1,467 research outputs found
Achieving Cost Effective Conservation: ORES801 Case Studies of Optimization Application to the Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative.
No full textThe following case studies were developed as research projects of the ORES801 course entitled “Optimization: Models and Methods” taught by Dr. Kent Messer at the University of Delaware in the Fall of 2010
Minimizing cost for Municipal residential solid waste collection in City of Newark using Goal Programming & GIS tools.
No full textThe following case studies were developed as research projects of the ORES801 course entitled “Optimization: Models and Methods” taught by Dr. Kent Messer at the University of Delaware in the Fall of 2010
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
u)L , uf_---·~-J;
~OlbM J/wtteft,/
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
-• t ~ ~ . . 7"?·~ . ~
,;~,.,.
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
Kent Historical Society, Winter Notes 2009
No full textKent Historical Society
WINTER NOTES 2009
PLEASE JOIN US
Roger Di Paolo will be available to autograph copies of his new book, published
by KHS, which includes 101 columns from his Portage Pathways articles
for the Record Courier. This amazing book also contains more than 125
photographs from libraries, archives & private collections - some not seen in
100 years. This is a MUST for your holiday shopping list.
Special KHS member price 17.00
Author!
Roger Di Paolo
ROOTED IN KENT: 101 Tales from the Tree City
Published by KHS Press
New Book Launching Party & Reception
Saturday, December 12th 11:30-3:30
KHS HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Don't forget to stop by the museum for some special gifts! A list of items
available - including special discounts for KHS members - is included in
this mailing. Holiday orders must be paid for and shipped ( or picked up) by
Saturday, December 19th.
Books, cards, mugs, puzzles, aprons, maps!
NOW ON DISPLAY
1924 Player Piano (DONATIONS of piano rolls gratefully accepted)
Patchwork quilt from the collection of Evangeline Davey
City of Kent Model Trains
1831 rare stampless cover from "Franklin Mills, Ohio"
signed by George B. DePeyster, postmaster
WINTER VACATION
The Kent Historical Society will be closed from December 20th, 2009 to
February 3, 2010. We will reopen on Thursday, February 4th; call for special
tour or research needs.
Call (330) 678-2712 for more information.
Mary Ann Green, administrator
234 South Water Street. Kent, Ohio
www.kentohiohistory.org
(330) 678-2712
email: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Members Discount Order Form
Call or Mail your order Phone: 330.678.2712
Web: www.kentohiohistory.org
Kent, OH 44240 Free Kent Bicentennial T-shirt with order over 10.00 (s, m, I, xi)
Quan. Title @ Price Total
(New) Rooted in Kent, 101 tales from the tree city (By Roger Di Paolo)
30.00
Kent and the Great War, The Letters of Leo Bietz (KHS Press) 9.00
The Story of Kent (KHS Press) 8.00
Haunting Tales From the Tree City (KHS Press) 19.00
The History of Kent: Historical & Biographical, Karl Grismer 39.00
Portage Pathways, Loris Troyer 14.00
Vintage Aprons (limited quantity) 15.00
J *KHS Coffee Mugs 4.00
DVD - Kent, The Early Years, Historical Overview (KHS Video) 10.00
DVD - A Film by Roscoe Hahn, Kent & Brady Lake (KHS Video) 6.00
DVD - Made in Kent, The Fageol Bros. and Twin Coach (KHS Video) 3.00
Ship To: (Please Print) Total
Name: _________________________ _
Address: _________________________ _
Address 2: ________________________ _
City: ____________ State: __ Zip: _________ _
Phone: Email: ____________ _
Payable by Check or Credit Card:
Please charge my order to: __ Visa __ MasterCard
Credit Card # _________________ Expiration ___ _
Signature: _________________________ _
* Pick-up only
**Do not add shipping and handling if you're going to pick up your order at the historical society.
J (234 S. Water St.)
D Yes I will pick up my order at the historical society D Please ship my order
r ~' s Ti me t o Ce l e b r a t e !
You're invited to spend the season with
us. We have the accommodations for all
of your holiday parties. Make your
reservations today.
The Pufferbelly's 28th Anniversary week
is just around the corner. Be here for
our _9lassic anniversary specials
December 14·-18.
On Sunday, December 20th Santa Cl a u s is
corning to town early. Join us for a
Brunch wi th Santa and enjoy our Sunday
Brunch buffet from 11:00 - 2:30.
Corne celebrate Ne w Year s Eve with us.
We'll supply the noisemakers , hats and
balloons . At midnight we will have a
complimentary champagne toast. All
you'll need to bring is your
resolutions. Don't forget to
make your reserv a t i ons .
H~PPY HOLIDAYS FROM YOUR
FRIENDS AT THE PUFFERBELLY
·i-
~ . ·!- ... ... :
.--- ·- · ... ~- \~---~ !~l~ii~:0oi ,
-~
_1
,,.-....
r---
--- Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent, OH 44240
,,,,,--..,
Nonprofit Organization
U.S . Postage
Paid
Kent, OH
Permit #150
Open House
The historic Marvin Kent Homestead located at the corrw-------er of
Rt. 43 and W. Main St. will be open to the public on Sat rday,
March 21 from 2-5. Tours will be hosted by members f the
Rockton Masonic :Lodge #316 and are FREE to the public Cof-fee
and cookies vv-ill also be served.
)
The Kent Historical Society
Speaker Series Presents
'' All About Kent"
Noted educator and author of the newly published book
Politician Extraordinaire
The Tempestuous Life and Times of Martin L. Davey
Will Speak on
Former businessman, Mayor of Kent, US Congressman, and Governor of Ohio
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Doors open: 6:30 p.m. - Talk at: 7:00 p.m.
Where: The First Christian Church
Corner of West Main & Mantua St., Kent, 0 H
Light refreshments will be served
History of church and tour will follow.
Sponsored by the Kent Historical Society
2,34 S. Water St., Kent, OH
330.678.271
Applying Optimization and the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Enhance Agricultural Preservation Strategies in the State of Delaware
No full textUsing agricultural preservation priorities derived from an analytical hierarchy process by 23 conservation experts from 18 agencies in the state of Delaware, this research uses weighted benefit measures to evaluate the historical success of Delaware’s agricultural protection fund, which spent nearly 25 million.conservation optimization, farmland protection, analytic hierarchy process, binary linear programming, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,
The Kent Historian, Kent Historical Society Newsletter, Number 90, Spring 2017
No full textTHE KENT HISTORIAN
The Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society Spring 2017
Number 90
Questions about Kent's black squirrels answered
Local authors share book and activities at KHSM event
By Bailey Mulholland
Publications Specialist
Do you know how the black squirrel
came to Kent? Those who attended a
Kent Historical Society & Museum event
on Feb. 18 learned the history and even
some biology of this spunky rodent from
local authors Kathy Frazier and Deborah
Walker.
Frazier and Walker read their book ''And
Now You Know Too! The Story of How
the Black Squirrel Came to Kent" to an
audience of more than 30 children and
adults, afterwards engaging in discussion
and overseeing a variety of activities.
Attendees of all ages enjoyed munching
on squirrel-shaped cookies while making
bracelets, assembling pipe cleaner squirrels
and coloring characters from the book.
''And Now You Know Too!" is available
online and at Off the Wagon in Kent.
Bonnie Garrett, passionate KHSM
benefactor, passes alVay at 85
Bonnie D.
(Shepherd)
Garrett, 8 5,
passed away
Feb. 11 in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
She was born
July 24, 1931,
in Kent, Ohio
to Norm and
Vivian (Poulton)
Shepherd.
Bonnie was a
1949 graduate
of Kent State
University
High School. Bonnie D. Garrett, a generous
supporter of the historical society,
at an event with family. She is survived
by her sister, Barbara Meeker of Kent;
son, Robert (Judi) Garrett of North Richland
Hills, Texas; daughter, Linda (Harry)
Gurgol of Cincinnati; grandchildren, Chad
(Melissa) Garrett of Henderson, Nev., Ali
(Andy) Massingill of Little Elm, Texas,
and Charles (CJ) Garrett of Atlanta, Ga.,
Michelle (Brian) Gurgol Spegal of Hebron,
Ky. and Sara Gurgol of West Chester, Ohio;
great granddaughters, Peyton Massingill of
Little Elm, Texas, and twins Gabrielle and
Madison Spegal of Hebron, Ky. She is pre-ceded
in death by her husband, Charles
(Larry) Garrett, and sister, Bette Geiger,
of Raleigh, N. C.
Bonnie and her husband, Larry, were
employed in family businesses. As a newly
married couple, they had a 300-acre Hereford
farm north of Ravenna. Then Larry
and his father, Robert, built and ran the
first motel in Kent; the Eastwood Motel,
between Kent and Ravenna. Next, they
owned Garrett Asphalt, followed by the
Foster Bodman Co. in Akron. Larry was
also a pilot for the Davey Compressor
Co. and a volunteer sheriff for Portage
County.
Bonnie enjoyed her family, friends, traveling
and life at the lake. She grew up in
Twin Lakes and spent summers at Muzzy
Lake when her family was young. As
empty nesters, Bonnie and Larry enjoyed
boating with Kent friends at Catawba
Island, Lake Erie. They retired to Marco
Island, FL.
Bonnie was a passionate supporter of
the Kent Historical Society Museum. A
future gravesite service at Standing Rock
Cemetery for Bonnie and Larry will be
performed by the Rev. Julie Fisher of the
Kent Christ Episcopal Church.
Frazier and Walker share their book with local
families and answer questions.
TRENO
RISTORANTE
COMING SOON
In our next newsletter, learn
more about the new Italian
restaurant soon to occupy our
historic Erie Depot. Join the
historical society at the grand
opening later this year!
Author and adventurer Marvin Kent Curtis
One descendent of Marvin Kent honors the interesting life of another
By Kasha Legaza-Burton
KHS Trustee
How do you tell the story of a multilingual
World War I aviator-turned-prisoner-
of-war who went on to live a grand
life as an author, illustrator, a skilled
outdoorsman who mentored countless
young summer campers, a yachtsman and
a globetrotter who rubbed elbows with the
famous in 500 words or less? You can't!
It's the very reason Missouri resident
Mary Jo Johnston created both a Wikipedia
page and a blog website detailing the
adventurous existence of her great-uncle,
Marvin Kent Curtis - great-grandson of
Marvin Kent, for whom our city is named.
Johnston admits with a chuckle that researching
the life of "Uncle Kent" has been
her "passion" for the past two decades!
She believes the Chicago-area native's
gadabout lifestyle was a result of him being
held as a prisoner of war for several months
in Germany after the American 148th Aero
Squadron bomber he was piloting over
France was shot down on Aug. 24, 1918.
His killed-in-action death at the age of
27 - a report wired to father Charles E.
Curtis from the U.S. War Department
(mother, Grace Kent Curtis, died in 1907)
KHS Museum Hours
237 E. Main St.,
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays
and by appointment.
Contact
Kent Historical Society
23 7 E. Main St.
Kent, Ohio 44240
330-678-2712
Email
[email protected]
Website
www.kentohiohistory.org
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/
KentHistoricalSociety
- made front-page news in Kent papers.
That provided Curtis with a Mark
Twain-esque "reports of my death are
greatly exaggerated" tale to tell for the next
40 years - and he did! (Record-Courier
Editor Roger Di Paolo detailed this period
of Curtis' life in a Feb. 1, 2015, "Portage
Pathways" column entitled, "Marvin
Kent's namesake lived 40 years after his
obituary.")
Curtis' career as a professional writer was
launched in 1920 when he received a 1,000
in a national writing competition. That's
the equivalent of nearly $14,500 in today's
dollars!
From there Curtis went on to write and
illustrate five novels while continuing to
author magazine essays. Four of Curtis'
books are boys' adventure stories set in
places he loved living: the North Woods of
Minnesota and the Florida coastal islands.
The fifth book, "The Tired Captains," is a
historical novel based on a group of World
War I pilots. Qohnston and her husband,
Kelly, acquired copies of all five novels and
graciously donated them to KHS last fall!)
During his lifetime, Curtis crossed the
Atlantic 2 5 times and the Pacific once. He
lived in Paris intermittently throughout
the 1920s and it was there, while pursuing
his writing career, that he became
acquainted with numerous famous people.
One of them, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote
chat Curtis' "The Blushing Camel" was
one of the best boys' books he'd ever read
and compared it to works by Hemingway
and Twain.
Curtis spent more than 30 summers
at Camp Mishawaka for boys in Grand
Rapids, Minn., serving as a counselor,
entertainment director and, eventually, a
co-owner. He led 31 "Big Canadian canoe
trips" for campers through the Minnesota-
Canada boundary waters and also
introduced a sailing program that he ran
from 1937 until his death in 1957.
Johnston said that at the end of most
camp seasons, Curtis would return to his
winter home on Captiva Island by sailing
Photo: Mary Jo Johnston
Marvin Kent Curtis on his sailboat in Miami,
FL circa 1934. Curtis was the great-grandson
of Marvin Kent and was an accomplished
outdoorsman, well-traveled author and favorite
counselor at Camp Mishawaka.
the Mississippi River from Minnesota to
New Orleans. During the 1930s he competed
annually in a St. Petersburg to Havana
sailboat race, captaining his 32-foot
yawl "Marelen II" to a first-place finish in
1932 and third place the next year.
Many letters inherited by the family, as
well as stories gathered by Johnston, reveal
that Curtis' vivacious personality made
him the center of attention - whether at
the yacht dub, aboard a cruise ship, at a
Paris soiree or at Camp Mishawaka.
A man who knew him from camp wrote,
"Kent Curtis was the most unique person
I've known. Multi-talented, Kent could do
anything but add up a laundry slip: writer
(5 books), artist, musician (he played the
piano but couldn't read a note), actor,
woodsman, cook, sailor, expert in canoeing,
raconteur par excellence, but through
all his talents, the humorist predominat-ed.
He was idolized by more boys than
anyone else. He was the life of camp and of
reunions."
To read more detailed stories on the
fascinating life and times of Marvin Kent
Curtis, visit Johnston's blog website at
undekentcurtis.wordpress.com or en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Kent_ Curti
The Kentennial, Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society, Volume 39, June 2000
No full textA Note from
the Director
Thethreattotheintegrity
of our historic
infrastructure in Kent is
growing. · Despite being
on the National Register
of Hist9ric Places,
the arched dam on the
Cuya~oga River be- ·
neath the Main Street
bridge may soon be
nothing more than a
Built in 1836, it has
withstood many crises,
but it now faces its
greatest threat-:--pro_
posed demolition by
agencies who fail to
recognize ,hat historic
structures ~re equally
important to other concerns.
While everyone
warits a _clean Cuyahoga
River, is destroy
·ing our historic heritageth~
only way to achieve
that goal?
If you value Kent's _history,
I urge you to let ·
City CouncH know how
you feel -about preserving
the dam and its wa-terfall.
· ·
Loris Troyer Honored
If any one individual
epitomizes the study of
local history in Kent
and in Portage County,
it is Loris Troyer. A
noted journalist, Troyer
has spent much of his
careet providing his
readers with a chronicle
of our historic her-itage.
He is
the author of
the popular
b~ok,
Portage Pathways,
and
donated all
his royalties
from the book
to benefit the
Kent Historical
Society.
He helped to
found the
Kent H istorical
Society
and has
served . with
distinction as
a trustee
since the so- ·
ciety's founding.
On Friday, August 11,
2000, the KentHistorical
Society will pay
tribute to Loris Troyer
in a gala event to be ·
held at the Kent State
University Ballroom.
Continued on P. 2
Glass Goes on Sale Troyer ( from P. 2)
The Kent Historical Society is offering
a new line of hand-blown glass · Dinner will be 40.00 plus 42.50 . ·
,Non-member price 2.81 for Ohio sales tax= 20.00 plus 21.25
Non.;.member price 1.57 sales tax= 8.00 each plus 8.50 activities. From Scouting to football,
No~-member P.rice .57 from fraternal organizations to the
Ohio sale~ tax = ~-~7 Soap Box Derby, "Sport and Leisure
For more mformat1on, call us at (330) in Kent" is an enjoyable look into our
678-2712. community's pastimes.·
Ke nt enn ,al June 2000 p. 2
,___I
Laura Cheges. Retires from
Soard ·.
Long-time Kent Historical Society
trustee Laura Cheges recently re-
. tired from the Board of Trustees
after 11 years of service. One _of
Laura's biggest accompl.ishments
during her time on the Board was
the "Adopt a Pioneer''_ program at
the Pioneer Cemetery.
Our thanks go out to Laura for all
the time she invested in the Kent
Historical Society and for -all the
support ·she has given us through-
. out the years.
D O O O □ D □ □ □ □ □ □ □ 0 □ 0
: Hours: :
□ The Office is open Mon- □
0
- day, Wednesday, and 0
~ Friday from 10-4 ~
□ The Museum is open □
0 Wednesday and Friday 0
~ from noon to 4 ~
D D □ □ □ D □ D D D D D D □ D D
Membership in the Kent Historical Society
I
Name !
-----,----------'----+------------
Street Phone --------------- -------
City __________ . State _____ Zip _____ _
· Student
Senior Citizen
Single
Family
2.50
10.00
35.00
100.00
. __________ ......._ __ _
· Save the· Cannon! Fund donation of $ _ ___;, ____ _
Make Checks Payable to the Kent Historical Soeiety and send them to
P.O. Box 663, Kent OH 44240 · ·
Your continued support through ·your membership dues and through contributions helps us
maintain the day-to-day operations of our historical society and enables us to undertake
projects such as Kentennial. Thanks to all for ydur generosity.
' i
Kentennial June 2000 p.3
Kent Historical Societv
Board of Trustees:
Jack Amrhein
Howard Boyle (President)
Dawn C~upenter ·
· Ralph Darrow (Secretary)
Sandra Halem
· . JfmMyers
Reed Strimple (Treasurer)
Loris Troyer ·
John Weiser
Bill Wi.len
John Wunderle
Staff:
James F. Caccamo, Executive Director
'Lisa Mertel, Administrative Assistant
John Cheges, Museum Docent .
The Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box663
· 152 Franklin Avenue
Kent OH ·44240
(330) 678-2712
We wish to thank the following busi- .
nesses for their membership and in-kind
services:·
Ametek, Inc.
Baker Publishing
Sissier & Sons Funeral Home
City Bank Antiques
Copy Print
DaveyTree Expert Co.
Diversa, Inc.
DuBois Book Store
EMC Computers
Emerald Environmental
. Escott & Co.
Euclid Garment Mfg.
Home Savings Bank
Kent Offi_ce Supply & Business Machine
Land . 'O Lakes, Inc. ·
f>ufferbelly Ltd.
Ray's Place
Record Courier
R. W. Martin & Sons, ·Inc.
Seal Master Corp.
Shallenberger & Associates
Siefer Electric
Smithers Oasis
Sue Nelson Designs, Ltd.
Wright Heating & Air Conditioning
Nonprofit Organization
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· PAID
Kent OH 44240
Permit- #150
June 2000 . p.
Kent Historical Society Newsflyer, 2008
No full textKent Historical Society
Ple11se join us!
November 15, 2008
OPENING EXHIBIT
"Kent & the Great War"
11-2 p.m.
(,//1,,1..,.(,
,,~ ''J--7/'
More than 250 soldiers from Kent and Franklin Township served in World War I. It has been 90
years since this first great global conflict ended on November, 11 1918. Its effects on our community
included economic growth from the war effort, loss of life and lifelong injuries among those serving -
and the fear that the Spanish "flu" would sweep through our schools and families. bur exhibit
includes many artifacts from local families, which we hope will stimulate you to share your own
family's memories of those times. This exhibit includes artifacts from our own collection, as well as
from Kent State University Special Collections and the American Legion .
..
New Book Publication
"Kent and the Great War: The Letters of Leo Bietz"
Published by the Kent Historical Society Press
In the words of Stephen H. Paschen, Kent State University Archivist, "The World War I letters of
Leo Bietz provide not only a rare glimpse of an American soldier's experiences in wartime, but also a
snapshot of life in and around Kent, Ohio, during 1918 and 1919 .. . "
ON SALE NOW 15.00
Dedication of Loris C. Troyer Library & Archives
Saturday, December 6, 1 p.m.
Join us as we formally dedicate our KHS Library and Archives to Loris Troyer, author of
Portage Pathways, founding member of the Kent Historical Society and Editor Emeritus of
the Record-Courier.
The Museum will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 27 and 28.
Start your Holiday Shopping early
Holiday Shoppers can visit the Museum Store during our extended hours (10 - 3 p.m.)
starting Thursday December 4 thru Saturday December 20.
KHS will be closed from December 21 through January 2
We will re-open Saturday, January 3 at our regular hours, 11-2 p.m.
All programs and admission to the Museum are free and open to the public.
Call 330-678-2712 for more information.
234 South Water Street. Kent, Ohio
www.kentohiohistory.org
(330) 678-2712
email: [email protected]
KHS Member SurveY.
__ YES, I (we) would like to volunteer for the Historical Society.
__ YES, I (we) have some old movies, letters, artifacts or photos of our family or life in
Kent and events to share with KHS.
__ YES, I would like to recommend a speaker, topic or workshop for the Society:
Recommendation:----------------------------Please
include contact information for speaker at bottom of this form.
__ YES , I would like to contribute 94 to become a Charter Member of the "Loris C.
Troyer Ninety-Four Club" to help support our library and archives. My name(s) should be
listed on the plaque as follows below:
Name: ___ ......._iiiiiiiiiiia_ ......... ______________ ____________ _
Name: ---------------------------------
Check enclosed __ _
I will call for credit card order (330) 678-2712
Please make all checks payable to the Kent Historical Society. We accept MasterCard and
Visa in person or by phone.
Name:----------------------------------
Address:---------------------------------
City: _____________ State: ___ Zip _____________ _
Home Phone: ______________ Cell: _____________ _
Amount enclosed: _______ _
Please return this survey to:
The Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent, OH 44240
These contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Historical Society could use a few helping hands. Do you have any of the following to
donate that are new or slightly "used" or, make a contribution toward the purchase of these items.
D Thomas the Train set and play table for children center inter-active room
D Curio Cabinet to display ladies vintage accessories.
D Lightweight plastic folding chairs for meetings , classes & workshops (25)
D Picture frames of all sizes for historic photos
D · Outdoor benches that can be secured to the floor on the porch.
D Pop-up Canopy for outdoor displays
D Vintage telephone (wall mounted type)
D Archiva l supplies for protection of historic files, photos & artifacts
D Metal shelving for archival storage
D File cabinet , 4-5 drawers
D Electric stapler
D Laminating machine for archival newspaper articles
D Postage scale updated to 2008 postage
D Energy saving electronic light sensors for each room
D Door bells front and back doors
D Old Kent directories (selected dates) prior to 1950
D Archiva l book displays for Bibles, atlas & journals
D Any WWI letters or photos are also needed for our fall exhibit: Kent and the Great War.
In addition we would like a newer upgraded scanner for archiving our vintage photographs and a
small mini "flip" camera for filming our oral histories.
Please do not bring any of the above items to the Historical Society without calling first .
YES, I would like to help. Please accept my tax-deductible donation to put toward the above
requests.
Name
Address ---- ------ ----------------- ---- -
City _________________ State __ Zip _ _ ____ _
Yes, I would like to donate the following:
10 _ ___ 25 ___ _ 50 _ _ __ 100 ___ 0ther _ _ _
We also now may accept donations of stock certificates. Please call for more information.
up from the front room (main sales floor and meat counters) by the person assembling the order.
The orders were placed into collapsible wooden boxes of two sizes and placed, arranged by
rou te, close to the door opening onto a platform in the alley on the south side of the store. (Our fellow
tenants of the alley were Fred Bechtel and Ray's Place.)
The driver assisted in the assembly of the orders and loaded his truck, until all of the orders for
his route were filled then left. The other driver did likewise until his route was filled and he left. In
the meantime, if it was Saturday, the backroom people filled the orders for the other two routes and
arranged them by the door for pickup when the drivers returned.
If items had been missed, or there was a late order promised, we went back out to take care of
that.
After returning (on weekdays after school) we drivers did other jobs as needed in the store. Generally
we were responsible for cleaning out the accumulated trash from the basement and making a
run to the city dump at some time during the week.
Driving the routes and delivering groceries was rather interesting
and sometimes memorable experiences developed.
Mrs. Jones (not really) ordered a pint of oysters. When
I placed the pint can of oysters on the kitchen counter she
instructed me that she and Mr. Jones were from Maine and
appreciated good, fresh oysters and never ate canned oysters
and I was to take the can back and bring fresh oysters. I
took them back and Mr. Hammer, our butcher, instrncted me
that she would get %@##**++=@# fresh oysters, whereupon
he opened the can, poured the oysters into a pint bucket and
returned it to my hands. Upon delivering the fresh mollusks to Mrs. Jones, she thanked me and instructed
me again that she and Mr. Jones were from Maine and ... .
The next time I delivered groceries to Mrs. Jones, I could not resist inquiring about the oysters.
Whereupon Mrs. Jones again instructed me that she and Mr. Jones ... and that the fresh oysters were
certainly much better than canned oysters ... !
On one occasion I had a larger than usual load of groceries for my route and had stacked the
boxes 3 or four high in the truck. It happened that we did not have the passenger front seats in the
trncks to make more room. The top box on front stack on that side was filled with jars of baby food
and when I had to make a sudden stop for one reason or another, the box toppled forward, many of
the jars broke and I learned why babies made the faces they did when offered spinach, beets, and
the like.
As I continued as delivery boy and at times worked at various jobs in the store, I guess I inspired
more confidence from Mr. Longcoy and was given other jobs with more responsibility. I was always at
work on time and remained as long as needed and did not need much supervision. I even did some
of the purchasing.
George Hopkins was the produce manager and he and I got along well and I was always glad to
help him get the produce up from the coolers in the basement and placed in the counters in the front
of the store on Saturday mornings. (The produce, and other supplies that were kept in the basement,
were brought up on a hand operated elevator. The hand power was supplied to a large, endless rope,
about 2" in diameter and needless to say, it was not very fast). George was a large man, slow and
methodical, and a good teacher. He always called me "Johnnie" as did my girlfriend and other contemporaries.
After I came back to Kent and started in my medical practice, both he and Mrs. Hopkins
became my patients and I cared for them to the end of their lives.
That reminds me that by the time I retired from practice, I had delivered newspapers, groceries,
and health care (by way of house calls) to many of the same homes in the city. I consider that quite
a privilege.
2
(
Another employee, who later became my patient, was Frances Wagner. She was a maiden la<1y, a
devout Catholic and had worked at the store for many years. She was a sort of"jack-of-all-trades-;:. ndmaster-
of-all". She was a very hard worker. At times she worked in the little corner office and wnen
she answered the phone, she always said something like "Lung-kys." When Frances was working putting
up orders, we could hear, or feel, her coming up through the store by the pounding of her feet.
We had a "company" dog named Skipper at the store. He stayed in the basement most of the
time, partly because that was his place, and partly because he bit. He was a good mouser and had
the run of the store at nights. He and I became good friends and he even became trusting enough to
get on my lap and let me pet him. However, if I let him down too quickly or made a sudden movement,
he would bite me. I never scolded him, figuring he had started that for some good reason and
we remained friends.
Skipper met his demise when he was out in the alley and a lady came walking down past him,
and apparently unprovoked, he snapped at her. He had to be put down after that happened.
Longcoy's had always killed and dressed chickens and rabbits on site in the basement and was
still doing that while I worked there. I learned to do both of those operations and will spare the details.
Suffice it to say, it was unpleasant work, but at the same time it was a new experience and I felt
satisfaction in being able to be e ntrusted with the job as my total responsibility.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the jobs relating to the truck was to clean up the trash in the
basement and haul it to the city dump. In those days, "free goods" were offered with certain items
to encourage sales. For instance, we received a rather large shipment of glass salad dishes, square,
about 6" on a side and molded to give the appearance of cut glass. (Jean and I still have several of
those and they are often in use after 60 some years.) Those were to be given away with the purchase
of, say, a box of Oxydol. However, for various reasons, they did not all get distributed and they ended
up riding with me to the dump. I can't tell how many times in recent years I have seen those (or their
siblings) for sale in flea markets, antique shops, and second hand stores.
Friday evenings were frustrating because the store was open a little later than other days, closing
I believe around 6:30 or 7:00 and there was often a high school football game to go to and when
there was not, there was a date with my girlfriend. It seemed like I was always hurrying and always
late those evenings.
Saturdays were long work days at the store. H.C. of course arose and arrived at the store early
every day, but on Saturdays, because I was not in school, I got to the store at 6:30 or 7:00. If I greeted
Mr. Longcoy with a "how are you?" he invariably replied, "I was never better in my life!" There was
much to do and I seemed to do a little of everything, beside my primary job of delivering groceries.
After the deliveries were done in mid afternoon I worked stocking shelves or out on the floor.
Saturday was "clean up night" and my part in that involved cleaning the meat band saw and the meat
cases. The latter was a bad job because the trays had to be removed from over the cooling fins deep in
the recesses of the case, and the fins and coils cleaned using a solution of soap, water and ammonia.
The fins scratched and abraded my knuckles and the ammonia burned.
At one time, I felt that for the work I did and responsibility that I was given, I was underpaid.
I complained to Mr. Hammer (because he was a friend and I did not understand at that time that I
should have gone to the "boss.") One day not long after, Mr. Longcoy found me upstairs in the cereal
storage room and reached into his pocket and peeled off 100 and handed it to me, saying that he
guessed I had earned it and gave me a small raise. I was impressed.
H.C. fell one time and broke his ankle. He was laid up for a while and forbidden by his daughters
to go to the store. One day I took the truck up to his house on Park Avenue to put it in the garage for
the night. I put the truck away and walked around to where he was sitting on the porch and, trying
to reassure him, told him how well we were getting along. He looked very disappointed. I don't recall
what he said, but I hastened to assure him that he was badly missed-as he was.
After that injury, his ankle did not seem to heal normally and he walked with a slight limp. From
then on we could identify who was coming up the floor by his "clumping" footfalls.
3
)
Harry Longcoy, "Jr." was being groomed to take over the store. He was called into Army and was
kiLed in Italy and this was a terrible tragedy for Mr. Longcoy.
His rather favorite grandson, Jack Dreese, was recalled into the Air Force during the Korean War
and was killed. A nephew, Stephen White, whose father worked in the store as a butcher, was also
killed in WWII in 1943. Mr. L. never showed much emotion but we all knew that it was very difficult
for him to bear the loss of these fine young men.
In February of 1946, after High School and one quarter of college, I enlisted in the Army and
returned home in the Summer of 1947. I returned to college and continued to work at the store.
Mr. Longcoy retired in 1946 and sold the store to a gentleman who had called on the store as a
wholesale grocery salesman. Mr. Longcoy said, in a memoir, that " ... I sold it to the wrong person".
He had had little or no retail experience and before long Mr. Longcoy bought the store back and sold
it to David B. Longcoy. "Dave" (as he was called) was H.C.'s cousin, a grandson of one of the former
owners, and had worked in the store as a younger man in various capacities.
In the summer of 1950 I was home from Medical School after my freshman year and working for
Dave in the store. There had been a bakery in one of the upstairs floors and it was no longer in use.
Dave decided to remove the equipment and I was doing that job. It was hot, dirty, miserable work.
Dave had a daughter, Jean Ann, two years my junior, who I had known for several years and with
whom, a couple of years before, I had spent an enjoyable New Year's Eve. We had both been in serious,
but unsuccessful relationships in the interim.
One day when I was suffering greatly (or so I thought) from the heat and labor of dismantling
the bakery, Jean came to the store from her job across the river, to get a ride home with her fatl1er
later. She saw my distress went across the alley to Ray's place and brought back a beer, won my heart,
and we were married at Christmas time that year.
I became one of the family and attending physician to some and cared for H.C. in his terminal
illness.
Of interest to me is the fact that two of my good friends from high school days also worked in
downtown Kent grocery stores. Jim Lanham and Jon Sally both worked for the Acme store on East
Main St. Both went on, as I did, to become Osteopathic Physicians. Jim went into General Practice and
later specialized in Radiology in Summit and Portage Counties, and Jon joined my colleague, Don Ulrich
and me in our Family Practice. All three of us were inspired by and mentored by Dr. Nick Ulrich
and his son Donald. Dr. Nick was the Longcoy family's physician and a friend of Harrys'.
It is a small world.
4
Some Sketches
by
A Grocery Boy in Kent, Ohio
Dr. John C. Jacobs
About Christmas time of 1944, I was a senior in high school
and had been working at tlle Smith News Agency for George Smith
when I was offered a new job and went upstairs to work for the
Longcoy Grocery Store. Smitty's establishment was in the basement
of the Longcoy Store, on the Franklin Avenue side. I was about 17
years of age and it was during WWII and I had been driving for
George for some time and I was hired to drive one of the delivery
trucks for Longcoy's. Christmas time was a busy delivery time and
extra help was needed. As it turned out, it was more than a temporary
job for me.
Longcoy's was an old grocery store, had come down through
several generations, and was now owned by Harry C. Longcoy.
He was called "Mr. Longcoy" and spoken of, by his employees
as "H.C." He was a kindly man, an exemplary citizen, and a hard
worker of the first degree. He never scolded, led by example and,
I think, was beloved by all who knew him.
Longcoy's had two delivery trucks. A gray long bed panel
Dodge of about 1942 vintage, and an earlier vintage yellow International,
conventional bed. Bob Amick was the other driver. I
believe there had only been one truck on the road before I started,
though I am not sure of that. Ruby Bran was the lady in charge
of the little corner office on the main floor of the store, and every
morning she prepared a black purse, with a shoulder strap for us
to carry on the route. It had sufficient change that we could collect for groceries as we delivered them.
I think we only carried that purse for a short while after I started because by then almost all of the
delivered groceries were on a charge basis.
In the morning, Ruby and whoever else was close to tl1e phone
in the office, wrote the orders out on carbon copy pads and passed
them to the "back room". There was a vocabulary of abbreviations
for many of the things that were ordered. Some of them that Jean
and I remember are: "CC" for Cottage Creamery butter. "Sum" for
Sumner's butter. "Gbf" for ground beef. "C&S" for Chase and Sanborn
coffee. "Max" for Maxwell House coffee. "WW" for whole wheat
bread. There were many others because out of the hundreds of
different groceries tllat were carried, many were very commonly ordered
as staples in the kitchens of Kent.
Kent was divided into four routes for the purposes of deliveries:
SW, NW (including Twin Lakes), NE, and SE. Two quadrants were
delivered on two week days, and two on the other two weekdays.
On Saturday, the entire town was covered.
Orders were made up in the "back room", which opened onto
Franklin Avenue. It was pretty well stocked with most of the items that
would be ordered and those that were not stocked, were picked
1
The Kent Historical Society
Speaker Series Presents
"All About Kent"
Author & Editor of the Portage CountyTimeline
and noted Bicentennial Historian of Portage County
Will Speak on
Monday, Feb. 9th, 2009
Doors open: 6:30 p.m. - Talk at: 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Marvin Kent Family Homestead/Masonic Center
Built in 1884
409 W. Main St.
Comer ofWestMain & Mantua St., Kent, OH
• Light Refreshments will be served.
• Jeffrey Jones will play period music on the dulcimer.
• Pictures of a sleigh once owned by the Kent family and
reconstructed by the Portage County Historical Society
will be on display.
• Period photos assembled by John and Jean Jacobs from
the KHS archives will be on display.
• Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Kent (Bruce & Nancy Hansford)
will give a tour of their home following the talk.
• For more information call the KHS office.
Sponsored by the Kent Historical Society
2,34 S. Water St., Kent, OH
330. 678.271
The Kentennial, Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society, Volume 36, September 1999
No full text.waterpower: The
A Note from Genesis of Kent the Qirector
Over half of the lim- Often in studying his- As the importance of
ited edition of Kent, tory, we s.ee a com bi- the river's force be-
Ohio: the Dynamic nation-of f~,ctors that came clear, other en-
Decades has already produ~e an effect. For terprising spirits begc
been sold. We're example, without the using the force of the
proud of the book presence of water- · Cuyahoga's flow to
and feel that it is an power along the produce the energy t
. important r~c<?rd of · course of the Cuya- run sawmills and gris
our community's his- hoga River, Kent as miils. it was no arbi-tory
in the 20th cen- we know it today would trary decision to call
tury. never have material- our early community
ized. "Franklin Mills."
Currently, we are
working on two more One of the first actions The great flood whic
book projects. The the Haymaker family swept through town i
first is a children's took when they arrived 1832 destroyed the
history of Kent here early in the 19th original dam and de-scheduled
for publi- century to found the mostrated to the con
~ation at year's end. town was to dam the munity the importanc
river and harness its of flood control for iti
The other is a re- power, building the major power source.
issue of Grism~r's first dam in 1806. It The present dam wa
venerable history of was seven feet high, built concurrent with
Kent in a soft-back built out of stones, the construction of ti
format with a much- earth, and logs just Pennsylvania and
needed new com- above our dam today. Ohio Canal.
plete index, slated to Soon after, the first
be issued in 2001 . gristmill, a primitive Even after waterpoY
"corn cracker" was in was supplanted by
place. other forms of enerf
Continued on P .2
Waterpower (from P .1)
the dam and waterfall in the heart of the
community became symbols of the force
which helped to establish the settlement
on the river's banks that we now call
"Kent."
After the great floods which devastated
Ohio in 1913, the
dam , which
thwarted a
greater disaster
downriver, was
damaged. Karl
Grismer, in his
History of Kent,
tells us that when
some citizens
suggested removing
the o,d dam, " ... most people did
not like the idea of destroying the old dam,
which had served the community so many
-years .. . "
In 1924, a drive was launched to repair
the dam. Even though its waterpower was
no longer needed, it and its waterfall were
such symbol~ of Kent's past that a
community-wide drive began to collect
funds for the restoration . Almost 6000 in
donations were collected through a grassroots
effort and allowed for the work to be
completed in 1925.
When the Kent Industrial District was
made part of the National Register of Historic
Places in the 1970's, the waterfall
and dam were placed at its heart as symbols
of our town's industrial heritage. The
creation of the district meant that both the
national Trust for Historic Preservation
and the Ohio Preservation Office recognize
the area bounded by River Street,
Main Street, Franklin Avenue, and Stow
Street as being one of the nation's historic
treasures.
From the windows of our historical society
offices on the second floor of the Great Atlantic
and Western Railroad depot, there
is a spectacular view of the Cuyahoga and
the falls. Blue heron come every morning
to fi~h near the base of the falls. Humans
fish there too, and iri
a constant parade,
hikers stroll along the
~ ... ~ walkways. The ~-- ;-~ arches of the historic
. sto·ne bridge form
.... ,_ ._ .. , ·,! perfect circles with
. :~ , ~ .. : ~:.· ·,. , · their reflection in the i/J. · · ·:" > · :·· · riyer below. If you sit
~· · :,: an_d watch for any
length of time, you
can grasp the flow of history in the power
the dam represents. In the roar of the water,
you can near the voices of historythe
Haymakers', -John · Brown -Zenas ·Kent . ' ,
Marvin Kent, Martin Davey-imagining
these historic figures watching the water
flow over the dam which has served its
community for over one hundred and sixty
years.
Ted Sapp Passes Away
Trustee Emeritus and long-time supporter
of the Kent Historical Society, Ted J.
Sapp, died June 30, 1999 at age 89. An
alumnus of Kent State University, Ted was
a life-long lover of Kent history. In addition
to his service on the historical society
board, he a_lso served on Kent City Council,
the Board of Trustees for Standing
Rock Cemetery, and the Portage County
Board of Elections. He was at one time a
Portage County Commissioner.
Kentennial June 1999 p. 2
Coming-
A history of Kent, Ohio written especially
for children
(but grown-ups will like it, too!)
Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent OH 44240
(330) 678-2712
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
KENT OH 44240
PERMIT #ISO
·@~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:;;;~=~0,1
At Last!
A history of Kent designed for younger readers:
THE STOilY OF KElfT, OHIO
J" AM:E8 :F. l!Al!l!AM:O
Award-winning author and Director of the Kent Historical Society
For release December of 1999
50 pages, soft-cover, illustrated, indexed, this new history of Kent was written with children in mind but is suitable reading
for all ages. Hr. Caccamo is the author of many books induding Hudson, Ohio and the Unde'lround Railroad and The
Jtory of Hudson, Ohio. From the days before the settlers came, through canal days and the arrival of John Brown, right
into modem times, The Jtory of Kent Ohio presents the history of an Ohio city in a dear and accessible manner.
Non-members: SI 0 .. 00 plus .63 sales tax: total SI 0.63 __ Number of copies x SI 0.63 S __ _
Members: .50 sales tax: total 8.50 __ Number of copies x 8.50 ___ _
Libraries and other non-profit organizations 8.00 __ Number of copies x ___ _
Shipping@ __ _
Total Order S ----
Name ----------------------------Address ---------------------------
Phone # ( ) _____ __check here if you will pick your copies up at our office above
the Pufferbelfy Ltd. at 152 Franklin Ave. and save the shipping charge.
Hake checks payable to the Kent Historical Society and mail to:
Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box 663
Kent OH 44240
. .,
Thanks! Oral History Project Continues
bur thanks go out to long-time member and Under the g'u"idance ·of K~nt Historical Soci-supporter
Marjorie Woodring, who recently ety Trustee Bill Wileri , our long-standing oral
donated four scouting uniforms (Cub Scouts, history project continu,es. Qnce again this
Boy Scouts, Bluebi~ds, and Campfire Girls) year we will be using students from Kent
frpm th~ 1950's and 1960's. We plan to fea- Roosevelt High Scho_or as interviewers. The
ture these uniforms ·in next year's exf1ibit on Society is pleasea ·to continue its support of
sport and leisure in Kent. · · this important documentation of our commu-
, - · •., · · nity's past. ·
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
-
0 Hours: 0
□ ·. . □
□ The Office is open every □
·
0 Monday: Wednesday, 0
~ and Friday from 10-4 ~
□ The Museum is open ev- □
0 ery Wednesday and Fri- 0
~ day from noon to 4 ~
0 0 □ . □ 0 DD O □ DO O □ DD D
Membership in the Kent Historical Society
Name ---------------------------
Street Phone ----------------- --------
City __________ State _____ Zip _____ _
Student
Senior Citizen
Single
Family
5.00
15.00
Additional donation of 35.00
100.00
---------
Make Checks Payable to the Kent Historical Society and send them to
P.O. Box 663, Kent OH 44240
Your continued support through your membership dues and through contributions helps us
maintain the day-to-day operations of our historical society and enables us to undertake
projects such as Kentennial. Thanks to all for your generosity.
Kentennial June 1999 p.3
The Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box663
152 Franklin Avenue
Kent OH 44240
(330) 678-2712
Nonprofit Organization
U.S . Postage
PAID
Kent OH 44240
Permit #150
Kentennial p .
The Kentennial, Newsletter of the Kent Historical Society, Volume 49, Winter 2002
No full textTRIBUTE TO JAMES F. CACCAMO
by Ralph Darrow
Kent Historical Society director James F. Caccamo,
50, of Munroe Falls, died Saturday,
November 9, 2002, at home following an apparent
heart attack.
,
Born July 27, 1952, he was the son cfEmest
and Alice (Alboreo) Caccamo.
A 1970 graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School,
he received his bachelor's and master's degrees
from Kent State University.
Mr. Caccamo had been employed as the archivist
at the Hudson Library since 1979 and the director
at the Kent Historical Society since 1998.
He was a member of the Ohio Underground Railroad
Association, Friends of Freedom Society
Ohio Genealogical Society, Munroe Falls Historical
Society, Stow Historical Society and the Hudson
genealogical Society group.
He was the author of several books on local history
and the Underground Railroad. He enjoyed
researching local Underground Railroad history,
genealogy, collecting Wedgewood pottery and
pampering his pets.
Survivors include his wife, Brianna (Marion),
whom he married December 14, 1974; son, Jason;
and sisters Doris Braden and Christine Caccamo.
Memorials may be made to the Kent Historical
Society, P.O. Box 663, Kent 44240 or to the Hudson
Library and Historical Society, Special Endowment
fund, 22 Aurora Street, Hudson, 44236.
Jim Caccamo was a
great asset to the society
as well as to the community
of Kent. His efforts
to save the Kent Dam
waterfall were long and
from the heart. Jim always
helped everyone
with any subject of historical
research that
came to the museum.
Elementary students will
long remember the Kent
Historical Society from
the paperback he wrote,
THE STORY OF KENT,
as well as his talks at the
schools.
Jim will be greatly
missed by not just his
immediate family and
firends but by his Kent
Historical society family
& friends.
Coincidentally, two major
tragedies have hit Kent
on May 4th. In 1936 it
was the start of a strike
at Lamb Electric; in 1970
four students sue- ·
cumbed to National j~
Guard bullets on the
Kent campus.
DO SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
The Kent Historical Society continues to offer
many gift items, including hand-blown glass
inspired by the colors and forms of historic
glass produced in our area. Each piece is
marked by its creators at Hale Farm and
these designs will be marketed exclusively by
the Kent Historical society. We have bowls
and pitchers in these four colors: cobalt blue,
amber, green, and amethyst.
We also have other items to fill stockings: our
dark green coffee mugs illustrated with our
historic depot, our new postcards, and original
flour bags from the Williams Brothers Mills;
and don't forget our selection of Kent history
books, including the new edition of Grismer's
HISTORY OF KENT that we just released in
2001.
Our hours are 9-4 Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays.
Looking forward to your visit.
In the coming weeks the Board will begin considering
an appropriate tribute to honor Jim's
contributions. We encourage your suggestions.
Any donations to the society in Jim's
honor will be held in a separate account. We
will keep you updated on the search for a new
director and plans for the Kent Historic
Preservation Coun~il.
As expected for one who had become wellknow
to many for a mutual love of history and
heritage, the Kent Historical Society has received
messages of condolence and inquiry
about how the work of Jim Caccamo can be
honored.
We will have a display highlighting the career
of Jim Caccamo. Please visit the museum
and view a small part of what Jim had accomplished
at the Kent Historical Sociey.
The present display in the museum is THE
-------------------tLIFE IN KENT featuring basketballs auto-
DEAR FELLOW SOCIETY MEMBER,
graphed by the Kent State University men and
women teams. Featured with THE LIFE IN
KENT will be Christmas decorations with the
Harry Potter train running under the Christmas
Tree. Also, featured are three generations of
We are ~aeply sadened by the untimely death wedding gowns: Metta-Marsh-Kunsman 1913;
of Jim Caccamo, director of the Kent Histori- Leah-Kunsman-Bradstock 1943; and Unda-cal
Society. He contributed much in dedica- Bradstock-MacDouga/11968. These gowns
tion, time, ideas and enthusiasm for the Kent will be on display until late spring
community and beyond. We will also remember
his compassion, humor and humanity.
Fortunately, the direction and strong management
that Jim provided to the Kent Historical
Society will enable us to continue operating
smoothly and effectively in the coming weeks.
We are very pleased that Mary Ann Green;
administrative assistant to the director, will _1
continue providing us with her enthusiastc ·
and competent work as with our long time volunteer,
John Cheges.
Please feel free to call during the mentioned
office hours with suggestions, questions or
ideas.
PLEASE COME AND VISIT THE ROWE MUSEUM
AND SEE A SMALL PART OF JIM
CACCAMO'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
PLEASE VISIT AND SHARE YOUR
THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES OF JIM CACCAMO
BY WRITING IN THE "MEMORIAL
BOOKn PROVIDED IN THE LIBRARY.
Kentennial Winter 2002 ... p 2 .I" .
,
THE SEARCH HAS BEGUN ...... .
The Kent Historical Society Board of Directors are launching a search for a new director following
the death of our previous director, Jim Caccamo. The Board is seeking a candidate who will continue
the dedication and spirit Caccamo brought to the position. Jim's scholarship, interest and enthusiasm
for perserving our community's history will be among the qualities the Board will look for
in choosing his successor. In the interim during the job search, the Rowe Museum, owned and operated
by the Kent Historical Society, remains open.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The Board plans to have a new director on
board by March 1st. For information on the job positing, go to the website http://www.kenthist/
· aol.com, or call the Kent Historical Society at (330) 678-2712.
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0 Hours: 0
□ □
□ The Office is open Mon- □
0 day, Wednesday, and 0
: Friday from 10-4 :
□ The Museum is open □
0 Wednesday and Friday 0
D D
0 from noon to 4 0
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Membership in the Kent Historical Society
Name -----------------------------
Street _________________ Phone_,.,._-_____ _
City __________ State _____ Zip _____ _
Student
Senior Citizen
Single
Family
5.00
15.00
Additional donation of 50.00
100.00
----------
Make Ch€cks Payable to the Kent Historical Society and send them to
P.O. Box 663, Kent OH 44240
The Kent Historical Society depends on revenue from memberships to help sustain the society.
Please consider increasing the level of your support by moving up to a higher category.
Kentennial Winter 2002 ., p.3
.I"
Kent Historical Society
Board of Trustees:
Jack Amrhein
Howard Boyle (President)
Dawn Carpenter
Ralph Darrow (Secretary)
Margaret Garmon
Sandra Halem
Jim Myers
Reed Strimple (Treasurer)
Loris Troyer
John Weiser
Bill Wilen
Jq~n Wunderle
Staff:
Mary Ann Green, Administrative Assistant;
John Cheges, Museum Docent
The Kent Historical Society
P.O. Box663
152 Franklin Avenue
Kent OH 44240
(330) 678-2712
We wish to thank the following businesses
for their membership and in-kind services:
Ametek, Inc.
The Art Armory
Sissier & Sons Funeral Home
City Bank Antiques
Copy Print
Davey Tree Expert Co.
Diversa, Inc.
Doug Garmon Photography
DuBois Book Store
Escott & Co.
Euclid Garment Mfg.
Home Savings Bank
Kent Office Supply & Business Machines
Land 'O Lakes, Inc.
Pufferbelly Ltd.
Ray's Place
Record Courier
R. W . Martin & Sons , Inc.
Shallenberger & Associates
Siefer Electric
Smithers Oasis
Sue Nelson Designs , Ltd.
Wright Heating & Air Conditioning
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Kent OH 44240
Permit #150
Winter 2002 p.
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