Urbana University and The Johnny Appleseed Museum

There is a long-standing relationship between Urbana University and The Johnny Appleseed Museum.

Now, a portion of the Johnny Appleseed Museum is set aside to recognize and remember Urbana University, its faculty, staff, and alumni; many of whom were instrumental in the development of the museum through by volunteering their time and expertise.

Restoring the Relationship

For many years, the Johnny Appleseed Educational Center and Museum was located on the former Urbana University campus, in Bailey Hall.  In 2018, Johnny Appleseed Educational Center and Museum was relocated to the campus gateway at Browne Hall.

Here is a bit of the history of the relationship...  

Around 1990, then head librarian, Hugh Durbin, along with Urbana University faculty member Joe Besecker, came up with the idea of creating a museum to display the collection of Johnny Appleseed memorabilia they had received from the Swedenborgian church in Cincinnati. At that time, the collection was stored in the Urbana University library archives. Durbin and Besecker recognized the value of Johnny’s legacy and the need to share it with the public.

A successful fund-raising drive to restore Barclay-Bailey Halls resulted in the museum being in Bailey Hall, where many school children, and people of all ages, learned about the life of John Chapman, his personal character, missionary work, and his contribution to the history of pioneer life. 

Chapman provided apple seedlings for families settling in the region, with a need for sustainable crops and orchards. Planting an orchard also showed that the pioneers had made improvements to their homestead, which were required to keep ownership of the land.

Shortly thereafter, in 1997, the Johnny Appleseed Foundation, previously founded at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio, was re-incorporated at Urbana University.

The mission of the Johnny Appleseed Foundation is to raise funds to support the museum, and to raise public awareness about the life and legacy of John Chapman- Johnny Appleseed. In some ways, the relationship has come full-circle.