Kent Historical Society Museum

08/28/2026

Henry and Sandy Halem will be giving one tour at 10:30 tomorrow morning- Saturday - if you want to take a trip around the Kent Historical Society with our oldest living artifacts.
PLEASE RSVP -- it will help us know you're coming. Leave or post a message.

08/25/2026

Hello everyone, we're following through on a bit of a longshot request but maybe you can help!

We were sent this photo of workers at the Erie Railroad Shops, estimated to be taken in the 1920s, and asked to reach out to the community to see if anyone could potentially identify any of these people.

Happen to see a relative you recognize? Please let us know!

08/18/2026

Reminder about this evening at North Water Brewing! We'll see you there

08/12/2026

Join us Tuesday, August 18th at 7PM at North Water Brewing for a very presidential Tap Talk!

Tim Garfield, great-great grandson of 20th U.S. President James A. Garfield, will speak about his efforts to preserve and promote the legacy of James and Lucretia Garfield and their northeast Ohio family through advocacy, service, and philanthropy.

Tim, along with a core group of family and friends, created The Garfield Trail linking four main Garfield sites in northeast Ohio. According to Tim, “The Garfield Trail is not a physical trail per se, but rather a cradle-to-grave connection linking the 20th U. S. President’s Moreland Hills birthplace, Hiram College, the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio, and Lake View Cemetery, where he is buried”

Garfield had deep ties to Portage County and to Hiram College. He enrolled there as a student in 1851. Later he returned to teach and, in 1857, served as its president. He married fellow student Lucretia Randolph on campus. In 1880, with the support of Lucretia as his primary political strategist, Garfield used the front porch of his home in Mentor as a platform to greet thousands of well-wishers during his presidential campaign. Today, the porch serves as a gateway to the story of the Garfield family.

Garfield also had ties to Kent. In 1859, he was at the historic Franklin Township Hall on Gougler Avenue when he received his first-ever nomination to serve as state senator for Portage and Summit counties.

We’ll see you there!

08/11/2026

Doug is also on our Board and is a major player in putting together some of KHS' most exciting public events. If you've enjoyed our walking tours or Tap Talks and are excited for next month's big Ohio Open Doors celebrations, you can thank him!

Cheers, Doug! 🍻

This week's featured MSK volunteer is Doug Fuller! Doug was the FIRST president of the MSK Board of Directors and remains active today. Thank you for two decades of commitment, Doug!

08/05/2026

Nice to imagine what women would be wearing walking down Kent's downtown on a hot August day.
Thanks to our university's Kent State Museum for sharing this on FACEBOOK from their amazing collection.

08/03/2026

Did someone say Tree City? 🌳

This 1957 photo shows workers from The Davey Tree Expert Company carefully moving a tree by truck through the Main & Water intersection. Nice view of Donaghy Drugs, which enjoyed a long life in the historic Shively building (built in 1839, home to Franklin Square Deli since 1983).

Does it look like the tree is going to clear the power line? 🧐

07/28/2026

Take an early 60s stroll up Water Street!

This batch of photos from our collections is definitely a treat for car enthusiasts and features plenty of downtown architecture that doesn't look much different today. Most noteworthy, though, are two buildings that wouldn't stand the test of time. The imposing Kent Block, now the site of the Hometown Bank Plaza, would burn beyond repair in 1972. The once grand Kent Opera House, seen in a sorry state in the final photo, would soon be demolished in 1963.

07/23/2026

Happy Thursday! Here's a fun, more recent, photo from our collections.

September 1992 view of the corner of Main and Depeyster: featuring McKay Bricker a few doors up from their present location, Spin More Records occupying the current Jimmy John's space, and of course what is now The Kent Stage. At the time of this photo, you could go to Kent Cinemas downtown and spend $1.50 on a ticket to see the newly released A League of Their Own ⚾️

07/21/2026

Join us tonight at 7PM at North Water Brewing as Main Street Kent's Executive Director Heather Malarcik gives a special Tap Talk presentation about the history of MSK!