December 14, 2017 – Sauder Village began a new chapter in its history this week as contractors and management team members gathered to break ground on the 1920s Main Street Project - the next phase of the Walk Through Time Experience at Sauder Village. This new project will allow the replication of a portion of a 1920s Main Street typical to Northwest Ohio. Structures already located at Sauder Village will be incorporated into this new area and other key buildings representative of businesses typical to the 1920s will be constructed.

Local contractors Armstrong Excavating and Wyse Electric will be on-site yet this month to begin the first steps to install the infrastructure for this expansion project. The Main Street road will be constructed with the necessary water, gas, sewer and electric lines in place for the expansion project. The plan also involves the relocation and building of new structures with the project including a Depot, Bandstand, Barbershop and Livery.

“My grandpa built Sauder Village to honor the past and inspire the future,” shared Debbie Sauder David, President and CEO. “As part of our Master Plan we continue to look for new ways to immerse guests in authentic experiences that make history relevant to our lives today. Thanks to the availability of the State Capital Appropriation funds and other designated gifts for this project we are excited to take the next step in our Walk Through Time plan by beginning to create a 1920s Main Street Community.”
The Walk Through Time at Sauder Village has been developed over the past 15 years with the help of staff, volunteers, contractors, donors and capital funding. Guests can experience more than 120 years of Great Black Swamp history while traveling from Natives and Newcomers to Pioneer Settlement, The Grime Homestead, and soon the 1920s Main Street Community.

 “From doing research, gathering artifacts and fundraising to collecting parts of facades from historic buildings being torn down in local towns . . . a lot of behind the scenes work has already taken place,” Debbie David added. “We’re excited to have local contractors beginning their work on this project so that we can move forward with our plans to share even more unique demonstrations and hands-on experiences with our guests next season at our 1920s Main Street.”

As construction begins, project updates will be posted online with photos of the progress, stories and interesting facts about the 1920s. Project updates can be found online at https://saudervillage.org/explore/walk-through-time/1920s-main-street