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The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 111, Fall 2024
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE KENT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
FALL 2024
VOLUME 111
Depot Celebration Will Honor Railroad History
Sandy Halem President Emeritus
On Sunday June 1st, 2025, Kent Historical Society will lead the community in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Depot. From
3:00 -5:00 the people of Kent are invited to a birthday party in the Depot, now home to the restaurant Over Easy. The program will include games, food, music, and an educationa l program recognizing the importance of the railroad and Marvin Kent in our town's development.
Local educator and railroad historian Bruce Dzeda is
working to complete an updated history of rail
transportation systems in Kent. Dzeda's previously
published book, Railroad Town, has been a bestseller
at KHS ror years. Keep an eye out for news about his
new book as we get closer to Depot 150.
Also on deck for pubI ication is our very speciaI
coloring book -a collaborative efforl between KHS
and Stanton Middle School art teacher Mr. Knepper.
The coloring pages are based on work by Knepper's
s tudenls and the book wi II also include rail roadthemed
games to help bring both fun and local history to kids in elementary school.
Depot 150
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The celebration will also kick off a fundraising
campaign to aid in our continued preservation of the Depot and the historic Clapp-Woodward house, home of KHS' Museum and archival space.
Finally, a new railroad-themed exhibit will open at our Museum in June. The exhibit will feature custom replicas of clothing from that era and highlight Kent's early historian Charlotte Weaver. We are working with a talented costume designer lo recreate what a woman like Weaver would have worn and carried when
traveling by train.
If you would like to be involved in some of these events please contact KHS and we will help you get started.
Haymaker Family Artifact Finds New Home at KHS
Echo Malleo Collections Manager
The repetition of the name throughout the area provides
[n June, KHS acquired a special piece related to d family whose name is likely familiar to Kent residents. some indication of the importance of the fami ly to our
Visitors to our Museum may recall our display on the city's history.
Haymaker family, but if not, it is still likely that at
Story continued on page 2
some point you have driven along Haymaker Parkway or attended the Haymaker Farmer's Market. Story continued from page 1
The desk complements a number of other Haymaker Family artifacts in our front exhibition rooms. Plan a visit soon to take a closer look!
The Haymakers were among the first settlers in the Kent area and built the first grist mill in 1807, leading to the town's early name of Franklin Mills. Other notable firsts belonging to the Haymaker family include the first nonIndigenous child born in the area in 1807 and the first recorded death in 1810. Members of the Haymaker family have been active in the town since, participating in many clubs and even acting as part of city council
over the years.
Earlier this summer, KHS was contacled by a
descendent of Sarah Haymaker Elgin (another notable family name) about donating a piece of furniture previously owned by Sarah. The item in question was a piano Lhat Sarah had had converted into a desk. KHS doesn'L often accept donations of furniture due to limited ability to care for and slore such special pieces. But this desk, related to two such important families to Kent history, was a welcome addition to our collections.
St. Patrick's School Building Now One Century Old
Tim DeFrange Contributing Writer
Thirty-eight years ago, in 1986, Saint Patrick's School on Portage Street turned 100 years old. To mark that anniversary, Record Courier staff writer Elaine Schwinn wrote a sixteen-page special supplemental article about the history of the school. 2024 now marks another anniversary for Saint Patrick's school: 100 years since the 1924 construction of the "old" eightclassroom building.
Plans began in 1920, after the Humility of Mary Sisters had spent 30-plus years educating the parish school children in an 1886 wooden four-classroom clapboard building. Not only was lhe building painfully overcrowded, but its wooden floor was full of holes and a coal furnace burned below. The sisters wou ld often send the boys down below the floor lo sloke the coal rurnace. Mary Armstrong Bissler remembered how some of Lhe boys would come up wilh their eyebrows singed.
Eleanor McCombs recalled the fundra ising effort of selling bricks to make the new school building a reality. Children in the parish were sent out to sell lhem for the wa lls of the school. For just a dime. a donor could own a portion of a brick and a whole brick cost 90,000.
1952 photograph showing the schoolhouse building to the right of the old Church on Portage Street. The building's construction cost of 1. 7 Million today.
By 1928 nearly two-thirds of the cost had been paid. Unlike the old school, bathrooms were inside the building. 350 students were housed in the eight brandnew classrooms in the fall of 1924. Three decades later by 1964, twelve more classrooms had been added to the origi naI eight. The origi na I eight-classroom portion sti 11 serves, providing the school office, classrooms, computer instruction, and the library for Saint Patrick's school children in 2024.
2
Picturing the Past: The Shively House
The Northwest corner of Main and Depeyster Streets has long been home to the Kent Stage, a building with its own fascinating history. But what came before it? Until 1927, on that very same plot of land stood the palatial residence of Dr. Joe Shively. Originally built for Zenas Kent himself, this house was the very first of the "mansions" of Kent. This 1874 artist's rendering shows the home in all its splendor.
Keeping Pioneer Cemetery Beautiful
As part of our stewardship of local historical sites. KHS hosts regular cleanup days of the Stow Street Pioneer Cemetery. We were very excited to have special volunteers at our most recent one on Saturday, November 2nd.
Aicien Ziots. local prospective Eagle Scout, has been working with us since .July to organize cleanup efforts, conduct a tree inventory or the site with Davey Tree, and arrange for a new commemorative plaque at the cemetery's entrance (you'll be able to see it this coming spring!). John Burnell, stone masonry expert, has done an amazing job at headstone restoralion and taking utmost care to preserve details of th~se artifacts.
Big thanks to both of them and everyone else who came to help out!
Top: Before and after headstone restoration work by Burnell Bottom left: Burnell loading stones to the Cemetery Bottom right: Led by Ziots, young volunteers carry raked leaves
The Mission of the Kent · · Histor«:al Soci~:t)' is to plthe primary Kent history resource
and reference center, leading the co.mmunity in .the.col/ectign,
· ' preservation, and~/nterpretation of Kents heritage. The Soriety offers educational programs to
schools, bw.sinesses, civio . .. organizations, ·and individ'iiais. .
• ~ ➔
" .,
Board of 11 JadcAm rhefn:, Scott Flynn, Vice Presid Carol Strnble, Vice President Matt Metcalf, Treasurer, drey Cie[inski Kessler, Secretary
Jean Booth . -, Howarcj.Boyfe
Rebecca Dunlap i--,,...--...,..._~ --t-:,"t-t-Hg-cftl-1:-f.er -~:£:::"2-::'::?--.c, Tom Hatch Maggie Mc&endry
., Jim Myers Esther Thatcher
Director
Julie Kenworthy
· · Staff Bengt George, Communication~
Echo Malleo,.. Collections·
Contact us:
Kent H1st6r1(ar Societt 237 East Main Street Kent, OH ·44240
(330)678~i112 KHS ~KentOhieHistory:q~g
KentOhioHistory.org ~, Eacebook.com/KentHistoriaaJ Society
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,;~,.,.
Museum Hours:
Fridays and Satur~ys lOAM~2PM or by appointment . Last Chance to See Liquid Crystals Exhibit
Save the Date: Winter Open House
On Saturday, December 7th. we will have our regular public hours wilh a feslive twist! From I0AM-IPM we wi ll have free refreshmenls and ramily-friendly crafts!
As we near our seasonal close starting December 15th, we would like to encourage members to come see our most recent temporary exhibt. Modern Vision: Liquid Crystal Technology in Kent.
A collaboration belween KHS. Kenl Stale Universily, and local tech company Kent Displays, this exhibit has stood out for a couple or reasons. First, with artifacts and pholos dating from the 1960s through to present day. it is our most modern exhibit ever. Second, il is our most interactive exhibit lo date. Visitors are invited to take a mood ring (which technically makes use of Liquid Crystal technology) and try a variety or Kent Displays' innovative Boogie Board products.
Liquid Crystal Displays, mosl notably used today in phone and TV screens, have an importanl history in Kent. Kent State has been a major international player in
the development in this technology since 1965 when Professor Glenn H. Brown founded the Liquid Crystal Institute. His colleague. .I. William Doane, would go on to author many patents and secure government funding for important work in the field. He would also found Kent Displays in 1993. The company thrives today creating affordable resuable writi ng surfaces for schools, hospitals, and lhe general public. Plan a visil soon before we inslall a new exhibil for spring!
Holiday Book Sale!
Have you read our bestseller Bars, Bands, and Rock 'n Roll by Chas Madonia? Interested in Bruce Dzeda's Railroad Town: Kent and the Erie Railroad?
Stop by the Museum or visit KentOhioHistory.org/shop to pick up a gift for the local history lover in your lire
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 108, Spring 2023
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter ofthe Kent Historical Society Spring, 2023
Number 108
Madonio music scene memoir rocks off charts
Inside story delights to tune of 1,000 copies sold
By Chas Madonio
Author, "Bars, Bands, and Rock-nRoll:
The Golden Era in Kent, Ohio"
I had always aspired to be a writer
from the time I was in high school, but
life took me in a different direction. I
freelanced a number of articles over the years, including a few to the Record-Courier about my years in music. My friend, Roger Di Paolo, always published them and after a few, he encouraged me to write a book about those years when Kent was the #1 spot
in the area for
rock 'n roll.
I resisted and never took it seriously. One day over breakfast with Roger Thurman, who was compiling information for such a book, he
encouraged me First-time author, Chas to "just start Madonio, sets 1000+ copies
sold record at KHS Press.
writing" all my memories and see where it took me. So I did. I contacted Di Paolo and told him I
Bars, Bands,and Rock'nRoll
Front cover: Chas Madonio's popular new book delivers memories of Kent's 60s, 70s music scene. [Published by KHS Press.]
would write the book if he would agree
to be my editor. But he related to me
that he was unable due to his illness.
I realized that my generation was dying at an alarming rate and ifsomeone didn't start documenting this period in Kent's history, all the wonderful stories would be lost forever. It was such a magical time in all our lives, I wanted to recreate the atmosphere for those who experienced it to relive it and for those too young to know
Writer, press chronicle local history
By Thomas Hatch
Wearer of Many KHS Hats
KHS Press is the publishing arm of Kent Historical Society. We publish books that chronicle the history and culture of those who have lived, worked, or grown up in Kent. "Bars, Bands, and Rock 'n Roll" by Chas Madonia is a great example of a story that comes out of the lived experience of some remarkable people -and Chas has told it well.
Publishing a book requires the skills of many. For this book, Jona Burton offered his graphic design expertise for the book design and typography, I served as editor, and Nancy Madonia skillfully copyedited the manuscript. Jim Gundlach designed the cover.
Editor's note: Previous KHS Press publications include "Rooted in Kent, " "Railroad Town" and "1hen & Now. "
what it was like, to find out. So, I started
writing.
It was in the fall of 2018, a few months before the word Covid debuted in our vocabularies. My plan was to contact as many of my old contemporaries as I could find and let them tell their stories. I wanted to collect all the stories about not only the musicians but also those who hung around with us, the clubs where we played, the club owners, the places we hung out and all the many characters who made everything even more interesting.
Without Facebook, I would never have found so many of them. They all had stories and nearly everyone thanked me for
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Back cover: Finding their cool: Madonio with "Monopoly" band-mates, (L to R) Dave Andress, Rod Reisman, Rich Underwood
and Chas Madonia.
undertaking the project. They all wanted to be remembered.
Sadly, many had faded memories. And even sad
der, manyhad died.
Three years later, the book was complete, with as many pictures as I could find. Unfortunately, there were few pictures from the early years. My hope is that anyone reading the book can be transported back to the magical days of the 60s and 70s to share our experiences.
Editor's note: copies ofChas' book may be purchased online (kentohiohistory. org).
Volunteer Opportunity STOW STREET PIONEER CEMETERY
SPRING CLEAN UP
Date: Sunday, May 7 Time: 2-4 a.m. Located in Kent, OH, on Stow St. (near Kramer Fields) Artifact Special Edition
By Bengt George,
Spotlight
KHS Collections
advantage oftechnological innovations,
Following the disastrous fire of and boasted a daily yield of 1,200 barrels
December 2, 2022, in the historic by 1922. This rapid improvement in
flour mill on North Water Street, we've production put pressure on a competing
decided to highlight some ofthe items mill on the west side ofthe river, which
in our collection related to the history ended when the famous 1913 flood deciofflour
manufacturing at the complex mated both mill and business.
originally known as Peerless Roller The items pictured here are smallMills.
sample bags, bearing the Williams Bros.
Charles A. and Scott T. Williams first moniker, used to market the mill's
funded the construction ofthe mill in 1880, with an initial investment of products to prospective buyers. Each one
1.2 million today. Production began to recipients. (In 2023, KHS does not
recommend attaching stamps to bags
the following year with a daily yield of ofpowder and dropping them in USPS
125 barrels offlour. The brown building destroyed in the collection boxes.)
A number ofartifacts from the mill
recent fire housed the original grain elewill be on display in the Museum-stop
vator for the company (the iconic white by and browse.
towers would be built later in 1936). The Williams Brothers periodically Remember, our new public hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
renovated the mill, always taking
New exhibit-in-progress explores history being made
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A HISTORY OF LIQUID CRYSTALTECHNOLOGYIN KENT, OHIO
Season Year
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 89, Winter 2016
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society Winter 2016
Number89
Historic Kent Town Tour successful fundraiser
Eight sites showcased to celebrate Marvin Kent's birthday
The Kent Historical Society's celebration
of Marvin Kent's 200th birthday began
with an open house for the sponsors on
Friday, Sept. 16, at the KHS Museum.
On Sept. 17 and 18, hundreds of participants
enjoyed touring the eight sites that
highlighted the contributions of the Kent
family in the town's transformation from
Franklin Mills to the city of Kent.
Tour participants received a 36-page
booklet that included descriptions of the
tour sites and Kent family history.
The celebration concluded with a
birthday party on Marvin's actual birthday,
Sept. 21, at Hometown Bank Plaza. The
See Tour, page 4
Kent Wells Sherman House volunteers Tracy
Wallach, Bruce Gill, Allan Orashan and Gayle
Bentley stand in the house, which was moved in
September 2013 to its current location.
Eleanor Zavodny, ow-ner of Kent's
Wolcott Lilac Gardens, passes a-way
Donations being accepted to continue garden preservation
photo courtesy of Lilac
Gardens Facebook page
Eleanor Zavodny purchased the
Lilac Gardens, which now feature
over 170 types of lilacs.
Eleanor
Zavodny,
owner of the
Wolcott Lilac
Gardens
and adjoining
house
on West
Main Street
in Kent,
passed away
on Oct.
16, 2016.
Her house
was built in
1863 by Simon
Perkins
Wolcott.
Wol-cott
and his wife, Mary Brewster, raised
their three children there and their son,
Duncan, eventually took ownership. He
married Evelyn Daisy Lodge in 1906 and
they began to build what would be one
of the finest home gardens in the area. In
1920, Daisy received 100 varieties of lilacs
from her uncle, Col. William R. Plum,
who owned the largest collection of French
lilacs in the world.
After the death of Duncan in 1934,
Daisy opened the gardens to the public
and hundreds of visitors would come every
year on Mother's Day to enjoy them. A
few years after Daisy's passing in 1955,
the property was sold and the home and
gardens fell into disarray.
In the fall of 1965, Stephen and Eleanor
Zavodny purchased the property and
set out to restore the estate. At that time,
only 70 of the original lilacs had survived.
The original garden areas were cleared and
azaleas, rhododendrons and a rose garden
with a central fountain were added.
After the passing of Stephen in 2007,
Eleanor and her son Robert continued the
restoration of the house and the gardens.
At present, there are over 170 types of lilacs
occupying the property. One of a new
variety of lilacs was chosen by them, and
See Eleanor, page 5
Descendant celebrates
Marvin Kent
A journal entry of my September trip
to Kent
by Mary Jo Johnston
Two hundred years after his birth,
Marvin Kent would be proud of his
namesake city.
With thanks to the kindness of Sandy
Halem and the Kent Historical Society,
my husband Kelly and I are invited
to travel to Kent from our home in
Missouri in order to celebrate Marvin's
200th birthday. My siblings and I have
long known Marvin was our great-greatgreat-
grandfather though occasionally
we must pause to count the number of
greats. Marvin's granddaughter Grace
Emily Kent was our great-grandmother.
We eagerly accept Sandy's invitation and
arrive for a celebration of both the man
and the city.
See Birthday, page 2
Kelly Johnston, KHS president emeritus
Sandy Halem and Mary Jo Johnston, greatgreat-
great-granddaughter of Marvin Kent,
were eager to greet guests at the Sponsors
Night of the Historic Kent Town Tour.
Birthday, from page 1
Upon arriving in Kent, we head directly
to Standing Rock Cemetery to visit my
mother, her mother and the others in the
Kent family plot back through time to
Grace Emily to Henry Lewis to Marvin
and Maria. My Kent family ancestors were
long-time Ohioans, including my mother,
who lived in Cleveland until her undergraduate
years at Carleton College. With
a geography degree in hand, she moved to
The headstones for Mary Jo Johnston's ancestors,
including Marvin Kent, can be found in
Standing Rock Cemetery in Kent.
Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S.
Army Map Service, met and married my
father, and started a family. My siblings (a
mechanical engineer, a teacher, an accountant)
and I (a librarian) are now scattered
around the western half of the country, but
we know well our Ohio roots.
My mother and her mother are also remembered
with a 1949 photo in the Kent
State University Library exhibit, "From
Johnston's grandmother, Josephine, and mother,
Judy, at the Marvin Kent train car dedication
in 1949.
Franklin Mills to Kent: Prominent Families
in Kent's History." This exhibit, presented
by Cara Gilgenbach and the KSU Special
Collections and Archives, showcases several
of KSU's fabulous holdings, including the
papers of Zenas and Marvin Kent. We applaud
the efforts of KSU in taking on the
long-term responsibility of caring for these
significant and historic collections.
2
Though today's Marvin Kent train car is
different than the one dedicated in 1949,
we applaud its community use by the Kent
Jaycees and appreciate our tour from John
Benedik.
Mary Jo Johnston stands with John Benedik,
who played Caleb the canal boy while he led
tours of the modern Marvin Kent train car.
Kentites remember well their past and
the Kent Historical Society is leading the
charge in preserving and sharing local
history. The society's meticulously restored
Clapp-Woodward House is a landmark for
outreach and education programs and for
hosting public receptions like the one we
Kelly Johnston admires the working train table
as KHS volunteer Henry Halem points out the
model buildings of Kent landmarks.
attend during our visit. We enjoy meeting
so many Kent residents who support the
historical society and have made it into
what it is today. The train room is the
ideal tool for presenting third graders (and
visitors like us) an overview of the city and
its history. Thanks to Henry Halem for the
tour. We also enjoy the comparison photos
of the "Then & Now" exhibit that were
taken from similar vantage points of familiar
locations. Kudos to KHS for keeping
Kent history alive!
Visiting the Marvin Kent homestead
allows us to take a step back in time to the
late 19th Century and imagine life in Marvin's
circle of family, friends, businessmen,
Kelly and Mary Jo Johnston take a break from
their tour of The Marvin Kent Homestead, which
was led by Barb and Fred Moore.
politicians. What must it have been like
to host a U.S. president? Or four? Upon
inheriting the home from their uncle William
Kent in 1923, my great-grandmother
Grace Emily Kent and her sister sold the
home to the Rockton Lodge and it has
been in their good care since. During our
visit, we explore this magnificent building
with Fred and Barb Moore and unexpectedly
meet my fifth cousin once removed, a
descendant of Mariah Kent.
Touring the Erie Car Shops and the
Kent Free Library, we find evidence of two
examples of Marvin's marvelous gifts to the
city more than 100 years ago.
Mary Jo Johnston and other participants look at
the Erie Car Shops during a tour led by Tom Myers,
president of Davey Drill.
We're pleased to be part of the Kent family
that is known for their generosity. And
we are delighted to return to Kent more
than 100 years since Marvin's death and
see first-hand the continued prosperity of
his namesake city due to the generosity and
hard work of many 20th-Century Kentites.
Marvin, too, would be proud.
Thanks for including us in the celebration.
Winter 2016
.
.KENT
, HISTORICAL
. SOCIETY
> >
Winter 2016
Saturday, Dec. 3
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Kent Historical Society Museum
237 E. Main St.
Kent, Ohio 44240
(330) 678-2712
~ Victorian Style Decorations
~ Activities for Kids (Holiday Crafts &
Decorating/Eating Gingerbread Cookies)
~ Carolers from KSU Men's Chorus
It's FREE!
Check out our photo exhibit, "Then & Now,"
and purchase the photo book! Editor Henry Halem
will be on-site signing.
"Kent, Ohio:
Then & Now"
A photo book of KHS'
current exhibit
17
(cash, check, or credit card)
Featuring 86 photographs of historic
sites and buildings in Kent
which are re-photographed as they appear now
For sale during KHS'
Victorian Holiday Celebration
Get your copy signed by editor Henry Halem!
11
3
Kent Tribune: Read all about it!
The Kent Tribune newspapers' 611 issues
and 6,655 pages are now available through
the KHS website. KHS is the only known
resource for Volumes III through XIV,
which cover the period from November
1917 through September 1929.
The complete set of weekly newspapers,
collected by its editor John Paxton, was
passed on to his daughter and the bound
volumes were given to KHS by his granddaughter,
Pat Hall, in 2006. The newspapers
were very fragile and deteriorating
and, after several years of use, were no
longer available to the public for viewing.
Thank You
The Kent Historical Society would like
to thank those families and organizations
who have continued to preserve their
historic residences and buildings and
graciously offered to share them with all of
us for the 2016 Historic Kent Town Tour,
including Rockton Lodge 316 F & A.M.,
Coterie, Heather and Wade Caldwell, Kent
Wells Sherman House, Kent Jaycees and
Davey Drill.
4
Lead Sponsor (5,000)
Woodward Foundation
Gold Sponsors (1,000)
Bissler & Sons Funeral Home
Brimfield Insurance Group
The Burbick Foundation
Furukawa Rock Drill, USA
Hometown Bank
Renaissance 2000, Inc.
Silver Sponsors (500)
Kent Jaycees
PARTA
R.W Martin & Sons, Inc.
Wright Heating & Cooling
Thanks to the generosity of donors to
the project of preserving them, KHS had
the volumes professionally microfilmed,
digitized and uploaded to the Ohio
Memory database. The database, located at
www.ohiomemory.org, is the collaborative
statewide digital library project of the Ohio
History Connection (formerly the Ohio
Historical Society) and the State Library of
Ohio.
At the age of 19, John Paxton came to
Kent to become a reporter on the Courier.
William Kent, Marvin's son, was the
See Tribune, page 5
Bronze Sponsors (250)
Jack and Claudia Amrhein
Bill and Donna Anderson
Jim and Sallie Bear
Doris Brown
Colonial Machine
DS Architecture
Carol Lockhart
Linda Bradstock MacDougall
Portage Community Bank
Schlabig & Associates, LTD
Contributing Sponsors ( 100)
Don and Karen Barrett
Don and Jean Booth
Linda and Howard Boyle
Jona Burton and Kasha Legeza-Burton
City Bank Antiques
College Town Kent
Detect Alarm
Janet and David Dix
Jim and Becky Dunlap
Bruce and Christina Dzeda
Kitty and Fred Endres
John and Connie Flynn
Scott and Anna Flynn
Polly Germer
Sandra and Henry Halem
Tour, from page 1
Davey Elementary School fifth grade choir
led guests in singing "Happy Birthday." A
proclamation by Mayor Jerry Fiala declared
that day as Marvin Kent Day.
The program concluded with birthday
cupcakes for all in attendance. On display
was a birthday banner created by Davey
students.
Special guests for sponsors night and
the tour were Mary Jo Johnston, Marvin
Kent's great-great-great-granddaughter, and
her husband Kelly from Aurora, Mo. It was
an honor to have a descendant of Marvin
here to help us celebrate his birthday and
for us to learn more interesting facts and
stories about the Kent family. Enjoy reading
the article in this newsletter that Mary
Jo wrote about their recent visit.
The funds raised from the tour will be
used for the preservation of the historic
Erie Depot, the preservation and operations
of the KHS museum, and for ongoing
educational programs.
More party & tour pictures on page 6
Dona May Hall
Patricia H. Harper
Lynn A. Harvey
Betty L. Hejma-Sweet
Jean and John Jacobs
Dave and Sherry Joy
Kent Kiwanis Club
Kent Lions Club
Kent State University
Audrey Cielinski Kessler
The Kretovics-Saito Family
John and Kathy Lilley
Melissa M. Long
Jim and Sally Myers
George and Jane Preston Rose
Rotary Club of Kent
Mark and Linda Seeman
Siefer Electric, Inc.
Smithers-Oasis Company
Carol and Jim Stroble
Sue Nelson Designs, Ltd Inc.
WW Reed&Son
Harold and Janet Walker
Bill Wilen
Williams, Kratcoski & Can
Robert Zavodny
See Thank You, page 6
Winter 2016
Marvin Kent Curtis' books donated to KHS
KHS recently received a donation of five
fictional books written by Marvin Kent
Curtis and published in the late 1920s.
He was named for his great-grandfather,
Marvin Kent, but was also known as Kent
Curtis. The books were donated by Missouri
residents Mary Jo and Kelly Johnston
while they were visiting in Kent to celebrate
Marvin's 200th birthday. Curtis was
Mary Jo's great-uncle and they are both
descendants of Henry Kent, Marvin's son.
Born in 1890, Curtis was an aviator in
World War I, a novelist, illustrator, sailor,
teacher and camp counselor. He published
boy's adventure stories that took place in
the locations he loved most: the North
Woods of Minnesota and islands off the
Eleanor, from page 1
was officially named the Daisy Wolcott.
They opened the gardens for public
viewing the past two Mother's Days
and hundreds of visitors were thrilled
to be able to step back in history and
enjoy Daisy's legacy.
The
city of
Kent
thanks
Eleanor
for her
loving
care of
these
magnificent
gardens
and for
help-photo
courtesy of Lilac Gar- ing to
dens Facebook page preserve
One of the features of Eleanor's them
Lilac Gardens is this birdbath. for the
enjoyment of future generations.
KHS is accepting donations in
Eleanor's name for their continued
preservation.
Tribune, from page 4
owner and Charles Scott was the publisher
and editor. Scott left abruptly and Paxton
became the editor at the age of 24. When
Kent sold the paper to A.N. Lawson,
Paxton started the Kent Tribune with Sam
Baker in 1915. A year and a half later,
Winter 2016
Florida coast.
This is only a brief men-
., tion of Curtis. In the next
newsletter, you will be able to
learn much more about his
amazing life, which included
a dangerous journey as
an aviator during the war,
his many sailing adventures
across the Atlantic Ocean
and the Caribbean Sea and
his love for the outdoors.
The five books written by Marvin Kent Curtis that were recently
donated to KHS are, in back, from left to right, "The Tired Captains,"
"Drumbeater's Island," "The Last Wanigan," "The Blushing
Camel" and, in front, "Cruises in the Sun."
Thank you, Mary Jo and
Kelly, for this generous gift.
You have opened our eyes to
another extraordinary member
of the Kent family!
Davey picture mystery solved
Ever since the KHS Museum received
the large, backlit picture of tree cavity
repair work done by the Davey Tree Expert
Company, everyone has tried to guess
where and when it was taken.
The mystery was solved when Matt
Fredmonsky, senior project manager at
Davey Tree Expert Company and managing
editor of The Davey Bulletin, recently
discovered the photograph in an old Davey
Tree publication.
The photo showcasing the then-common
practice of tree cavity repair appeared
prominently in magazine advertisements
for Davey in the early 1920s. It was taken
on the estate of Jon A. Turner in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada.
Davey pioneered the practice of tree
cavity repair, a method which sought to
remove decayed and rotting wood and
Paxton
bought
out Baker
and ran
it alone
for seven
years.
Later, LB.
Holm
bought
a half
interest of
the newspaper.
In
A young John Paxton stands in
the doorway and William Kent sits
in a chair in front of the Tribune office
at 149 N. Water St.
replace it with a special cement to maintain
a tree's integrity. Davey commonly provided
the service to estate owners who wanted
to preserve and maintain their mature trees
rather than remove and plant new trees.
The practice was discontinued in the mid-
20th Century.
1929, the Tribune was sold to M.L. Davey,
transferred five months later to E.V. Dix
of Wooster and then merged with the
Courier.
The Tribune filled its weekly pages with
the life of its local community as well as
documenting the changing world. This
collection includes World War I and ends
just before the collapse of the stock market
and economy in 1929. Visit the KHS website
at www.kentohiohistory.org and enjoy
browsing through the Tribune pages to see
what life was like in Kent and around the
world almost 100 years ago.
5
6
Kent Historical Society
7he Kent Historian is a
publication of the Kent Historical
Society, a nonprofit organization
that strives to be the primary Kent
history resource and reference center,
leading the community in the
collection, preservation and
interpretation
of Kent's heritage through
exhibits, educational programs and
activities. The society offers educational
programs to schools, businesses
and civic organizations.
Board of Trustees
Jack Amrhein, President
Scott Flynn, Vice President
Carol Stroble, Vice President
Matt Metcalf, Treasurer
Audrey Cielinski Kessler, Secretary
Jean Booth
Howard Boyle
Rebecca Dunlap
Thomas Hatch
Kasha Legeza-Burton
.· Maggie McKendry
Jim Myers
Staff
,Julie Kenworthy, Director
. . Amy Craft, Collections Manager &
· · Membership Coordinator
. ·: Dari Stroble, Newsletter Editor
Museum Hours
\ 237 E " Main St.,
9 ·a:m. 'tcr2 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays
/:. and by appointment.
.Contact ,·
Kent Historical Society
. 237E. Main St.
Kent, Ohio 44240
330-678-2712
· Email
[email protected]
. Website
-www.kentohiohistory.org
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/
KentHistoricalSociety
KHS schedule
for end of 2016,
new year
The last day in 2016 that KHS Museum
will be open to the public is Saturday,
Dec. 17. It will reopen on Friday, March
3, 2017. While it is closed, the volunteers
and staff will be busy preparing for the new
year. Under the direction of new employee
Amy Craft, the archives and artifacts in
our collections will be inventoried and
organized. Plans will be made for our
educational programming and for future
events. Even though we will be closed, we
are always available to take phone calls and
to schedule group tours. Thank you for all
your support in 2016!
Birthday party & town tour
Andrew Madonio, Kent Jaycees vice president
of community, explains the organization's steps
in preserving the "Marvin Kent" railroad coach,
which was manufactured in 1922 .
Several
town tour
sponsors
enjoy reading
the KHS
Museum's
list of prominent
Kent
residents
who were
members
of various
social clubs
in the early
1900s.
David and Kay Hansford compare the past and
present of Kent at KHS' photo exhibit, "Then &
Now."
Thank You, from page 4
Special thanks to Hometown Bank, Sue
Nelson Designs and McKay Bricker
Framing/or selling the tour booklets.
Also, thanks to tour co-organizers Dawn
Carpenter and Carol Stroble, committee
members Jean Booth, Sandy Ha/em,
Henry Ha/em, KHS administrator Julie
Kenworthy, KHS board president Jack
Amrhein and booklet editor Dan Stroble.
Volunteers at Sites
Carlyn Bassham
Paul Bauer
Jaime Baughman
John Benedik
Brad Bolton
Julie Brett
Jona Burton
Amy Craft
Faye Darrow
Roger Di Paolo
Becky Dunlap
Bruce Dzeda
Sue Frank
Carol Fridy
Jean Giulitto
Becky Head
Lee Higgins
Barb Hipsman Springer
Adrienne Kaltenborn
Darlene Kousaie
Karin Lange-Underwood
Kasha Legeza-Burton
Tim Martin
Joanne Maynard
Amanda Metcalf
Matt Metcalf
Jim Myers
Sally Myers
Cathy Ricks
Eleanor Schindler
Beth Schoonover
Bob Springer
Polly Tucker
Allyson Westover
Mikelann Williams
Mark Yohe
The Davey Elementary School fifth grade choir
leads guests at the Marvin Kent birthday party in
singing "Happy Birthday."
Winter 201
The Kentennial, Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society, Volume 57, Spring 2006
No full textThe Centennlall
Kent Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2006
234 South Water Street, Kent
University School trophies, Edison record player,
vintage medical tools among Museum's new exhibits
Director's Report by Guy Pernetti
Now that Kent is celebrating its 200th
birthday this year, the Kent Historical Society
Museum has several exhibits of interest.
The Museum boasts five display areas,
arrayed with artifacts and memorabilia from our
pioneer families and locally owned businesses. As
you walk through, familiar items bring back
memories from school days or your first job
Signs and logos from family businesses
tih:l"("'provided goods and services are proudly
displayed beside pictures of neighborhoods and
buildings that are now lost to history. You see
public and legal documents detailing our first
paved streets and traffic signals.
On display are Kent State University
School trophies and photos highlighting notable
accomplishments and memories of University
School alumni, faculty and staff. Photographs of
Kent State University's first baseball team and
Theodore Roosevelt's High School's early football
players are also on display.
We are showcasing vintage medical
equipment, some of which was donated by former
Kent Mayor John Carson. Some were used by our
first doctors and dentists.
The society's archives are established with
documents and pictures of events and people that
made our town the place that it is.
We have a meeting room and a gift shop,
stocked with a variety of postcards, books and
0•1 "r items for sale. An education and activities
a.Jis under development on the second floor.
Jerry Wiland sits beside the record player his
family has enjoyed for years. The generosity of
our donors is the core of the KHS Museum
We are in the process of creating an exhibit
of the Cuyahoga River with canal locks as it was in
1840, along with a model showing a working canal
lock.
A scale model of Kent's railroad yards and a
model train layout that young visitors can operate
will be featured An eight-foot model of the City of
Kent will show the city from a bird's eye view.
Donations are very important and greatly
appreciated. We have received many items from
people who want to share their history with the
community.
One such item is a vintage Edison record
player that plays 78 rpm records, donated by Jerry
Wiland in memory of his wife, Joyce. The record
player belonged to Joyce's parents when they lived
in Kent
Save the date:
Special program.s for special people and special interests-"
Bicentennial Ball dinner and
awards program set for June 30
at Twin La,kes Country Club
A Bicentennial Ball celebrating Kent's 200th
birthday will be held at the Twin Lakes
Country Club on Friday, June 30.
The festivities will begin at 6 p.m.
with hors d' oeuvres and a cash bar, followed
by a delicious dinner at
7 p.m. A short awards
program will honor
Kent State University
for its front campus
renovation and former
Kent Mayor John
Carson for his
outstanding individual
leadership.
Popular
singing artist Helen Welch and her orchestra
will provide music for dancing.
Tickets are 150 per
couple and are available by calling the Kent
Historical Society at (330) 678-2712.
Please come and enjoy this night with
us and celebrate our city's Bicentennial.
You'll have a ball!
Website features Bicentennial updates,
information of upcoming events
Interested in other upcoming Bicentennial
events and projects, and how you or your group
can be involved?
Visit the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce
website Bicentennial link athttp://www.kentbiz.
l(HS members1 guests invited to
attend annual meeting April 10
The public and all Kent Historical Society
members are invited to attend the KHS annual
meeting to be held at 7 p.m., Monday, April 10, at
KentRidge at Golden Pond, 5241 Sunnybrook
Road in Kent.
Following a brief business meeting of the
KHS Board of Trustees, Guy Pemetti, KHS
executive director, will give a powerpoint
presentation on "KHS: Present and Future."
The presentation will focus on the status
of the museum, current activities, resources, and
future plans for KHS.
Light refreshments will be served.
Reservations are not needed.
Rms w spectacular vw
Tenant sought for former l(HS
offices in Pufferbe[[y Depot
The Kent Historical Society is seeking a
tenant for its former home in the Erie Depot.
,.___;
Located on the second floor above the
Pufferbell y Restaurant, the space encompasses 1,650
square feet with one large room and two smaller
offices.
A common reception area provides a friendly
greeting area for clients. The area is wired for
security and has private bathroom facilities.
The tower and offices provide a spectacular
view of Kent, Riveredge Park and the Cuyahoga
River. The asking price is $800 plus utilities.
For an appointment or more information, call
Sandra Halem, KHS president, at (330) 673-8632, or
Howard Boyle, KHS board member, at (330) 673-
9827.
~eople who help make the l(ent Historical Society a success
Harry
Carpenter
When you say,
"Harry, how are you?
He replies,
"Incredible!" And he
means it!
Harry has volunteered
hundreds of hours of
his valuable time and energy since the Museum
moved into its new location on 234 South Water
Street.
Whether pushing a broom, or sorting
books, he has helped make our house a real
"home." Harry is also active in Kent Kiwanis.
His wife, Dawn, is vice president of the
Kent Historical Board of Trustees. Harry and
Dawn are friendly and familiar faces at KHS.
John
Carson
Former Kent Mayor
and owner of "Carson' s
Comer" drug store,
John has now
established a second
"corner" in the new
Kent Historical Society
Museum. His extensive
collection of historical memorabilia and artifacts
include 10,000-year-old arrowheads to the most
recent businesses and events.
His love of history is reflected in his many
contributions to both the Kent and Portage County
Museums and communities. Next time you are at
the Museum, visit "Carson's Comer." John shows
off a photo of him as mayor and his wife, Beverly.
The Building Doctor makes house caHs
Clinics will be offered in l(ent October 261 27
By Doug Fuller, KHS Board Member
If you own an older building, or are involved in the care and maintenance of
one, you won't want to miss this.
Representatives from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and Kent
Historical Society will present "The Building Doctor Program," an informative twohour
program on the care of older buildings.
The program will take place over two nights, Thursday, October 26 and Friday, October 27. The
program starts at 7 p.m. each evening.
The first night, the Building Doctors will help solve problems such as peeling paint, flaking plaster,
wet basements , deteriorating masonry, energy conservation and many other topics. You name the building
problem and the Building Doctors will have a cure.
The next night, the Building Doctors will give tours of up to 10 buildings in the Kent area and give
specific advice on restoration problems .
If you are interested in having your home or commercial building reviewed, please watch future
newsletters for instructions on how to apply for this opportunity or call KHS at (330) 678-2712.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the Historic Kent Homestead, also known as
ti ,,_,.1fasonic Temple, 409 Main Street in Kent.
l(ent Historical Society Board
Sandra Halem, President
Dawn Carpenter, Vice President
Reed Strimple, Treasurer
Bill Wolcott, Secretary
Jack Amrhein
Howard Boyle
Doug Fuller
Margaret Garmon
Pat Morton
Jim Myers
John Wunderle
Scott Flynn
Guy M. Pemetti, Executive Director
Mary Ann Green, Administrative Assistant
The Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
234 South Water Street
Kent, Ohio 44240
Did you know?
l(ent Bicentennial Facts
~~
March 1863: The Atlantic D Great
Western Railroad1 founded by Marvin
Kent1 ran its first train through the city{]
~~
May 61 1867: The Ohio State legislature
finalized the community1s request to be
known as 11KEN1CT
~~
1870 : The population of Kent was 21301
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 77, Fall 2012
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society Fall2012
Number77
Kent school
celebrates
90 years with
KHS program
'All About Kent' series to be held
at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Davey school
Excerpted from columns by Roger J. Di Paolo,
published in the Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier
and in "Rooted in Kent: IO I Tales from the Tree
City, "published by Kent Historical Society Press.
A new school building is a cause for pride for
any community, a concrece expression of its
regard for the importance of educacion and its
faith in young people, writes Roger J. Di Paolo
in Rooted in Kent: 10 I Tales from the Tree City.
Ninety years ago this fall, there was plenty of
pride in Kent as Theodore Roosevelt High
School opened its doors for the first rime. The
new high school truly was a showplace, the
likes of which Kent - then a community of
7,000 - had never seen.
The Kent Historical Society will mark the
90th anniversary of this school building that
currently houses Davey Elementary School and
originally housed Theodore Roosevelt High
School (1922-1959) and Davey Junior High
School (later Middle School) from 1959-1999.
The "All About Kent" series program, which
will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday Sept. 24,
at Davey Elementary School, 196 N. Prospect
Ninety years ago, Theodore Roosevelt High School opened in Kent on North Prospect
Street, top. Today, the school, above right, serves elementary and preschool students.
KHS has many Roosevelt artifacts, including this cheerleader's uniform, above left, recently
donated to the museum by Cheri Gressard.
St. , will feature presentacions by local historian,
Jon Ridinger and Roger Di Paolo. After the
program, docents will lead guided tours
through parts of the building.
Theodore Roosevelt High School, located on
a 10-acre site at the end of North Prospect
Street at the intersection ofWhinier and
Lowell drives, was a ;5{~fifZf§%Z~~JifS.~s>'~~:?~::s%~JB.'Zf§£j I Program marks 200th .------...,,...----, M
I~ anni.v ersary ofWar of 1812 ~j
ij Two hundred years ago, for the first time ~
i!lo in its earl yh i story, t h e United States d e- I~ ti dared war on another nation, the United i~
Ij Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. f Often referred to as ''America's second war Gen. Joshua ~
; of independence," The War of 1812 offi - Woodard I
f~ cially beg-an on June 18, 1812. (1779-1854), ~ right, an 1. 1
~ This v, ear, a commemoration will be held early settler ~
I at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Portage County of Portage H
~ Historical Society in Ravenna. The event tough~~~~~~ ~
M will honor Portage County veterans who War of 1812. I ij ~ "'--="-----'--' I i served in the war. i.'
~ One well-known Franklin Township resi- and John D . Gardner at Standing Rock; and ~
; dent who served in the War of 1812 was Woodard, George Haymaker, James i
I Gen. Joshua Woodard. Although Woodard Holden, Hubbard Hulbert and Asa Stanley I
J and his wife, Rebecca (Wooden) first settled at Pioneer Cemetery. ~ I in Ravenna Township, they soon moved to The program will last about 45 minutes. I
~ Kent where Joshua established a woolen mill After the ceremony, The Garrettones, a 20- ~
' h ~ ~ wit John Haymaker. The Woodard family piece orchestra, will have a "lawn chair con- S
! home at the top of the hill on Fairchild Av- cert" at the Workman Pavilion. The PCHS ~
~ enue is believed to have been a station in the museum, 6549 N. Chestnut Sr. , Ravenna, f
I Underground Railroad. will be open from 4:30 to G p.m. I
I Several other Franklin Township men 1he program was organized by Jacqueline I I served in the War of 1812 and their graves Woodring of Brady Lake and Sharon Myers f
j are in Kem, including, Raymond Bassett of Summit County. f
! I
~~~"®."-~~'&"®.'1&~'&~~~~1&"R1&.0.~~~~~1&."R'Ra'&'&1&,1&1&.~~~'&~'&"®."?&.~~~~a"®."?&.1&.~<'~1&.~1&."R~-&~~~~1&.~'&~~~'I&~~~
Fall 2012
Exhibit to tell story of devastating commercial fire
Fire in 1972 destroyed landmark
Kent Block, built by Zenas Kent
Forry years ago chis August, a devastating
blaze destroyed the city's oldest block on West
Main Street.
1he fire on Aug. 27-28, 1972 - the worst
business fire in Kent history - destroyed a
building that had been a reflection of the economic
times in the city since it was built in
1836-37 by Zenas Kent.
Tonia Krueger, a KHS intern and a student
from Germany, has spent the last four weeks researching
the history of the Kent Block and
conducting oral histories with people linked to
the building throughout the years.
Krueger obtained additional information in
newspaper clippings, business advertisements,
photos and letters, as well as video of the fire
and the building demolition.
KHS Director Thomas Hatch said Krueger
has many talents and has provided KHS with a
valuable and comprehensive resource.
"Her ability as a researcher, her ability to
connect with people in an oral history environment,
and her command of the English language
has allowed her ro create a project chat
The Kent Block, built in 1837, seen at top
and above, after the fire that destroyed the
building in 1972. An exhibit detailing the
history of the building is being organized.
will stand as a lasting contribution to our communiry
and to our understanding of the roots
of our town.''
Lamppost shines light on history
Gougler artifact donated to Kent Historical Society
One of the lampposts that stood as a sentinel for years outside the C.L.
Gaugler Machine Co. recently was donated to the Kent Historical Society. President
Jeff Crane of Furukawa Rock Drill (FRO USA), the firm that succeeded
Gaugler, donated the lamppost. In the above left photo, taken by Brad Bolton,
the lampposts are seen outside of the Gaugler building before it was torn
down. Gaugler Industries was the largest employer in Kent during World War II.
The Gaugler headquarters building, which was on Lake Street and was constructed
in the 1940s, was demolished in February 2012.
Fall 2012
Intern tackles fire project
By Tonia Krueger
KilS intern
This summer, I
came to Kent to visit
some old friends and
made lots of new
ones.
I came co Kem because
I thought it
would improve my
English but it did a
Krueger lot more for me.
As a student of History and English at
the Universiry of Goettingen, Germany, I
was thrilled to learn about the Kent Historical
Sociery because what you love
doing as a history major is researching.
At the Kent Historical Society I met
great people - helpful, open-minded and
motivated. I found that a very inspiring atmosphere.
I started seeing and understanding
the character of the town while I
See KRUEGER, page 4
The lamppost, which
weighs about 450
pounds, was first
moved on a forklift,
middle, loaded on a
truck, then placed on
a concrete slab at
KHS, left. The site
was wired and a lightsensitive
switch was
installed so the light
turns on at twilight.
Gaugler restored and
painted the lamppost.
3
Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent, 0 H 44240
SCHOOL, from page 1
The new facility received a glowing write-up
in the New England Journal of Education,
which described it as having "every modern
suggestion of the school and art of high school
design and equipment so that it has every
convenience, comfort and opportunity for up
to date education." Today, we call that a stateof-
the-art facility.
"If there is a better high school plant in any
particular, we have yet to see it," the article
noted.
Heady praise, indeed, but the Kem Courier
was no less effusive in its tributes to
Superintendent WA. Walls and the Kent Board
of Education as the new facility was dedicated.
Walls and the board "spared no pains to give
the city the best possible up to date building
and equipment they could have gotten for the
money," the Courier reported. "It is no idle
flattery to say that rhey have reared for
themselves, as well as for the city, a monument
that will stand to their credit long after they
have passed away."
The new school received congratulatory
messages from Edith Kermit Roosevelt, the
widow of its namesake, and her son, Theodore
Roosevelt Jr.
4
CHURCH, from page 1
hard wood timbers char none of the original
structure was discarded when the church was
enlarged in 1900,'' Carl Grismer writes in Histor_
y of Kent.
The original building, which remains a part of
the church today, was a simple wood frame
structure with a bell tower, a basic Gothic style.
Although alterations and renovations were
made in 1867, 1886 and 1900, it wasn't until
1927 that the church was entirely remodeled.
The reconstruction was made possible through
a ~equest of 5,000 by WS. Kent, a member for
many years.
In 2002, the church tore down its education
wing and built a new ministry wing, meeting
rooms and administrative offices. And in 2010-
2012, the congregation undertook the first major
renovation of its worship space since the 1920s.
Christ Church was the fourth denomination
organized in Franklin Mills. Preceding them
were: the Congregationalists (United Church of
Christ) in 1819; the Methodists in 1822; and
Disciples of Christ in 1827. The Baptists organized
the same year as the Episcopalians.
Following were the Universalises in 1866; the
Roman Catholics in 1867; and the Evangelical
Lutherans in 1884.
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Kent, OH
Permit #150
Or Current Resident
KRUEGER, from page 3
learned about its history.
The long-gone Kent Block became a fascinating
subject of study for me. I wondered why
this huge brick construction was built here almost
two centuries ago when Kem was nothing
more than a few small houses.
Asking questions often is how a new project
begins. When I started asking questions, I had
no idea what would become of it.
I am leaving Kent on September 5. I will not
be able to see what the Kem Historical Society
makes of the Kent Block project. I am sure,
however, it will be great and I hope lots of people
will come and experience the multi-faceted
history of the Kent Block. Even if it burned
down in 1972, I feel it is still part of Kent.
I wane to thank everyone at KHS for all their
help and support. I had a great time in Kent.
Upcoming Events:
• War of 1812 commemoration,
2 p.m. Sept. 22, Portage County
Historical Society, Ravenna.
• All About Kent, 7 p.m. Sept. 24,
Davey school, 90th anniversary.
Fall 201
The Kent Historian, Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society, Volume 61, Spring 2008
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society
Spring 2008
Number61
HISTORY FEATURE
Spring Floods in Kent Cause Extensive Damage to the Area
It may not have been the first flood
in recorded history to inundate
Kent over the years, but it certainly
was the worst.
The spring 1913 flood did extensive
damage throughout the state, especially
in the Dayton area, though the
Kent area was not spared its ravages,
leaving extensive damage in its wake.
The reservoir at the Kent water-
Commerce and school children together
found the money to repair the
dam. This was regarded as a civic enterprise.
The restored dam remained
intact until the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency demanded that it
be breached during the late 1990s and
early 2000s.
Kent's history of floods began in
the early 1800s, not long after its first
Cuyahoga River dam (albeit a
crude one) was built in 1806,
roughly where the Main Street
bridge is today. The dam was
about seven feet high and was
made of stones, logs and dirt
packed into it to stop the water
flow. A mill race was
constructed on the west side of
the river, and several businesses
used the water. These
included a small grist mill
started by the Haymaker family.
A short time later, a saw
mill was erected, as was a
forge with a trip hammer for
the manufacture of scythes,
The statewide extent of death and destruction in the
1913 flood exceeds all other weather events in Ohio
history, justifying the title of Ohio's greatest weather
disaster. Rainfall over the state totaled 6-11 inches.
The death toll statewide was 467. In Kent (above) , the
Cuyahoga River overflowed its banks.
axes and pitch forks. All used
works was breached, and the water did water from the dam.
considerable damage to the B&O railroad
tracks. Uptown, people anxiously
watched the dam at Main Street as
the water rose higher and higher. The
water was now almost to the floor of
the Stow Street bridge. Large quantities
of stone were placed by the
bridge's footers, and the bridge held.
Back at the dam, the water finally
washed through the lock gates. The
rushing water then started moving the
great blocks of stone from the ends of
the dam. The stone was carried down
the river, and the pool beside the dam
.___; -vas reduced to just the river itself.
The dam was not repaired until
1925 when the Lamson-Sessions Company,
women's clubs, the Chamber of
In March 1832, it rained most of
the month, and on March 28, the dam
gave way. Water rushed downstream
and washed away most of the businesses
that were along the river. The
grist mill, the saw mill, the woolen mill
and the forge all were gone. This dam
was replaced with a sturdy stone dam
when the P&O canal was built from
1836 to 1840. This new dam, which is
historically unique in many ways, is
the same one that is in place today.
It has been reported that the Kent
dam is the oldest masonry dam in
Ohio, the 19th oldest masonry dam in
the United States, the second oldest
arched dam in the United States and
the only masonry dam in the country
that is attached to a canal lock. Although
both the dam and the canal
lock were severely damaged in the
1913 flood, the dam was rebuilt in
1925 to its current height and is in relatively
good condition today. Underwater
remnants of the canal lock also
remain.
Numerous periods of high water
came along in the next few years, but
the next flood of any importance occurred
during the second week of
March in 1868. This flood damaged
the canal banks, breaching them in
several places. The canal at this time
was all but abandoned, but the banks
were repaired by the Akron Hydraulic
Company, which had purchased
the water rights. This was not accepted
by the villagers because they now
complained that the canal was filled
with weeds, had stagnant water and
smelled bad. This flood also washed
away several foot bridges.
During May and June of 1904, the
water in the river rose steadily until
the top course of blocks on the dam
gave way. The rushing water
uprooted many trees and undermined
Sec FLOOD, p. 6.
Inside ...
Tree City Ball . . ... . ... . ... .. .... . . 2
Happy Birthday, Kent . . . ... . . .... . .. 2
KSU Museum Fashion Exhibits . .... .. . 3
From the Kent Tribune . ...... .. ...... 3
KHS Volunteer Spotlight . . ... ..... . . 3
Tales from Oral History . . .. . ... ..... 4
Kent History Briefs .. . . . . ... . ... ... . 4
1924 Kent Cook Book . . ...... . ..... .. 5
New Book on Martin Davey . . . . . . . . . . 5
New KHS Volunteers . .... . ...... . .. 6
Third Annual KHS Tree City Ball
Celebrates 'Preserving Community'
T he Kent Historical Society's Third
Annual Tree City Ball will celebrate
"Preserving Community" while
it honors the recipients of its Leadership
and Legacy awards.
The gala event-which includes a
buffet dinner, an open bar, and dancing
to the music of the gifted singer Helen
Welch and her band-is set for 6 p.m.
on April 26 at the '
American Legion
Hall, 1945 Mogadore
Road in Kent.
Recipients of
the Leadership
Award are Nancy
and Bruce Hansford;
the Legacy .t
Award will be •
presented to the Main Street Kent organization.
The Hansfords are being
honored for their lifetime of service to
the Kent community, while Main
Street Kent is being recognized for its
dedication to preserving and revitalizing
downtown Kent.
Proceeds from the Tree City Ball
support the many programs of the
Kent Historical Society, including ongoing
preservation and care of the
Erie Depot; the acquisition, preservation
and display of Kent artifacts and
photographs; the Oral History Project,
which records spoken accounts of
Kent history; and the Community
Education Program, which takes Kent
history to local schools, organizations
and businesses.
Tickets for the gala are 90 per couple. Sponsorship
tickets are available at three levels.
The 500 Legacy
Sponsor includes
a listing
in the program
and four event
tickets; the 250
Leadership
Sponsor includes
a listing
in the program and two event tickets.
Tickets for the community event
would make a thoughtful Mother's Day
gift! Come out, support the Kent Historical
Society, and enjoy a fun evening.
The Historical Society accepts
Visa, Master Card and checks. Make
checks payable to the Kent Historical
Society, and mail them to P.O. box 663,
Kent, Ohio 44240.
For additional information, call
the Historical Society office at
330 I 678-2712, board president
Sandy Halem at 330 / 673-8632, or
event chairperson Jack Amrhein at
330/ 678-9749.
Happy 141s~ Birthday, City of Kent!
Bake a big cake, and light the
candles-all 141 of them-for that
2
day in 1867 when Franklin Mills Village
was officially
incorporated
and
renamed Kent
on May 6,
1864.
It was on
that date that
the Ohio legislature
ap-proved
the name change, though the
Post Office Department adopted the
new name on August 17, 1864.
The community was so grateful to
Marvin Kent for his efforts to bring
shops and railroad jobs to the village
that it pushed for naming the newly
incorporated town to Kent in honor of
Marvin Kent.
But Marvin Kent thought otherwise.
His preference for the town's
new name was Rockton. It is not
known why Marvin Kent favored that
name. Despite his protestations, the
name was changed to Kent.
Kent Historical Society
THE KENT HisroRIAN is a quarterly
publication of the Kent Historical Society,
a nonprofit organization that strives to be
the primary Kent history resource and
reference center, leading the community
in the collection, preservation and interpretation
of Kent's heritage through exhibitions,
educational programs and activities.
The society brings educational
programs to schools, businesses and
civic organizations and collaborates with
the Main Street Kent and other historic
preservation projects in the community.
Board of Trustees
Sandra Halem, President
Dawn Carpenter, Vice President
Jack Amrhein, Treasurer
John Benedik
Howard Boyle
Scott Flynn
Larry Hugenberg
Audrey Cielinski Kessler
Pat Morton
Jim Myers
Carol Stroble
John Wunderle
Staff
Mary Ann Green, Administrator
Newsletter Staff
Audrey Cielinski Kessler, Editor
Museum Hours
Thursday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Groups and special tours
by appointment
Direct inquiries to
Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent, OH 44240
330/678-2712
[email protected]
www.kentohiohistory.org
Spring 2008
'Timeless Fashion' from Designers,
Artists on Display at KSU Museum
. ~ xperience .. . timeless fashion at the Kent State University Museum now
- .1....1 through early 2009. Several galleries have been devoted to many of the
world's great fashion designers and artists, with changing exhibitions spanning the
18th century to the present.
Included are European and American gowns, celebrity gowns, traditional
dress and more. The following exhibits ar on display:
• Inner Secrets : Japan ese M en's Haori. Blum Gallery, extended until further notice
• Native Americans through the Prism of Culture: Edward S. Curtis & the Legacy of
Collectors. Mull and Palmer Galleries, through June 15, 2008
• Mood Indigo. Broadbent Gallery, through August 31, 2008
• Belle Epoque Brides. Higbee Gallery, through January_4, 2009
• Galanos. Stager Gallery, through January 4, 2009
Sec FAS HION, p. 6.
From the Pages of the Kent Tribune,
May 24, 1928: 'An Appeal to Public
Spirited Citizens of Kent'
"For the last month, 20 solicitors have worked constantly and steadily to raise a fund
of 8,000 with which to purchase land now owned b y the Gougler Machine Co., having
a frontage of 402 feet located on North River street [now known as North Mantua
Street] to be deeded to the L.N. Gross Co., upon which said Gross Co. proposes to
'-""~rect a beautiful factory
building, and to
beautify this present
unsightly lot from the
street to the river,
with lawn, shrubbery
and trees .... Subscriptions
will be appreciated
and are
solicited from 8,300 was subscribed locally
to purchase a lot on North River Street where the company could erect the
kind of building it needed. The building was completed in October 1928. A large
amount of new equipment was installed and capacity operation was started within
a short time. The branch employed approximately 150 persons, the large majority
,f whom were girls and women (source: The History of Kent, by Karl Grismer.) In
.._/l 994, Dale Adams bought the building that had been vacant for many years and
began its restoration. It i s now home to Dale Adams Enterprises, 315 Gougler Street
(formerly North River Street).
Spring 2008
KHS Volunteers
in the Spotlight
T he volunteers in the spotlight for
the spring are Guenveur Burnell
and Kathryn Hahn Burgess. Here is
what each one had to say about donating
their time at the Kent Historical
Society.
Gu enveur: "I am a long-time Kent resident
and Kent State graduate. I have
seen many changes in the city. I really
enjoy
learning
more
about its
past and
finding
stories of
the Kent
people
from long
ago."
(Guenveur
is helping to scan the Historical Society's
scrapbooks.)
Kathryn: "I was born in Kent, at
home, and have lived in the area for
84 1 / 2 years now. It was my hometown
and having our family business
here [Hahn's Bakery] for over 50
years, you
become
acquainted
with everyone.
By
volunteering
at the
Kent Historical
Society,
I can
help preserve
the
memories of the town I grew up in
and relive them alongside the wonderful
members who work so hard to
keep Kent's history alive."
The Kent Historical Society offers a
variety of activities for volunteers, including
making and sorting artifact
files, identifying and organizing photos,
conducting research on a topic or
individual, leading tours of the museum,
and helping with administrative
tasks such as filing and making copies,
and preparing new-member packets .
To volunteer, contact the Historical Society
office at [email protected]
or 330 / 678-2712.
3
Recollections: Tales from Oral Histories
The following are excerpts from the oral history of Mabelle Apley
(shown here as a young child) recorded December 6, 1990, prepared
for the Kent Historical Society by Donna L. Jeffers and Brigette
Bolger. Apley was born in Kent in March of 1915. She is a
member of the Longcoy family who owned and developed a considerable
amount of property on Kent's west side.
DL/88: And when my father, Harry C. Long-
Could you coy, went into business with the twins,
tell us a little why they started a grocery store. The
bit about the building was a wooden building origi-
Longcoys and nally, and they decided that they
their impact ought to make a cement building. It'd
on the city of be safer .. .. in February of 1912, a fire
Kent? broke out, and they lost a great deal.
MA: ... the original David Longcoy
came from New York state and settled
in what was Franklin Mills at that
time. He had some experience in a
[linseed] oil mill, so he began an oil
mill and then later went into the brick
making business, which was on
Franklin Avenue. And there are build-ings
in Kent which have those bricks.
Sue Nelson Designs' has uncovered
some of those bricks ... in her store.
He married Abbey Woodard, and for
years we had a Woodard-Longcoy reunion.
And as a child ... they told the
story of Abbey's mother taking one of
her babies and riding back to Geneva,
New York, to see her family because
she was so homesick, and she did this
several times on horseback. Then David
and she had a house at Twin
Lakes, and eventually they changed
property with the Haymakers ...
which was known as Longcoy Acres
eventually. And he built a large home
there ... so they lived out here on the
farm for a long time and they said
that David Longcoy was one of the
most generous people. That even with
his large family, they never sat down
to a meal without an outsider, and
that he was a very kind man . . .. But
my grandfather had married Ada
Whetmore ... and they went into the
meat business and [butchered] at
night, late at night, 'cause there was
no refrigeration, and went out the
next day to sell the meat ... later the
business moved across the river ....
Correction ...
They were able to save their cows, and
some meat blocks, and some important
things ... but the rest was gone.
And they called into Akron ... and a
company came and piled everything
they could out of the store, and they
took it down to another building,
south of them, and put it in there ...
they were able to open the store on the
next Monday.
DL/88: So they didn't lose a lot of
money ... ?
MA: ... my father had one of the first
trucks in Kent, an International truck.
They had cars, but they didn't have
trucks. And so, after they got that
truck, they could begin to make deliveries
... again, in the meat business,
they would work and cut that up and
go into the retail business . ... They
would have a route, and they'd pull
up in front of a house and a woman
would come out, select her meat, for
what she wanted, and they'd go on.
And of course, the person at the end
of the route didn't have the best selection
[laughs] unless she had ordered
ahead. And my father started the Kent
Packing Company, which is now
[1990] part of the waterworks over
here on Middlebury Road. The great
hopes were for my brother to go into
the business, but World War II came
along, and he didn't come home. And
so, in a couple years my dad decided
to sell the store, and he sold to
See APLEY, p. 5.
The caption for the photo on page 1 of the winter edition, gave an incorrect date of
1826. The correct date is 1876. We apologize for the error.
4
Kent History Briefs
First Mayor of Kent-by Two Votes
John Thompson, a native of Scotland
who emigrated to the United States in
1832 and settled in Streetsboro, had
the distinction of being the first mayor
of Kent. He was elected Tuesday, July
30, 1867, at the first election held after
the Kent's incorporation as a village. He
defeated Luther Parmalee 145 to 143.
Multi-Arched Bridge
The multi-arched downtown bridge was
started in 1876 and completed in September
of 1877. The bridge it replaced
was a covered bridge made of wood
and constructed in 1837. This wellknown,
arched landmark is 275 feet
long by 60 feet wide and consumed
123,750 cubic feet of stone.
Underground Railroad
Throughout the 19th century, AfricanAmerican
families lived and worked in
Kent. Among them was George Jennings
, a free black man who lived in the
town for more than 40 years. He
worked at the Cuyahoga House and Inn
at the corner of Cuyahoga and Mantua
streets. Run by Jonathan and Eliza
James, the Cuyahoga House was one
of the Underground Railroad "stations"
operating in town. Even though it was
against the law to do so, many citizens
sheltered runaways who went through
Kent, heading north.
Town Slogan
In 1910, a community contest was held
to create a slogan to represent the bustling
town of Kent. The winner? " Kent,
Home of Hump and Hustle."
The Original Tree City
John Davey, founder of the Davey Tree
Expert Company, published a book in
1901 titled The Tree Doctor, which provided
the foundation for a great business
success story. From this book
grew the Davey Tree Expert Company.
John Davey became know as the father
of tree surgery. Martin L. Davey would
go on to become Governor of the State
of Ohio in 1932.
An Ohio Tree City
Long before the National Arbor Day
Foundation initiated the Tree City USA
program , the city of Kent was proclaimed
the original Tree City of Ohio,
on February 19, 1949. The Davey Tree
Expert Company commemorated the
occasion in its newsletter, The Davey
Tree Expert.
Spring 2008
Museum Gift Shop Featured Item:
l924KentCookBookforMother's Day
'" __,J- n 1924, when the ladies of Kent's Congregational Church published their cook-
~ .1. book, modem conveniences such as washing machines, refrigerators and gas
stoves gave women more leisure time. The 17 women in the Circle C Ladies'
Union who compiled and edited more than 300 of their favorite recipes for the
book were happy to share a few of their cooking secrets. This nostalgic reprint is a
perfect gift for your favorite lady. A small selection of vintage-style aprons also are
available. To purchase the book or an apron, visit the Kent Historical Society Gift
Shop during regular museum hours. Here is a recipe for Sunshine Cake from Miss
Emma Patton.
Sunshine Cake
7 whites small, fresh eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 / 3 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 egg yolks
2 / 3 cup flour
Pinch of salt
Beat whites, add cream of tartar and beat very, very stiff. Stir in sugar lightly,
then 5 yolks, well beaten. Then add flour. Put in tube pan and into oven at once.
APLEY
Continued from p. 4
the wrong person ... were not making
a go out of it. So he took it back,
'nd for a few years, David Longcoy
_____.Al ran the store, and then finally he
sold off the equipment. ... When dad
retired, he built this house next door
for he and mother . . . this was out in
not uncommon for tramps to walk
along there .... Generally people we
called tramps were not really looking
for work. They were just footloose, and
would go to houses and ask for food,
and the housewives generally did not
want to turn anybody away .... they
usually got some food. I can remember
one time somebody stopping at our
house when we lived on Park Avenue.
Mother gave him a sandwich,
and at the end of the
driveway he threw it away. It
didn't suit him. But sometimes
they were really
hungry, and they would sit
on the steps and eat, and tell
her how much they appreciated
it.
DUBB: You weren't
afraid? I mean, today you'd
be afraid if someone did
Employees and interior of the Longcoy grocery store , 124 S. that to you.
Water Street in 1917.
the country. So when I came as a Girl
Scout, we used to hike out there and
bring our picnic lunches. And the old
house down at the end of Middlebury
Road, the David Longcoy house ...
and the wallpaper was sagging off the
ceiling and ... it was really spooky.
t\nd there was a straw stack outside
-..__....ihat was still standing, and one time
we were playing around in that and
we saw a man' s clothes and oh, were
we scared! But in those days it was
Spring 2008
MA: I wasn' t because I was
young. And they, my parents, never
made me afraid. But when I think
about it, mother made me stay in the
house when they were there. And one
Sunday morning, I was the only one
that had gotten up, and one came to
the door, and I said, "Well, I'm the
only one up." And after that, mother
said, "You don't say those things."
That was the time I began to realize
you had to be a little bit more careful.
New Book Tells
Story of Kent's
'Most Famous Son'
Politician Extraordinaire: The Tempestuous
Life and Times of Martin L.
Davey by history professor Frank Vazzana
is a carefully researched and engagingly
written political biography
that marks the first full treatment of
Ohio native and politician Martin L.
Davey. An important figure on the local,
state and national political scene
in the early decades of the 20th century,
Davey served as mayor of Kent,
Ohio, was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives and completed two
terms as Ohio governor.
As Vazzana shows, Davey, a
maverick Democrat, did things his
way no matte
Kent Historical Society Garden Tour: Honoring the 200th Birthday of Marvin Kent
No full textKENT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOWN AND GARDEN TOUR
June 7 & 8, 2014
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
WEST MAIN/HISTORIC AREA
D Marvin Kent
Home/Kent Masonic Center
D WW Reed home
D Lilac -Gardens
D Patton House
D Vaughan Gardens
EAsT MAIN/DOWNTON
Acorn Corner 0
Landmark, South Depeyster D
Clapp-Woodward home/Kent
Historical Society Museum D
Dr. Krape/Bumphrey home D
All sites are open and can be visited on either Saturday or Sunday.
This tour booklet is your ticket antlwill be marked at each stop.
Keeping histor~ alive
Family of Leah Bradstock
continues support of KHS
as lead donor for home tour
For more than
Ira Marsh
150 years, the WellsMarsh-
Kunsman-Bradstock
families have contributed
to the life of our community.
Ira Marsh and Edward
Wells both arrived in Kent
Metta Marsh, above left, was the
daughter of Emma (Wells) and Ira
Marsh. Metta's daughter, Leah, below,
was dedicated to preserving the history
of Kent.
after the Civil War. Marsh was a harness
maker; Wells owned a livery. In 1884, Ira
Marsh married Edward Wells' daughter, Emma.
One of Edward and Emma's daughters, Metta, is
pictured in the photo, above right. The duster she
is wearing in the photo is currently on exhibit at
the KHS Museum.
KHS is proud to be the recipient of this family
treasure. Metta's daughter, Leah Kunsman Bradstock,
donated many artifacts, photos and memories
to our museum collection. Leah also served on
our historical society board from 1985-87.
Her daughters, Linda and Jan, continued her tradition
of supporting Kent history.
"Beyond my own interest in keeping Kent's rich
history alive, my family loved living in Kent and I
know how much they wanted to share their part in
its history," Linda said. "The Kent Historical Society
provides me with a way to honor both them
Leah Kunsman Bradstock,
the daughter of Metta
Marsh and Alvin Kunsman,
was born in 1918 in Kent,
where she lived until 2001.
and their wishes, while the dedicated staff continues to provide the public with a
thorough overview of the town's history."
We are sincerely grateful for 'Linda's continued support on behalf of her fami-lies
as the lead donor in this year's event. ·
We salute these families and hope they inspire you to discover and appreciate your
own family's history.
West Side
Tour Sites
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1. Marvin Kent Home/Kent Masonic Center
2. WW Reed home
3. Wolcott Lilac Gardens
4. Patton House
5. Vaughan Gardens
2
Marvin Kent Family Home
(Now Kent Masonic Center)
Built in 1884
409 W. Main St.
Construction began in 1880 on the homestead of Marvin Kent, now
home to Rockton Lodge 316 F & A. M. of Kent. Kent searched northern
Ohio for the finest wood and hired wood carvers from New York
and Cleveland. The craftsmen lived in Kent while work progressed on
the house.
Among the home's remarkable features are walls and partitions of
solid brick, cellar walls and entrance of thick sandstone, and a sloped
slate roo£
When the elaborate home was completed in 1884, it provided 7,335
square feet of living space with 20 rooms, including a ballroom and 20
fireplaces.
During the time the Kent family lived in the home, four U.S. presidents
- either before or after their term - were guests and slept in the
southeast second-floor bedroom. This room remains much as it was in
those days, including the furniture.
The Masons have initiated a nonprofit society, the Kent Home Preservation
Society, to raise funds and coordinate the restoration of the home
to its 1923 status or earlier. The society is open to anyone with an interest
in preserving the Marvin Kent Homestead.
3
W.W. Reed Home
Built in 1889
703 W. Main St.
This beautiful three-story Victorian home was built by W W Reed
for his wife Minnie and their three children, Hattie, Glenn and Helen.
Mr. Reed lived in the house from its construction in 1899 to his death
in 1939.
Mr. Reed was a very prominent and active member of the commu- .
nity, serving as postmaster for several terms beginning in 1905. He also
served the community as a dentist, village clerk, member of the school
board and president of the Chamber of Commerce.
In 1913, Reed, with his son Glen and son-in-law Ross Strimple,
started the WW Reed Agency, which became the region's largest realestate
and insurance business. Mr. Reed also served as the first secretary
of the Home Building & Loan Co. founded in 1898, which is still
thriving today as Hometown Bank.
Through all of his activities, Reed's home became his base of influence
and it was used for many family and community social events that were
enjoyed by his many friends. In October of 1938, Mr. and Mrs. Reed
hosted an open house to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary that
was attended by then governor of Ohio Martin L. Davey and his wife.
After his death in 1939, Mrs. Reed stayed in the house until the mid-
1940s when it was sold to Sam Bissler and later to Dr. Baumgartner for
use as his medical office. The home was later converted to a duplex until
it was restored to its original splendor by current owner Colin Boyle,
who is secretary of Hometown Bank-112 years after the first secretary
of the bank built the home.
4
Wolcott Lilac Gardens
Established 1863
450 W. Main St.
The Wolcott House is a
fine example of eclectic Western
Reserve and Gothic Revival
with influences of
Victorian and Arts and
Crafts from its 1918 additions.
Simon Perkins Wolcott
started construction of the home at 450 West Main in 1863. Wolcott, a
noted politician and civic leader, entertained many at the home through
the years, including Presidents Garfield and McKinley. It was at this
home where Simon and his wife Mary Brewster raised three children,
including son, Duncan, who would eventually own the home.
Although there were some gardens initially present, it was not until
Duncan married Evelyn Daisy Lodge of Silver Lake in 1906 that the infamous
lilac gardens began to take shape. Duncan and Daisy were both
avid gardeners and they set out to build one of the finest home gardens
in the area. The Wolcott garden was far from a normal garden, it was
more of a series of rambling paths, terraces and stone walls, as well as
grassy lawns and flower beds. They purchased additional property to expand
the gardens.
In 1920 the "Lilac Gardens" began to take shape when Daisy received
a gift from her uncle, Col. William R. Plum. Col. Plum owned the
largest collection of French lilacs in the world .and he sent Daisy more
than 100 varieties for her garden. The Wolcotts carefully tended their
lilacs and added more as time went on.
When Duncan died in 1930, Daisy opened the gardens to the public.
The gardens attracted visitors from around the world. Daisy passed
away in 1955 and her sons continued the tradition for a few years until
they eventually sold. the property. The home and gardens fell into disarray.
In the fall of 1985, Stephen and Eleanor Zavodny purchased the property
and set out to restore the estate. At that time, only 70 of the original
lilacs had survived. The· original garden areas were cleared and
azaleas and rhododendrons were planted. A rose garden with a central
fountain was also added. After the passing of Stephen in 2007, Eleanor
and her son Robert continue the restoration of both the home and gardens.
It's a labor of love and far from complete. One hundred and
thirty one lilacs currently occupy the property, with at least 10 more
being added in 2014.
5
Patton House
Established 1902
529 W. Main St.
Once known as the Patton Memorial House, the family residence of
WW Patton, his wife, Harriet, and daughter, Emma, was built in
1902.
Among many community positions, Patton served as Kent's postmaster
and superintendent of Kent schools (1872-1878). Having studied at
both the Boston and Oberlin Conservatories of Music, Emma returned
to Kent to provide music lessons in her beautiful home. Upon her death
in 1939, Emma bequeathed the Patton House to Coterie, a ladies organization
founded in 1896. This "circle of friends," which formed
from the merger of a literary and a cooking club, was chosen to maintain
the property and provide space for community groups to gather.
Having served as the home for Kent State presidents Dr. James Engleman
and Dr. Karl Leebrick from 19 39 to 1942, the formidable front
porch and pleasant large rooms of the Patton House have welcomed
many area social events.
A lovely stained glass window provides a focal point at the landing of
the stairway leading to a large second floor which houses the family
who oversees the property. The decor includes many of the original elements,
from the hand-carved oak foyer, to the antique grand piano
Emma used to share her love of music with her students. Many of her
original furnishings remain, as well.
The home continues in the care of the 125 members of five Kent Co-'
teries who strive to maintain this historic dwelling, which stands, regally,
at the west entrance to downtown Kent.
This historic meeting site is available to rent for groups of up to 50.
Information is available by calling 330 673-5221 or Email kentcoterie@
yahoo.com.
6
Vaugha~ Gardens
129 N. Prospect St.
Home of
Gingr Vaughan
YIN (water) and YANG (rocks)
Rocks are the bones of these gardens; they are ever-present and dominate
in the serene austerity of winter. In warmer months water ripples
from the center of an old stone birdbath, plunges over a boulder-ledged
waterfall and drifts as mist from a secret source high above. The fish
who survived the past winter to call this watery garden home are a
hardy lot and include koi, comets and golden orfes.
Up stone steps, through two ancient red cedars, are a shaded wild
flower garden on the right and a rock garden on the left.
The rock garden provides an environment for a variety of plants as it
covers a bank which is half shade (just the ticket for ferns, hostas and
bleeding hearts) and half sun (to accommodate heaths and heathers,
flocks and thymes).
A redwood gazebo provides a cool, restful spot in the center of the
gardens and allows access to a culinary herb garden and a memorial pet
cemetery which is the final resting place for many cats and two beloved
greyhounds.
7
Kistler
A HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE
FIRMS IN KENT,
OHIO
AND THE REMARKABLE STORY OF 330.673.4818
Fuller
Charles G. Kistler was the first licensed architect in the City of Kent. He began
his practice here in 1920. When state licensing became available, he became the 170th
architect in the State of Ohio to achieve that credential. Kistler's designs include the
original Theodore Roosevelt High School, the movie theaters in Kent and Ravenna,
the Venice Cafe in downtown Kent, and the L.N. Gross building on River St. His phone
number was 673.4818. Kistler's career lasted until 1959 and he eventually went on to
practice with the architects Marine Cornachione, Robert Steuber, Kenneth Derr. and W.
Prentiss Brown.
Doug Fuller, a Boston native, graduated from the Kent State University School
of Architecture in 1973, and remained in Kent to begin his career. Fuller's license
number is 6,298, indicating that there had been 6,128 architects registered since
Kistler. Fuller eventually purchased the firm of Kistler's successor, W. Prentiss Brown in
1984, acquiring the phone number 330.673.4818, and becoming Fuller Design Group
for the next thirty years.
David Sommers graduated (also from KSU) in 1974, and became a registered
architect in 1979 (license number 6,340). He worked for W. Prentiss Brown for the first
5 years of his career before founding his own practice, David Sommers and Associates
(DSA), in 1983. When he moved his firm out of its original home bedroom office, he
moved into the very space where Kistler practiced architecture, the second floor of the
Hometown Bank Building (originally the Carver Block building built in 1889).
When Doug Fuller decided to become a member of the DSA team last year,
he brought with him the phone number that originally belonged to Charles Kistler,
returning 330.673.4818 to the DSA offices at 136 North Water Street where it was first
in use by Kistler.
A managing partner at DSA, Jeffery Meyers (license number l4,903) also a KSU
grad, joined the firm in 2002 and is positioned to succeed Sommers at his retirement.
Together with the current staff of 13 at DSA, he is very proud to continue the tradition
of successful architecture firms in Kent, Ohio, into the 21st century.
Sommers
DAVID SOMMERS & .t'\.SSOCfATF .. S, uc
'AHCBITECTUHE • PLANNING • lNJ'E'f.'<fOr{S
IJ-iui11_3 ,ShtifH! to 'Your Vi~on
136 N. Water St. • Suite 208 • Kent, Ohio 44240
330.678.6144 • 330.678.6135F • www.dsarchitects.net
ADVERTISEMENT
8
Meyers
THEBURBICK Cow ANIES
IS PROUD TO SPONSOR
THE KENT HISTORICAL SocIETY'S
TOWN AND GARDEN TOUR
Kent's Acorn Corner
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9
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Tour Sites
Esplanade
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1. Acorn Corner (Formerly Franklin Hotel)
2. The Landmark, South Depeyster
3. Clapp-Woodward home/KHS Museum
4. Dr. Krape/Bumphrey home
----=========== The Record-Courier ===========-
Proud Sponsor Of
THE KENT HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S
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1050 West Main St., Kent • www.RecorclPub.com
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Construction began in June
1919 on a five-story structure that
was planned to be the pride of the
community.
The Franklin Hotel opened on
September 8, 1920. The 16,000-
square-foot concrete and brick
structure featured 50 rooms, including
27 with separate baths,
a formal lobby, mezzanine, coffee
Acorn Corner
(Formerly
Franklin Hotel)
Established 1920
Depeyster/Main
Streets
shop, restaurant, ballroom, billiards parlor and barbershop. At the time,
the city of Kent was very prosperous due to other local development
and the expanding railroad industry. But after numerous changes of
ownership and financial hardship for several decades, the Franklin
Hotel had difficulty operating as a profitable business and eventually sat
empty for nearly 20 years.
Late in 2011, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Acorn Alley developer,
Dr. Ronald L. Burbick, purchased the building and committed to
renewing its historic character, adding some modern-day flare and turning
it into a viable mixed-use facility.
Dr. Burbick began by having the hotel placed on the U.S. Registry of
Historic Buildings. The restoration began in 2012, and the plan called
for restoring the hotel as closely as possible to the 1920s version with a
new minor addition within the footprint of the original building to accommodate
a new, modern elevator and interior staircase. In the spring
of 2013, the old Franklin Hotel was dedicated as "Kent's Acorn Corner,"
and is now home to Buffalo Wild Wings on the first floor and second-
floor mezzanine level; Kent Area Chamber of Commerce and
Marathon Financial Services on the third floor; luxury apartments on
the fourth and fifth floors; and The Secret Cellar Speakeasy in the basement
level.
11
The Landmark
210 South Depeyster
Established 2014
The Landmark at Kent is located in the heart of Kent's new
1 if the group could find a permanent site for it.
It is one of several known houses still standing in Kent linked to the
Kent family. Four other identified houses are the Clapp-Woodward
House, now the Kent Historical Society Museum; the Helen Parkhill
house, now the office of Attorney Ralph Oates; the home of Marvin
Kent, now the Masonic Temple; and the home of Charles Kent on
North Pearl Street.
May H. Prentice Home
KSU Esplanade
Originally located at 128 Willow, this
was the home of May H. Prentice, the first
female faculty member of Kent State Normal
School.
Prentice began teaching extension
courses in the fall of 1912, before any of
the academic buildings were under roof on
campus, and retired at the close of the 1930 summer session. When the
Memorial Gateway at the corner of East Main and South Lincoln
streets was dedicated in her honor, Prentice called the gate "a fitting
symbol of the college ... as an entrance into the larger life."
She died at home three weeks later, on Feb. 6, 1935. Her two
youngest sisters continued to live in the house, and Georgianna Prentice
took in student boarders until her death in the 1950s.
The May Prentice House will be the new home of Kent State University's
Wick Poetry Center. The university recently relocated the home to
its new Esplanade.
15
Home is where
the heart is.
Our heart has been in
downtown Kent since 1898.
MEMBER
FDIC
ff Hometown
Bankao
142 N. Water Street, Kent, OH • 330-673-9827
www.htbnk.com
Hometown Banking Since 1898.
16
"'
Thanks
Contributing Sponsor ( 100)
Ametek
Claudia and Jack Amrhein
Don and Jean Booth
Linda and Howard Boyle
Brimfield Insurance Group
Kasha Legeza-Burton and Jona Burton
Carter Lumber
Dale Adams Ltd.
Detect Alarm Systems, Inc.
Janet and David Dix
Christine and Bruce Dzeda
Kitty and Fred Endres
Escott & Company, LLC
Anna and Scott Flynn
Connie and John Flynn
Sandra and Henry Halem
J ance and Thomas Hatch
Jean and John Jacobs
McKay Bricker Gallery and Framing
M.O.M.S.
Sue Nelson Designs LTD. Inc.
Jim and Sally Myers
W.W. Reed Insurance
Ray's Place
Robinson Memorial Hospital
Carol and Jim Stroble
Betty Hejma-Sweet
Walgreen's of Kent
Williams, Kratcoski & Can
Wright Heating & Cooling
Special thanks to co-organizers Dawn Carpenter and Carol
Stroble, committee members jean Booth, Sandy Halem
and jack Amrhein, and book editor Lorie Bednar.
18
Thanks
Contributing Sponsor (100)
Ametek
Claudia and Jack Amrhein
Don and Jean Booth
Linda and Howard Boyle
Brimfield Insurance Group
Kasha Legeza-Burton and Jona Burton
Carter Lumber
Dale Adams Ltd.
Detect Alarm Systems, Inc.
Janet and David Dix
Christine and Bruce Dzeda
Kitty and Fred En
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 82, Winter/Spring 2014
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society Winter/Spring 2014
Number82
Town and Garden Tour returns June 7, 8
Kent is an eclectic mix of old and new, of
past and present.
In June, residents will have a special opportunity
to see this up close.
1he Kent Historical Society will host the
Town and Garden Tour on June 7 & 8, with a
special sponsors night party on June 6. The
tour will include a variety of unique historic
homes, gardens, and buildings in the downtown
and the West Main Street area. It will also
feature unique urban living spaces at Acorn
Corner.
Tickets will be 1 ,400 with a good portion of that going to
support the mission of Kent Historical Society.
KHS also raised 1,400, which will help support
the mission of Kent Historical Society.
The Brady Lake Park opened in 1891 and
remained in operation until the late 1940s,
when it deteriorated into a gambling and
nightclub resort.
veloper, Don Wilson Sr., rook over the park in
the late 1920s and led it during its "golden
age," Endres said.
The park eventually featured a figure-eight
roller coaster, a carousel and a midway. Campsites
and summer cottages were developed.
Big-name bands and acts performed, including
Cab Calloway and Rudy Vallee. Unusual
acts were brought in to draw larger crowds including
"aerial daredevils ," rodeos and horse
swimming acts. Bingo was added in 1938. In
1942, the park was sold to a group of Clevelanders,
who changed the focus to gambling,
which ultimately led to its closing in late 1949-
50.
Winter/Spring 2014
Sandy Halem steps down as KHS president
By Sandra Halem
This January, I retired from the presidency
and board of the Kent Historical Society. fu I
look back, I remember so much of the history,
both institutional and personal, that has
made this 40-year partnership so gratifying.
I was cleaning out my files and came across
an interview in the Record-Courier from
May 1977 which began with the following
paragraph: "Keeping Kent history alive is
Sandra Halem's hobby, a hobby that is keeping
her quite busy lately. Sandy and members
of the Kent Historical Society are preparing
to restore the Kent Railway Station."
At that time, I was a producer and writer
in the Television Services Department at
Kent State University, creating programming
for the newly opened PBS station Channels
45/49.
Our daughter, Jessica, was three years old
and my husband, Henry, was building the
glass program within the Kent State Art Department
from the ground up. His academic
appointment at Kent State was the reason we
had come to Kent in the summer of 1969.
We were newly married and anxious to find a
place to call home.
Loris Troyer, then editor of the RecordCourier,
had met my husband and I during a
1970 Town/Gown meeting held following
the tragic events of May 4th on the Kent
State campus. At that first meeting, Loris
learned of my love of history and convinced
Henry and I that Kent was a great place to
live and raise a family. It was the beginning of
a friendship that would last more than 40
years until his death in 2011.
Loris submitted my name to the Kent Historical
Society Board ofTrustees in 1974. I
would be replacing John Carson, who was
leaving to serve as county commissioner. I
was 30 years old and would serve as the first
woman, still unusual for membership on
boards of trustees. John Flynn also was appointed
at the same time, and Howard Boyle
would join in 1977 as the board sought to
engage younger members with skills that
would help in our 10-year quest to preserve
the Erie Depot.
See Halem, page 6
KHS board members in the spotlight
Amrhein new KHS board president
Retired teacher has served on
KHS trustees board since 1997
Jack Amrhein joined the Kent Historical Society
Board of Trustees in 1997 after being
asked by then-superintendent Marc Crail to
represent the school district.
Amrhein began his education career in 1980,
teaching at Davey Junior High, Stanton Middle
School and Theodore Roosevelt High
School before retiring in 2013. He also serves
on Kent City Council representing Ward 2.
This is his second term.
Amrhein moved to Kent in 1976. He graduated
from Kent State University in 1980 and
fell in love with the city and decided to make it
his home, he said.
Amrhein and his wife, Claudia, who is the
general manager of P ARTA, have two sons,
Joshua and Matthew and a daughter-in-law,
Raquel, who is married to Matthew.
Amrhein said chat although he has big shoes
to follow in caking the reins from Sandy, he
said he has learned valuable skills from her.
"Sandy has taught me to go with my gut instinct
and she has taught me to listen to others,"
Amrhein said. "She has also taught me to
think outside the box."
Amrhein said he always had a deep interest
in history and pop culture and has had the
Winter/Spring 2014
"privilege and good fortune to work in the
Kent Schools for some 33 years teaching those
subjects."
Amrhein's avid interest in pop culture helps
him to better understand what Kent was like
during the 1900s and how it has affected the
community as we know it today.
He hopes to continue to share his love of the
topic by hosting pop culture presentations for
the community in the near future.
He said his main goal, though, is to continue
on the same track char Sandy has taken, adding
that education, membership and preservation
are his top priorities as board president.
"History is important because WE ARE the
past: we are the sum of all the events - good,
bad, and indifferent - chat have happened to
us. This sum product guides our actions in the
present," he said.
Amrhein said he encourages people to get involved
with KHS to support the mission of education
and preservation and to assist with the
ongoing renovation and maintenance of KHS
museum's new permanent location at 237 E.
Main St. The museum has been located in the
historic Kem home for nearly three years. Amrhein
wants people to learn to know and love
the museum like he does.
"The Kent Historical Society is the caretaker
of the city's past. I love it," Amrhein said.
Sandy Halem resigned in January as
president of the Kent Historical Society
Board of Trustees. Jack Amrhein has
been selected as the new president of
the board. See story, below.
Friends look
back at Halem's
contributions
Booth
JEANBOOTI-1
KHS Board member
I have only known Sandy
well since I started volunteering
at the Kent Historical
Society a few years
ago. Over the years we
have spent a lot of time
in basements, attics and
storage rooms finding
and preserving historically
significant Kent artifacts. With Sandy
everything is fun no matter if it was a dirty
project like pulling weeds; a tedious one like
folding newsletters or a scary one like climbing
down rickety basement stairs (at our new museum)
to a damp dungeon (at our old museum
on Water Street.) A growing vibrant museum is
Sandy's legacy to Kent Historical Society. Although
Sandy has resigned from the board we
expect that she will continue to share her enthusiasm,
sense of humor and joy in life with
all of us.
See Friends, page 4
3
Halem from page 3
ROGER DI PAOLO
Historian, author, editor
"(Sandy's) like a force of
nature ... a whirlwind of
energy and ideas, but always
with a focus. She's a
great motivator. People
enjoy working with her
because she brings a sense
of fun to whatever needs
to be done. She decided it
was time that I had writ-
Di Paolo ten a book and she did so
much to make it happen. "Rooted in Kent"
would not exist without Sandy and Henry. We
started talking about "doing a book" in June,
she promised me that if I did what she told me
to do, it would be ready by the holidays. I did,
and we published it in early December 2009.
We sold 500 copies by Christmas."
BECKY DUNLAP
KHS board member
For countless years I have accompanied
Longcoy's third-graders on their walking tours
of the city of Kent. One of the students' favorite
stops was the Kent Historical Society
Museum. Sandy (or Mrs. Halem to the students)
would captivate and amaze her 9-yearold
audiences (and the parent chaperones) with
stories of Franklin Mills, early pioneers, etc.,
and show students some of the many interesting
artifacts housed in the museum (including
Martin L. Davey's desk from his time as governor,
antique wedding dresses, an early letter
with a Franklin Mills postmark, Haymaker
family tree quilt, etc.)
She made Kent's history come alive year after
year with the kind of enthusiasm a gifted
teacher wishes to instill in her students. Sandy's
eyes would shine and glow as she shared the
gift of the Kent Historical Society Museum.
Ending the tours, she would sit at the player
piano, pop in a roll of music, and her feet
would pedal to power the music that would
have students swaying to the beat as we exited
the museum.
Thank you Sandy, on behalf of all the children
you have helped educate on the rich and
varied history of Kent, Ohio!
AUDREY C. KESSLER
KHS board secretary
I remember the time after I first came on the
KHS board and Sandy asked me to be the person
to do the newsletter. We met about starting
up the publication. I was impressed with
Sandy's vast knowledge of Kent history. She
knew the information in such depth and detail.
She had ideas for the newsletter but was open
to my suggestions as well, including content
and the name of the newsletter. Her enthusi-
4
asm for the project also increased my excitement
about the work ahead. I felt honored to
be working with her and being able to tap her
expertise and wisdom about Kent history and
how that history could be expressed through
the newsletter.
SCOTT FLYNN
KHS board vice president
Everyone knows that
Sandy was a tireless and
passionate leader of
KHS, but what I'll miss
most is the sense of
humor Sandy brought to
KHS. She and Henry are
a hilarious couple. You
never know what will
come out of Sandy's
mouth next, which is
Flynn part of the reason the
KHS board is going to
miss her so much. Sandy joined the board in
'74, and left in '84. She rejoined the board in
'94 and became president in '04, only to leave
now in '14. I'm looking forward to her return
in 2024.
TOM HATCH
KHS Director
The entire Kent community has been fortunate
for Sandy Halem's leadership of the Kent
Historical Society and Museum over the past
10 years. Sandy's vision and articulate advocacy
has brought us acclaim and growth as she ably
helped us achieve our goal of collecting and
telling the important story of Kent's history
and keeping it accessible for future generations.
KASHA LEGEZA-BURTON
KHS board member
I always assumed historical
societies were stuffy.
And history? Never much
cared for the subject during
my school days. Then I met
local-history dynamo Sandy
Halem - and everything
changed!
In 2009 Sandy recruited
my husband, Jona Burton,
and me to volunteer as de- Legeza-Burton
signer and editor, respectively,
for our mutual friend Roger Di Paolo's book,
"Rooted in Kent: 101 Tales from the Tree
City." We (along with many others) worked
great together as a team to get a fantastic book
published on a very tight deadline. And I was
hooked on local history - and the Kent Historical
Society!
Not long thereafter, Sandy encouraged me to
join the KHS Board of Trustees - yet another
volunteer job I simply couldn't resist because of
her never.:.ending examples of energy, enthusiasm
and a heartfelt commitment to the preser-vation
and promotion of Kent history.
Sandy's youthful spirit permeates every aspect
of KHS - and it's the reason I constantly
find myself encouraging younger friends to join
our local history family with the catchphrase,
"We're not your grandmother's historical society!"
MATT METCALF
KHS board treasurer
Sandy's knowledge of the Kent community,
its people and history will be impossible to replace.
The size and the incredible state of our museum
is a direct result of her years of hard work
and dedication to the Kent Historical Society.
And now that she is no longer volunteering on
our projects, she better learn to keep her checkbook
ready.
JIM MYERS
KHS board member
Sandy, more than anyone
in the history of our
organization, has
PUSHED us to do more
and do better as a group,
encouraging others and
relying on the skrns of
others to make it happen.
We should all be grateful
for her being interested in
the history of her adopted Myers
home town. Since I as one
of the founders of the KHS, have seen her accomplishments
make others, who like myself
have helped along the way, seem "pale by comparison"
to what Sandy has done for us. The
"latch of Hatch," that is the hiring of Tom
Hatch, has taken us to a new higher level!
CAROL SfROBLE
KHS board member
I first met Sandy about
seven years ago when I
stopped in the historical
society when it was on
Water Street. There had
been an article in the
paper about the society
looking for new board
members.
So when I stopped in
to inquire about the open- Stroble
ing and to check out the
place (I had never been there before), I met
Sandy for the first time.
I was so impressed and inspired by her enthusiasm
for the society, her love of the history
of Kent and her passion for preserving it, I just
knew I wanted to be a part of this group!
I know we will all miss her constant presence
there, but she can be reassured that she has
been an inspiration to many others who will
carry on her work.
Winter/Spring 2014
From the pages of history
Fire destroyed Longcoy grocery 102 years ago
Store operated next day, was
rebuilt after Feb. 1912 disaster
The following is reprinted from a story in the
Ju61 30, 1952, edition of The Record-Courier as
the store shuttered its doors cifter 87 years of
operation in Kent.
In 1865 The Civil War had just ended when
a new grocery store and meat business was
started in Kent. Today, after 87 years'
continuous service to the community under the
same name, the store has gone out of business.
The Longcoy grocery store is no more. The
store that has carried the name "Longcoy" for
87 years, serving many of the old-time
Kentites, has sold its stock and fixtures.
***
THE STORE was started in 1865 by David
Longcoy with his twin sons, Frank and Francis
as partners. It continued that way until 1876
when Frank pulled out and went to Iowa. Soon
afterward, the market was moved from its
original location at the corner of Main and
River Sts. to 124 S. Water St.
Frank returned to Kent in 1889 and, with
his brother, handled the store until 1902.
Then, Harry C. Longcoy, son of Frank, bought
the store along with WA. Sparror.
It was during the tenure of these owners that
disaster struck. Early Sunday morning on
Lincoln's birthday in 1912 fire broke out and
destroyed the store.
H.C. Longcoy, aided by his employees,
worked all day obtaining a new stock and
business was resumed as usual Monday
morning in an adjoining room.
In 1917 Harry Longcoy bought out Sparror's
interest and became sole owner. He continued
in possession until 1946 when he sold to Harry
De Voe, who operated the store for a year and a
half under the Longcoy name.
***
ON DECEMBER 1, 1947, David B.
Longcoy, cousin of Harry Longcoy, bought the
store and carried on in the family tradition
until July 19. That date was the last business
Tour, from page 1
the Masonic Temple, the Clapp-Woodward
House (KHS Museum), the Franklin Hotel,
the May Prentice House (new home of the
Wick Poetry Center), the former Lilac Gardens
of Daisy Wolcott, and several other gardens
and historic homes where prominent figures
from Kent's early days lived.
One of the featured houses is the home and
Winter/Spring 2014
A fire in 1912 destroyed the Longcoy grocery store at 124 S. Water St. It was rebuilt and
continued operating until 1952.
day for the Longcoy grocery.
H. C. Longcoy expressed a desire and a hope
that the store could have continued for 100
years. But in this modern day of constant
change and movement, tradition has been
overcome by practicality.
Dave, whose health was the primary reason
for the selling, said, "It was unfortunate that it
fell to me to end the st
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 110, Spring 2024
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter ofthe Kent Historical Society Spring, 2024
Number 110
Finding balance between growth and preservation
West Main Street presents cooperative opportunity
Howard T. Boyle
KHS Board of Trustees
We are all aware, ifyou have studied anything about our city, that Zenas Kent was a generational influence on our city.
We think ofhim as a wealthy landowner and merchant, born in Connecticut in 1786, who through shrewd business dealings and perseverance came to own the vast majority of Franklin Township.
His son Marvin first worked for his
father in the family dry goods store in
Ravenna, then settled in the up-and-coming
community of Franklin Mills (later
named Kent in Marvin's honor). He likely
came with his father's blessing to oversee
properties and investments the family had
made there.
Zenas remained in Ravenna and didn't
move to Franklin Mills, Kent, until 1851.
Zenas Kent, son Marvin Kent, both built homes in vicinity of other prosperous men; Zenas in Cleveland, his son in Kent. In, this article, Howard Boyle looks at the historical significance of these men and their mansions on Euclid Avenue of Cleveland and West Main Street of Kent, Ohio.
He closed his dry goods store to concentrate more on his real estate investments in and around this new and progressive city.
He built a house at the top of the hill on East Main Street at the Northwest corner of DePeyster Street, where the Kent Stage is today. He made it their family home in Kent for the rest ofhis life.
These are all facts that have been widely known for years to historians and anyone interested in our community's past. What most people don't know is that in 1858 Zenas and his wife Pamelia built a grand mansion on Cleveland's Euclid Avenue.
Once discovering that, I wanted to know where. See Legacies, page 2
2025 brings 150th anniversary of Depot's opening
Celebration plans in progress
Sandra Halem
KHS President Emeritus
In 1971 the Kent Historical Society was founded. Its first mission was to help preserve the historic Erie Depot for the community. It would take nearly ten years for KHS to purchase the Depot, find an architect with a plan for saving it, and finally secure a suitable tenant to ensure that there would be a good use for it and a financial base for its preservation.
Since then, it has become one of the most important buildings in Kent -and probably one of the most photographed! Next year, the Kent Historical Society will lead the community in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Depot's opening on June 1, 1875. A committee has been working on plans for some celebratory activities. Some will be educational or historical and some just meant to be fun for all ages. It will be a great time for the city of Kent to come together.
We want to collect stories, photos and films from the Depot or railroad yards when they were in operation. Ifyou or someone in your family has a story to tell
about working for the railroad or
has any historical photos of the
railroad yards or Depot prior to
1970, we would love to talk to
you and share what you have.
We have already videotaped an oral history of a former worker from the Kent railroad yards and we hope to get more from others.
Announcements will be coming this
Waiting at the Depot freight house under annex awning (ca. 1900).
Fall about Depot and railroad centered activities. Ifyou would like to help us, please send your name, email or phone number,
and a brief statement about your interest in volunteering to . ___ _______ ___ _ _
KENT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MUSEUM
-:·_.;·Tlie Kent Historian .. is,a p-ublicatio·n ofthe
·Kent-Historical Society.: ·The Mission of~he Kent Historicat 'Societff! t~,,b~:the frinJary .Kent -" history',re!ource;and reference center, =l/lffling the coi1f!:munity -in the col~ec-'.
ti,on; f reservd#(m, and interpreta-·t~gn•of/f.ent's ~rr#age._1he·~ociety offers eaucationalprograms _to . _ ·schq_ols;i.busi,:z~sses a1Jd civic.: organi: .
" ._ 1! ,,_7 -.., :.. ~' ;. ;i, ~ > • ..(. ' :
·zattons. · : . _ .. ,, · . __..,. .. -Board ofTmstees
, ' .,..~,., ~~•. .. . ·~
,.·.. ~ ·JkkAnfrhein, :President ·
: · ,: Scoti Flynn, Vi~e President ·:'( ~~bl St;~hie, Vice .President ~;~ "' Matt Metcalf, Treasurer
: i udtef Cieli~s~-Kessler, Secretary . _·J~~-~~ooth_ .~ Howard Boyle ~ -_R~~~cca Dunlap . Doug Fuller
Torn HatGl;i _
Maggie Mckendry::
:. Ji111_-J\1yers Esther Thatcher
Uire~or
·-J~lii,K;n~orthy , . -_ . :-, Staff ,~-.B~~gt c;orge, A,dmin. &st. .:.. -.E~,ho Mall~o_,:C9llections Mgr.:•
•
1 \_'Cwyn~ili·Stine, Co~. & Puhl. Spec'.' :
· ·eonJ~td<en~:~s~~ii~ Society:
·-237 E. -Main St:,-Kent, Ohio 4424(>., _ Ph6ne: 330-.678-2712
-;[email protected]
..,.Website: www.kentohiohistory.org
·Facebook: www.facebook.com/KentHis-. toricilSo~f~ty •
, _'Muse~ Hours: Frjdays and S~turdays, 10 a~m. to_2 p.m. Also by
appointment.
Legacies, from page 1 If you have ever been to Cleveland's Playhouse Square, you have been to ZeZenas
Kent and Cleveland's Euclid Ave.
nas' s home, or at least to the land of hisCleveland was the center of commerce
home.
as well as the arts and fine culture for
----------------------~, Driving up 14th
1 Street to the light and glancing just slightly to the right you would have seen the beautiful sandstone Tuscan style villa of Zenas and Pamelia Kent.
Built in 1858 by Irish immigrant William McIntosh, a popular Euclid Avenue builder, and designed by the New York
L.._______
_
architectural firm of
Thomas and Sons, itanyone living between New York City and was a showplace.
Chicago. Euclid Avenue was New York's The home featured a large elegant recepFifth
Avenue and Paris's Champs-Elysees tion hall, parlor, dining room, bedroom
all rolled into one place. At the time, living and bath on the first floor as well as seron the Avenue was the place to show the vants' quarters, kitchen and laundry in the
world that you were a success. rear. Also, to the rear were the stables and
Only 35 miles from his real estate carriage house that were also a necessity ofholdings, Zenas would find a place to meet the period .
and socialize with the barons of industry and take part in the city's finest clubs and The sweeping open staircase was elegant culture. pine with carved doors and cornices. All
To what extent the Kents did all that the rooms had hot and cold running water. is still unknown. However, the house is The house had a central heating system and known and has an interesting story. See Legacies, page 3
Introducing our new Collections Manager
I. K rth and Information Science degree at
By Ju 1e enwo y K S U . .
ent tate mvers1ty.
KHS Director
On her passion for the field of We are pleased to introduce our museum collections, Echo says, "I
newest addition to the "behind the like connecting objects with hisscenes" team, Collections Manager tory. It's like a puzzle. What is this Echo Malleo. thing and how can I find out evShe
joined us spring
-===.....,..,.., erything about it and of 2023 with the fo
how does it fit into the cused role of organizgrand
scheme of things. ing and documenting In the short time our vast collection of Malleo has been with artifacts.
us, she has already She first came to
made great strides in Kent in 2009 to study
cataloging and cleaning at the university, where
up our physical storageshe earned an underand
digital database.
graduate degree then Our goal to make our an MA in Art History collections accessible
in 2023, and is curonline is far more atrently
working towards
'-----------"--=-="-'-'--_t.._____.c:__::__ ___:...J
tainable with Echo on a Master of Librar
Collections Manager Echo Malleo board.
Spring 2024
2
Legacies, from page 2 sons' home, as well as John Getz's home, on Euclid Avenue. Hats off to Marvin a cupola on the roof from which you could is now the location ofMain Street Auto for not following his father in moving toRepair. The Kent Court House was where Cleveland. Also, thanks to the Masonic
see all the way to the lake and downtown as well as the entire neighborhood. the Tim Parsons house once stood. All of Lodge for taking such good care ofthethese are examples ofcreative destruction. home since purchasing it in 1923 from the
Unfortunately, Zenas and Pamelia did
A growing city should grow from the William Kent estate.
·not live long enough to truly enjoy their
center oftown outward, but that doesn't West Main Street should only get better.
magnificent home. Pamelia died in Kent
mean that preservation ofpreviously hisI would recommend that the property
in October of 1864. Zenas moved back
toric areas is not meaningful or desirable. owners combine and form a homeowner's
to Kent after Pamelia's death and died in
We have been able to save the four association to preserve what they have
October of 1865.
Queen Anne style homes on the north and petition for improvements that wouldIn 1865 his house on the Avenue was side ofEast Main Street which includes enhance the livability and property valuessold to Samuel L. Mather. His family the Kent Historical Society Museum, with in the area. People are fixing the homes uplived in the home and saw much ofthe adaptive reuse. They are stately and, for the and turning them into family living as theygrandeur ofEuclid Avenue. Samuel's son most part, still appealing and handsome. were built. William lived in the house with his mother And so, it goes, or does it? The homes are for the most part reauntil 1909. It was then demolished for My concern now is West Main Street. It sonably priced and with improvementsfurther commercial development ofEuclid is for the most part untouched by developand updates, they become very desirableAvenue, as were all the once priceless grand ment or creative destruction. A couple of single-family homes in Kent's hottesthomes ofanother time. examples ofconcern were the destruction neighborhood. Some improvements to theof the Farnam/Graham home at the corner infrastructure, such as period lighting and
Kent City's West Main Avenue
The story ofCleveland's Euclid Avenue ofMain and Mantua Street for use as a gas street trees, could go a long way to identifystation. its historic nature.
is a sad story for preservationists but in The later destruction ofthe Scott WilWith the proper enthusiasm and coopeconomics
we describe what happened there as creative destruction. It is in many liams-Ira Harriff home west ofChestnut eration, almost anything is possible. I hope areas unavoidable, and it is evident here in Street was another blow to the street. It is to see it all come together someday. Let's Kent as well. now a grouping ofapartments, and while not let what happened to Euclid Avenuecertainly useful and desirable, they could happen to our great city.
Our first grand homes were close to town, due to their easy walking distance never replace the grandeur ofthe original Now is the time to begin our efforts. Let
to the businesses that were growing in our home. this be a call to action! central city. Most ofthe merchants and While not all the homes on West Main Editor's note: Our thanks to Howard businessmen ofthe era lived in them. Street are historically significant, many are. Boyle (below) for contributing this Charles H. Kent's home on the corner of West Main Street is Kent's Euclid Avenue. It article.
Main and Depeyster Street, now the Fireis ironic that, as with the Playhouse Square Boyle has been, area ofEuclid Avenue, both were anchored and continues to be,
stone store, as well as John Getz's home by a home occupied by the Kent family: a staunch supporter
across the street. Doctor J. W. Shively's
Zenas in Cleveland and Marvin in Kent. ofhistorical
home, formerly the home ofZenas, is now
preservation and the
Marvin's home is perhaps the only home
the site ofthe Kent Stage at the corner of
mission ofthe Kent
in Kent that would have been at home
Main and Depeyster Streets. Edward Par-
Historical Society.
Spring 2024
3 Artifact Bengt George comes across manyfascinating artifacts ofKent history as he works in KHS Museum's varied collection. Here, he delves deeper into the background o an item from a current exhibit.
Spotlight
Medical instrument journeys through time, place to Kent
Leitz earned a reputation as potential trouhelping hundreds ofJewish employees and
By Bengt George
blemakers in the state's eyes. their families safely flee Germany, even
KHS Administrative Assistant
assisting in securing similar work in cities
Nevertheless, company head Ernst Leitz
As one would expect from a museum as far away as New York in the US.
II and his daughter Dr. Elsie Kuehn-Leitz
oflocal history, most ofour artifacts tell a
spent much ofthe 1930s and early 1940s The company is still in operation today,
purely local story-one that ties directly to
having rebranded as Leica in 1986 and
the unique development ofKent and the
pivoting towards the manufacture of
lives ofits citizens. For this issue's Artifact
high-quality camera lenses.
Spotlight, however, we wanted to feature So why a German microscope in a
an artifact with a story that begins halfway across the world and is connected to Northeast Ohio history museum? Well, one ofthe most studied periods ofglobal as we learned while creating this exhibit, many doctors and pharmacists themhistory.
selves are prolific collectors of medical
In the corner ofour exhibit on pharantiques.
The Ernst Leitz microscope was
macies and medicine in Kent, there is a
owned by Dr. Walter Lang, the longmicroscope
inside a raised display case.
time pediatrician in Kent fondly rememThis
antique instrument ofbrass and glass
bered by generations oflocal families.
was manufactured in 1929 by the Ernst Leitz company ofWetzlar, Germany. This piece, along with a wide array ofsimilar artifacts, came as a generous
It was not long afterwards that their
donation by his daughter Julie. We
leading optical scientist Max Berek ran
are happy to preserve and display the
afoul ofthe rising Nazi party for refusing microscope, as a reminder of the jourto
cooperate with the new government. neys a physical object can have and the
He was stripped ofhis qualifications
depth ofstories it can hold.
( though they were restored in 1946) and
Pioneer Cemetery spring
cleanup details announced
Informative Meeting at KHS, 1111,111111,1111 May 9th at 5 p.m. Rocl~RIIICleanup at cemetery, May 19th from 2-4 p.m.
Congratulations to Chas Madonio! (photo, left) Also, we thank all ofyou who have purchased one, two, · or even more, copies! And, yes, you can still purchase through the online shop See more about Pioneer Cemetery on
(https://kentohiohistory.org/shop). our website: https://kentohiohistory.org/
Spring 2024
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 92, Fall 2017
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
lhe Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society Fall 2017
Number 92
Coming soon: 'A Postcard Portrait of the Tree City'
Over 130 color postcards bring Kent's history to life in KHS's new book by Roger Di Paolo
By Kasha legeza-Burton
KHS Trustee
Looking for a unique holiday gift for
fans of both Kent and nostalgia? The
Kent Historical Society Press has got you
covered with the publication of its newest
book, "Greetings from Kent, Ohio: A
Postcard Portrait of the Tree City" by KHS
Historian in Residence Roger J. Di Paolo!
The full-color, 92-page book featuring
more than 130 photographic images of
landmarks in Kent, Twin Lakes and Brady
Lake will be priced at 13,200 to assure that the village
met these requirements. The school needed
to be accessible by rail from any of the 22
counties it would primarily serve. With
the beautiful Erie Depot, this was an easy
requirement to meet.
William S. Kent was willing to donate
a large tract of land for the campus, filling
the requirement that land be available for
the school. In fact, after Kent was chosen
as the site and a board of trustees was appointed,
one of the first orders of business
was to name the school Kent State Normal
School in honor of William Stewart Kent.
The school's first president, John McGilvery,
saw that there was a desperate
need for trained teachers. So, before any
buildings were completed on campus, he
organized "extension classes" that allowed
teachers to complete their academic courses
while still teaching in their community
schools, then come to Kent for the summer
term. This new program started on Oct. 1,
1912, with 849 students attending classes
in 22 centers. Instruction on the main
campus began on May 19, 1913, after
classes in the rural schools were over. The
second summer session that year started on
June 16, when the urban schools completed
the school year.
It is likely that the picture was taken at
the second annual spring Extension Day
celebration. Dr. Shriver describes the first
celebration as such: "On the appointed
day, a crowd of nearly 3,000 (including an
estimated 1,000 extension students) gath-ered
in front of 'Walden Hall' (now Lowry
Hall) to hear the songs of the Normal
Glee Club ... The program was capped by
an impressive May pole dance featuring
eighty-four Normal girls in flowing white
gowns." If the second celebration followed
the traditions of the first, this would explain
the white dresses and the large crowd.
Why children in the picture? One of the
requirements to have a normal school in
your community was "an ample supply of
students for the proposed model training
school." The pictured children would have
been students enrolled in the training
school.
A point of personal pride: My mother's
cousin, Agnes Allmon, attended classes in
Kent that summer!
Today, Kent State University has seven
regional campuses, six academic centers in
the United States and four worldwide.
book signings by
. Residence Roger Di Paolo
Fall 2017
KHS documenting local architect Kistler's buildings
By Kasha Legeza-Burton
KHS Trustee
Do you live in a Charles Kistler house?
Work in a building designed by Kent's first
licensed architect? If so, the Kent Historical
Society would love to make note of
it on a "Kistler Registry" being created
to document the many Portage County
structures he designed from cl 920 through
the early 1960s.
The remarkable career of Charles Grover
Kistler (1885-1968) will be spotlighted
when KHS resumes its ''All About Kent"
speaker series in late January with a presentation
by Kent architect Doug Fuller
and KHS Historian in Residence Roger Di
Paolo. The free event will be held at at the
Kent Free Library.
The self-taught architect whose career
spanned nearly 50 years is credited with
designing numerous Kent landmark structures.
Among them are Starbucks Coffee
(long known as Capt. Brady's/Brady's
Cafe), 436 E. Main St.; Venice Cafe, 163
Franklin Ave.; The Kent Stage (formerly
Kem Theatre Block), 175 E. Main St.; the
former U.S. Post Office, 123-125 S. Water
St.; the L.N. Gross Co. building (formerly
Dale Adams Enterprises, now On Us Aqua
LLC), 315 Gougler Ave.; the Bissler Fur-
Fall 2017
niture building (now offices), 265 Gougler
Ave.; the former Ferrara's Market, 389 S.
DePeyster St., and the now-demolished
Robin Hood Inn at Main and Lincoln
streets.
But very few people realize there are
many Kistler-designed homes, too. "One
of the things we're going to talk about in
the presentation are some of the characteristics
of his residential projects," said Fuller.
"We believe he designed many, many
homes in the Kent area from the 1920s
through the 1940s."
A January 1926 Kent Tribune feature
article about Kistler stated Kent was "fortunate"
to have an architect recognized in
many parts of the state as one of "unusual
ability, having gained the prestige of being
selected to the exclusion of many older
firms to furnish plans for many of the best
public buildings, some indeed which have
attracted wide attention."
Those accolades came just four years
after Kistler started his own firm in Kent,
having learned various aspects of the profession
during the prior 16 years by working
construction for a railroad engineering
department, as a construction inspector for
a Mansfield architect and as a construction
engineer for Lamson-Sessions Co. in Kent.
Charles Kistler, c1931
The shocker: The Newton Falls native
never made it past the seventh grade, according
to the 1940 U.S. Census! In 1932
Kistler became the 170th credentialed
architect in the state after the Ohio Archi-
See Kistler, page 5
WWI
Exhibit
coming zn
2018
Do you have any World
War I photos or artifacts
to share with the Kent
Historical Society &
Museum?
We'd love to include
them in next year's
exhibit!
Please contact us at:
330-678-2712
or KentHistoricalSociety
l [email protected]
3
Postcard, from page 1
as community calling cards - represents a
moment in time. And put together in book
form, they provide a series of glimpses
of Kent's evolution from being a railroad
town into a college town."
The soft-cover book gives the reader a
nostalgic view of Kent and the surrounding
region, with each image annotated by Di
Paolo. The images are arranged into 14
chapters with names such as ''A River Runs
Through It," ''A Railroad Town," "Downtown"
and "College Town." Other chapters
spotlight Kent churches, public schools
and lodging, as well as landmarks in Twin
Lakes and Brady Lake.
Henry Halem, curator of KHS' entire
photograph collection, said even he was
surprised by some of the postcards shared
by area collectors after KHS issued a request
for submissions.
"There are cards we never knew existed,"
said Halem, the book's designer. "The ones
that were new to me are the Kent Normal
School postcards. I had no idea postcards
were produced in such volume for both the
Normal School and (its successor) Kent
State University."
KHS President Emeritus Sandy Halem,
who spearheaded the book project, said
Kent resident and loyal KHS member
Mark Yohe's collection of more than 200
local postcards set the template for the ven-cure.
Other contributors included Vernon
Mains, Linda Seeman and Bob Mayfield.
Henry Halem, who painstakingly
scanned hundreds of postcards for the project,
noted the great pride postcard-sending
Kentites felt for their town, its buildings
and various landmarks - particularly the
Cuyahoga River.
"The river is so important in these
postcards. You can see that it was really the
heart and soul of this town. Even more so
than the railroad," he said. "The bucolic
river and the power of its flow - the very
reason Kent was founded here - existed
long before we were here, and will go on
long after we're gone."
Halem also was intrigued by the Twitter-
esque notes postcard senders wrote to
their recipients. "So many of the messages
are poignant, even when they're just about
everyday things. They bring these people
back to life and you really get a feeling of
small-town life - of an age of innocence
that's no longer," he said.
Sandy Halem said she fell in love with
the personal "photo postcards" from days
gone by, many of which depict families
posed together or other sources of pride,
such as their homes.
"Today we're constantly taking pictures
on our phones and sharing them online
and via texts, and postcards were their way
of doing the same thing. These are family
photographs that they loved so much,
The Erie Railroad closed its Kent shops in 1930. Soon after, several of the buildings seen
here were destroyed in a fire set by an arsonist. The massive stone building shown on
this postcard remained standing. It has since been occupied by the Davey Drill Co.
4
The cover of KHS' new book "Greetings
from Kent, Ohio: A Postcard Portrait of the
Tree City."
they sent them away to have made into
a postcard to share with others," Sandy
explained.
The book, she added, will be a great holiday
gift for recipients both young and old
as it's chock full of wonderful photographs
that will revive memories for some, while
inspiring others to see Kent in a way they
never have. "This postcard book is a great
way to say, 'We love Kent and we hope you
do, too!'"
An excerpt from
"Greetings From Kent, Ohio:
A Postcard Portrait of the Tree City"
'1t didn't take long to write a postcard,
nor did it cost much to mail one.
Small wonder that the 'penny postcard'
became one of the most popular
means of communication during the
early 20th Century. Community calling
cards, immortalizing landmarks
and landscapes, people and places, and
touting civic pride, postcards captured
images of Kent from its days as a
railroad town through its transformation
into a college town and a postwar
suburb. They continue to provide an
enduring glimpse of the Tree City as it
once was, a trip down Memory Lane
when priceless moments could be
shared for a penny. "
Fall 2017
Kistler, from page 3
cects Board was created in 1929 requiring
licensure. And he was granted chat license
without having to take the state exam.
Historic preservation consultant Diana
Wellman ofNaylorWellman LLC, who
has extensively researched and written
about Kistler, has said "he became well
known and beloved for the character and
individuality in his designs, which date
from 1914-1963, with a diverse range of
building types and styles, most often of
brick construction."
Wellman explained chat "Kistler's designs
evolved with popular architectural styles
over time ranging from Neoclassical and
Colonial Revival co Mediterranean influenced,
Arc Deco, Arc Moderne and International
styles."
She wrote that Kistler's work also included
a substantial residential portfolio for
city leaders including: Kent Mayor Major
Smith, president of Lamson-Sessions;
Kent businessman and Mayor Hale B.
Thompson; City Council member Dwight
L. Parsons ofT. G. Parsons Lumber Co.;
City Councilman J. W Slater, manager of
Lamson-Sessions, and Arthur B. Babbitt,
general manager of Kent Machine Co.
The January 1926 Kent Tribune article
noted that Kistler had also designed more
than 30 homes "in other parts of the city
and suburbs," besides chose having been
built for the listed city leaders. Knowing
chat was early in Kistler's career and that
he continued designing homes through the
1940s, one can only guess at the number
of area residences he was responsible for!
Fall 2017
1'-.,:::?":,>t~-
-~ .~. . ~· . : :/! -
A Charles Kistler building that's been a beloved gathering spot for both college students
and townies since 1929 started life as The Robin Hood Tea Room and today houses a
Starbucks coffeehouse. This image of the building, located at Main and Lincoln streets,
appeared in the June 1929 issue of The Architectural Forum magazine.
Fuller likes the idea of KHS establishing
a "Kistler Registry," as the self-made man
was a "very significant architect" who contributed
greatly co the Kent (and Portage
County) landscape. Having information
about Kiscler's work gathered in one place
will be beneficial to future historic researchers,
Fuller added.
Those who know they live or work in a
Kistler structure are asked to email KHS
at [email protected] regarding its
address, year built and any ocher pertinent
details available. Those interested in
learning more about Kistler and characteristics
of his work are invited co attend
the presentation by Fuller and Di Paolo in
January!
A presentation on
the life & work of
by
Kent architect Doug Fuller &
KHS Historian in Residence
Roger Di Paolo
A free event at the Kent Free Library
in late January. Stay tuned for
exact date and time, and follow the
Kent Historical Society on Facebook
for updates!
5
6
Kent Historical Society
'!he Kent Historian is a
publication of the Kent Historical
Society, a nonprofit organization
that strives to be the primary Kent
history resource and reference center,
leading the community in the
collection, preservation and
interpretation
of Kent's heritage through
exhibits, educational programs and
activities. The society offers educational
programs to schools, businesses
and civic organizations.
Board of Trustees
Jack Amrhein, President
Scott Flynn, Vice President
Carol Stroble, Vice President
Matt Metcalf, Treasurer
Audrey Cielinski Kessler, Secretary
·Jean Booth
Howard Boyle
Rebecca Durilap ·
Thomas Hatch
Kasha 4egeza~§½i t?P-. ),,.
Maggit/lvfcK~tldry , . ,_,._
JimMyers
Still-
- Julie Kenw()rthy, Director-_
Amy Craft, CollectionSManager -~ ·
Membership Coordinator ·
Bailey Mulholland,
Publications Specialist
Museum Hours
237 E. Main St.,
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fridays and Saturd~ys -'~-
Contaq: .
Kent Histo,rical;~~ciety1;\/S }:/;0:;L
·- 237 E. Mai~ Sr. '' ---,_. ·- .
Kent, Ohio 44240
:,I{,33.b~~js:27\2
,,,_- :'; ;/;, \;,, . !¥iii~',_ t _·
Website
www.kentohiohi~tory.org -
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/
Ken tHisto ricalSociety
INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL
On Sept. 9 The Kent Historical Society
& Museum participated in Kent
State University and Main Street Kent's
collaborative International Festival. The
Clapp-Woodward house represented
"England" on the passport tour around
town. Guests enjoyed croquet on the
lawn, tea, crumpets and - naturally -
music by the Beatles. KHS Publications
Specialist Bailey Mulholland and Trustee
Kasha Legeza dressed as Mary Eliza
Clapp, who lived in the home during
the Victorian Era.
Fall 201
- …
