Kent Historical Society Museum

10/13/2026

Join us next Tuesday, October 20th, at 7PM at North Water Brewing as Laing Kennedy takes to the Tap Talks stage to discuss Ethics in Sports. Coach Kennedy has had a long and impressive career sports, first as a hockey player at Cornell (he grew up in Canada), where he was honored as an All-American athlete. He served as Athletic Director at Cornell University from 1983 to 1994, then at Kent State from 1994 to 2010. In 2005, he began a five-year term serving on the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Committee.

After retirement, he and his wife Saundra continued to make their home in Kent, and Coach Kennedy taught Ethics in Sport, one of Kent State’s most popular courses. Students explore such topics as fair play, risk management, business decisions, and off-the-field behavior of athletes and coaches. According to Coach, “There is never a right way to do a wrong thing.” That idea informs his thinking about how to put ethical behavior in the forefront of one’s actions and build a culture of ethics in sports. He’ll expand on this idea during his upcoming Tap Talk.

Tap Talks are sponsored by Kent Historical Society. The monthly program was initiated by Don Schjeldahl, the creator of North Water Brewing, as a way to bring the community together for conversation about life in Kent, Kent’s history, and issues of the day that impact us all. It’s also a chance to enjoy an array of locally-brewed artisan ales and beers. Tap Talks are scheduled monthly at 7 pm at North Water Brewing, 101 Crain Avenue in Kent.

Those who attend will have an opportunity to meet Coach and Athletic Director Laing Kennedy and hear his moving and important message.

09/28/2026

Many thanks to everyone who helped make our Ohio Open Doors events so great!

Attendees, presenters, volunteers, tour guides, and of course our Main Street Kent partners: Thank you!

09/27/2026

09/23/2026

We've had a lot of exciting things going on lately, including the publication of a brand new book about local music history! It's now available for purchase in-person at the Museum during public hours or on our website here: https://www.kentohiohistory.org/collections/touring-from-kent-borrowed-gear-on-the-open-road

Co-Owner of Bent Tree Coffee Roasters Ryan Brannon has spent most of this year writing about his life as a touring musician and working with us and our partners at Kent State to produce high-quality scans of all the great visual material that he's preserved over the years. The colorful images and stories of life on the road carry the reader to locales as far away as Hollywood, California and the United Kingdom but always return to Kent as home base. That's a feeling many of us can relate to!

"Touring From Kent: Borrowed Gear on the Open Road" is Brannon’s personal account of growing up in Kent’s music scene and taking original music across the country and overseas with The Party of Helicopters and Beaten Awake. Told through stories, photographs, flyers, and other artifacts saved along the way, the book captures the DIY spirit of touring: borrowed gear, long drives, house shows, bigger stages, and the friendships that made strange cities feel like home. More than a music memoir, it’s a coming-of-age story about community, creativity, and the people who made the journey matter.

09/21/2026

We've got another Tap Talk tomorrow! Join us Tuesday, September 22nd at 7PM at North Water Brewing for the much-awaited presentation by our very own Henry Halem.

Henry, a prominent glass artist, will bring to life the story of the Studio Glass Movement in America. This mid-20th-century artistic shift transformed glass from a mass-produced, factory-made industrial commodity into a respected medium for contemporary fine art and individual sculptural expression. Henry founded the glass program at Kent State’s School of Art in 1969 where he taught for 29 years before retiring in 1998. Since then, he has devoted his time to studio practice.

According to Halem, “The uses of glass are as limitless as the artist’s inventiveness.”

The movement officially began in a garage at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. Ceramics professor Harvey Littleton and research chemist Dominick Labino successfully melted glass in a small, experimental furnace, proving that artists could create glass art independently.

Later, Littleton founded the first university-level glass art program at the University of Wisconsin, changing how glass was taught and elevating it to a recognized fine art medium. With degrees from Rhode Island School of Design and George Washington University, Halem became an assistant to Littleton before making Kent and Kent State an important center for studio glass artists.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet Henry, learn about glass-blowing techniques, and see some of his acclaimed work.

09/17/2026

KHS joins many in the Kent community in fondly remembering Charlie Thomas this week. While running one of the most iconic local businesses for nearly fifty years, he himself became an iconic local figure. Charlie was also a longtime member and generous supporter of our organization.

As Mayor and former KHS Board President Jack Amrhein said, “His warmth, humility, generosity and dedication to our community will be deeply missed.”

Feel free to share stories about Charlie Thomas or Ray's Place in the comments.

Thomas, the longtime owner of the iconic downtown Kent restaurant and bar and a 1974 Kent State graduate, died Sept. 14. He was 81.

09/16/2026

Today is the day! Our open house is tonight 4-7 PM. We will have cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres. And a special treat, Ryan Brannon will be at the museum 5-6 PM to sign his new book, Touring From Kent, Borrowed Gear on the Open Road.

09/15/2026

Open Doors week is here so a quick reminder about tomorrow evening!

The Museum is open 4-7 in the evening on Wednesday! No need to RSVP or be a member. Anyone is welcome to stop by for free food and drinks and to tour the exhibits

We're one week out from a special open house party at our Museum and we hope you'll join us!

The Clapp-Woodward House at 237 East Main will be open to the public from 4-7PM Wednesday September 16th. This is one of several events we're putting on with Main Street Kent for the statewide Ohio Open Doors celebration.

We'll have free refreshments including special cocktails invented just for the event!

See our full Ohio Open Doors schedule with event details here: https://mainstreetkent.org/discover/ohio-open-doors/

09/09/2026

We're one week out from a special open house party at our Museum and we hope you'll join us!

The Clapp-Woodward House at 237 East Main will be open to the public from 4-7PM Wednesday September 16th. This is one of several events we're putting on with Main Street Kent for the statewide Ohio Open Doors celebration.

We'll have free refreshments including special cocktails invented just for the event!

See our full Ohio Open Doors schedule with event details here: https://mainstreetkent.org/discover/ohio-open-doors/

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.