Located in Albion, Michigan, the Gardner House Museum is administrated by the Albion Historical Society, a non-profit organization. The house was built in 1875, by Augustus P. Gardner, an Albion hardware merchant. He granted the property to his adopted daughter, Belle Gardner Gale, and after his death, she sold the house to Henry Wochholz, in 1909. The City of Albion purchased the house in 1963, and then sold it to the Albion Historical Society in May, 1966. The museum was opened to the public in 1968. In the next year, an award of Merit was given to the society by the American Association for State and Local History. In 1971, Gardner House Museum was included in the National Register of Historic Places. It was renovated in 1988, when roof cresting, track lighting, and fire and security systems were installed. Gardner House Museum preserves and showcases the heritage of Albion and surrounding localities. The rooms of the house were maintained to represent the 1875-1900 period. Each room contains numerous artifacts and original furniture. Local history records are exhibited in the Henry D. Brown Memorial Room (second floor). An ancient tool room, a symbolic 1900-era kitchen, and a grocery store are displayed in the basement of the museum.