We’re invited on a tour of the Historic “Rand House” and NMLRA Museum by NMLRA Volunteer, Bob Schlegel. Bob has volunteered his time over the past several years to continue efforts to restore the historic Rand House as well as organize displays and tours for visitors during the NMLRA National Events.
The “Rand House” as we call it now began as a piece of land inherited by Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson Rand in 1874. Elizabeth and her husband John Rand hired a man by the name of Mr. Falls to build an Italianate style brick house on the land in 1875, building took 3 years and was completed in 1878. All of the materials for the house were acquired locally.
Elizabeth and John Rand had 3 children during their time at the Rand house. Two daughters, Laurea and Florence, and son Jay. During their time at the Rand house, the Rand family raised cows, chickens, turkeys, and racehorses. They even had a race track on what is now the primitive camping area of the NMLRA grounds. Mrs. Rand used a Delaval cream separator to separate their milk into cream and churned it into butter which was sold in Cincinnati, some 40 miles away. In 1883, John Rand sold the farm and moved to a nearby home. In 1896, John and his son Jay purchased the Friendship Flour Mill, set on the Laughery Creek that runs on the northern side of the original Rand property.
By the early 1900s, the farm had been bought and sold several times over, until 1966 when the NMLRA purchased the house, the 204-acre farm, a barn, and 2 ponds. The NMLRA office moved from Shelbyville, Indiana to the Rand house, and the second floor was converted into an apartment for Ron and Maxine Moss, and later Bill Kissel until 1989. Maxine Moss was the first editor of Muzzle Blasts Magazine, her husband Ron as well as Bill Kissel were groundskeepers during their time in the Rand House.
In 1976 the NMLRA office moved into a newly constructed office building just 100 yards from the Rand house. 1986 brought about several changes to the NMLRA, one of them being a renovation of the first floor of the Rand House by a team of volunteers. At the time, the original mantel was missing from the home. A suitable replacement was found by staff member Denise Goodpastor and Muzzle Blasts editor Sharon Cunningham during their time at the NRA convention in St. Louis that same year. President Owen Collins assisted in bringing the replacement mantel to the Rand House for it to be installed during the Spring National Shoot of 1986.
Around this time, the rear two rooms of the house were converted into a museum by Donna Gatlin, while the front rooms of the first floor were reconverted into an office for Muzzle Blasts magazine.
Written by Tom Schiffer, this hardcover book covers the history of the NMLRA from 1933 to 2017. This is a perfect addition to your personal library and it makes a great gift for any NMLRA member in your family.
In 1993, Bill Brockway placed the building on the National Register for Historic Buildings, where it remains today as a museum for the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association as it heads towards its 90th year.
Other Volunteer efforts to preserve the Rand house include
2003: Mingo, Dick, and Richard Truex as well as Jim Meyer rebuilt the front port. Dick Truex salvaged some of the wood and built a youth rifle and other items to be raffled for the association.
2003: Buddy Townsend started the Rand House Memorial Brick program and Rick Blizzard’s Family built a handicap accessible ramp and sidewalk with the bricks.
1976: The Daniel Boone Print seen on the second floor was donated by “Falls of Ohio Muzzleloaders”