The Clarion County Historical Society was established in 1955 and chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1956 as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational institution.

In the early years the Society collections were located on the third floor of the Clarion County Court House. As space at the Court House became filled, the Society began searching for a new home, and in 1976, twenty years after the founding of the Society, the John A. Ditz property on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Grant Street was purchased.

The stately Sutton-Ditz House became the home of artifacts and collections illustrative of the history of Clarion County; its people, places, and industries.

The Society library, archives and offices were also located at the Sutton-Ditz, but again, due to continued donations to the collections and an increase in library services, space became limited.

In 1999 a search began for yet another property . The Society desperately needed more space to maintain its administrative offices, library, archives and museum store. That space was found at 17 South Fifth Avenue, directly across the street from the Sutton-Ditz House Museum!

The new building is known as the Milo Markle Annex and is the home of the Ralph J. and Virginia A. Fulton Library & Archives, the Thomas Sutton Store, and the Society's administrative offices.

With newfound space at the Sutton-Ditz House Museum, many artifacts have been brought out of storage and are now being exhibited . A "Changing Exhibits" room is being prepared for new acquisitions and our Military Room has a new permanent showcase featuring "Women in Service