Inn
• 87-site Sauder Village Campground
• 350-seat Barn Restaurant
• Doughbox Bakery
• Banquet seating for 750 in Founders Hall

ARTS - The arts are a vital part of the Archbold community. Two organizations that spearhead local art activity are ACT and BSAC - Archbold Community Theatre (ACT) began informally in the late 1970's as an offshoot of the Archbold Friends of the Arts and it was officially incorporated in 1980. In 1999, the group purchased Giffey Hall in Ridgeville Corners which became its permanent home.  Thousands of people have been involved in the casts and crews of over 100 productions presented by Archbold Community Theatre. In addition to putting on their own productions, ACT is also a resource for props and costumes for local school and churches.  Black Swamp Arts Council (BSAC) was founded in 2000 with the mission of enriching lives by promoting the visual, performing and literary arts in our area and making them accessible to everyone.  For more information about these organizations, check them out on Facebook or their websites: archboldcommunitytheatre.com and www.blackswamparts.com

CASH REGISTER - The cash register and receipt pad shown represent the many retail merchants and service businesses who have called Archbold home in our more than 150-year history. Lauber Clothing is one of the oldest continuous retail stores in Archbold, and many of us remember stores such as The Hen House, Stotzer Hardware, Vernier Tru Value Hardware, Rupp Furniture, Huner TV, Jim & Dale’s IGA, Bernath Super Valu, and who could forget Kleck’s Bakery?

THE SCOTT THEATER once located on the east side of the 200 block of North Defiance Street, was a favorite local movie theater. Trouble in the heating system was determined to be the cause of the fire that would destroy the building on Feb. 23, 1972.  Cold weather hampered the efforts of firefighters battling the blaze.  Fire hoses froze, and the alley behind the buildings on the east side of the street had a coating of ice. The loss was around $100,000, and 50 firemen and 11 pieces of equipment battled the blaze.

GEORGE DITTO was the first person to call Archbold home, purchasing 320 acres of land and building a cabin in 1836, before moving his family here in 1840.

THE GREAT BLACK SWAMP covered approximately 1500 square miles in Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana. Created by the retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier it left behind areas of swamp covered by dense forests.  The area was largely avoided until settlers arrived in the 1830’s.

STOTZER HARNESS SHOP was opened in 1858 by Frederick Stotzer, later becoming Stotzer Hardware store. Frederick was also the first mayor of Archbold.

THE ARCHBOLD MUNICIPAL BUILDING was completed in 1912, and a famous early photograph of the building shows many logs being pulled by horse into Archbold for processing at the Gotshall Lumber Yard.

ARCHBOLD LADDER COMPANY  - The Archbold Ladder Company was founded in 1900 by the Edward Gigax family, who built ladders in the winter months, then sold them throughout the countryside in the spring.  The company was sold in 1915 to Clarence and William Wyse. The company continued to grow and produced a wide variety of products, including furniture. The company constructed a building at the corner of East Mechanic Street and Lincoln Street in 1922 and it was torn down in the mid-2000’s. The company was incorporated in 1962 and in 1973 was sold to a corporation comprised of William G. Rupp, Archbold, John Hatfield, Perrysburg, and William Sauder at which time it was renamed Archbold Industries.  In 1978, Archbold Furniture was established, recognizing the success of the furniture business.  In 1998, the investors sold Archbold Furniture to Pat McNamara and Pete Gstalder. Both had joined the company in 1995. McNamara and Gstalder moved the company to West Unity, Ohio that year.  After years of continued success, in 2008 Archbold Furniture Company returned to its hometown.  It remains here today in the former Young Spring & Wire company building on West Barre Road.

TREE CITY USA is a program through the Arbor Day Foundation to help communities support and manage public trees.  There are annual requirements to achieve this status and Archbold has been deemed a Tree City USA community since 1984.



THE LAUBER HILL HOMESTEAD is the location of the first settlers to German Township, who spent their first night here on August 22, 1834.  In 2016 the homestead was added to the Quilt Barn Trail. 

THE FREEDOM TRAIN arrived in Archbold for two days on June 13th and 14th in 1975. At that time, Bill Lovejoy was mayor and Max Smith Sr. was Chairman of the Freedom Train Committee and they were influential in getting the train to stop in Archbold.  Archbold was the smallest town on the Freedom Train tour but had one of the largest attendances.