The roundhouse was built by Jerry Joe Jacobson, former CEO of the
Ohio Central Railroad System (OHCR). In October 2008, Jacobson sold his interest in OCRS to
Genesee & Wyoming, including the track, modern equipment, and most of the workshops and depots. Jacobson kept a collection of vintage steam and diesel locomotives, other old equipment, and a depot at
Sugarcreek, Ohio. He bought 34 acres in Sugarcreek and began constructing a roundhouse to house his collection. The roundhouse building was completed in 2011 and all of the steam locomotives, along with a few other select pieces of rolling stock in Jacobson's collection, were moved inside the roundhouse that same year. It was the "first large roundhouse built in the United States since 1951," with the previous building being
Nickel Plate Road's roundhouse in its Calumet Yard. The project was paid for by Jacobson and his wife, Laura. They set up an endowment to support the museum. The Goodman company says the roundhouse is one of the largest heavy timber structures in America. ==Steam locomotives==