Kent State University - Chestnut Burr Yearbook (Kent, OH)

Page 31 text:

u hame an Main Street 1 yi l l .4 H is 1 4 K 4 4 l Duncan heard through a law school friend who was at that time a state legislator that Ohio was planning to build colleges in the four corners of the state. He walked all over Kent un- til he found the perfect spot for a college, which was the land at the east end of town owned by William S. Kent. Duncan then organized a com- mittee to convince the state that Kent was the ideal spot for the college, gathered all the necessary facts about Kent that the state committee would need to know and, armed with the facts fo four railroads in town, an in- terurban that connected with Cleveland and Cincinnati, and a suffi- cient water supply, he contacted the state committee and invited them down. This was where the real politicking began. The Kent committee laid out all the facts and nearly sold the state committee on Kent before it had seen lSee next page.l 49- 'E-'E' 5z'Qg5'fD B qq E-U '5o ' :rsfbo-0 imogagg .- gm ,H 2, 019' U59 an -4 -'U' oline 0815- Og nnzfgcf g '!2,Q5G- CJ :U fb 3- a' :rw-., Elgwggr gg'pq-'EGG-5. 55 -FN: C 250 N 25502221 taei QE Soaggga w use 22 B e ol-9.'.'2.UQnT:' Q- 5-'-+ Sai... enOE'r.zu5g, T40 5 rn rn . Vim: E.D.gv-aE'D- E85oSm t 3335533 it 1? K. Ocepek .d ':s' 9, ,,,,, . ,sv-'J .-:9Tf ,1- ' Aff! :fwfr .1 fgzi- ff 55: - fc-FFA. 1 V f 1 , ' Aqfzr' -2, f 4 'Q' g ,1- ,,1.., 5 zg 7'.' g N V . ' - f 'f'f': ,-. . ' 4 W i.-...vA Juv, , W A . , A 'B , fig! J- 'J - ' 'Tig 'Ji , of . . I ., ' g, A 'A s Q' ' - .. - e 1 ' . '-,fo Ju- ' .b' m ,ri on .IV ,fx ' A ,N ' Q 7 .taint 41 in ' i QT.: 1 '..V'4 'Z X' 1 ' im, Q ft Q, . ' u w , . v 3 if --- t -. -e, - p A, 4. in .-1 W, -4- 4 . , ' 'yas-Q, ' Af '- , v, - 4- , - 4 .5 ,, ,. t - . - 5 1 ' 3 4- . g 27

Page 30 text:

K ent s hale histary in N 1866, Simon Wolcott came to Kent as the first attorney for the Erie Railroad. He and his wife, Mary Helen Brewster, bought land at 450 W. Main St. and began construction of what is now known as the Wolcott House, one of Kent's historical landmarks. Simon, a very influential man in Ohio was a state senator and close friend of Marvin Kent, the city's namesake. He and Kent were part of the clique that put two Ohioans in the White House: the assassinated Presidents Garfield and McKinley, both of whom spent nights in the Wolcott house. Simon and Mary Helen oversaw the construction of the house, which was completed in 1868, and tried to give it the best, including an imported tire- place. Simon's son, Duncan Brewster Wolcott Sr., was born and died in the house. He was a lawyer, Portage County prosecutor and the chair- person of the Chamber of Commerce. It is well known that he was influen- tial in establishing the Normal School that later became Kent State University. Story by Matthew Flannagan -y-4-Q ,A .1 -mfg T4 ,api -wr-vL

Page 32 text:

lContinued from page 27.i any sites. After the committee toured the proposed site, Duncan's group in- vited them out to a home in Twin Lakes for some fresh bass. entertain- ing and dining the committee until it was too late for the group to even look at other suggested sites. They left Kent all but convinced of its suitabil- ity. Duncan then began what amounted to the final move. The owner of the land, William S. Kent, was interested in selling the parcel to the state. Duncan had a friend named Herrick write an open letter to Kent thanking him for donating the land for a new college. After the letter was published, Kent did donate the land and the city had a Normal School. Before all this came to pass, Daisy Lodge became a resident of the house. On May 9, 1906, Daisy became Mrs. Duncan B. Wolcott, Sr. She was very big in community affairs, but her greatest contribution to Kent was the famous Wolcott Lilac Gardens. Soon after joining Duncan there, she began the rambling garden which contained a Ginkhol tree, two cherry trees joined together by a branch about ten feet above the ground, a wall and rock paths that meandered around the garden. In 1920, her uncle,Col. Plumof the lSee next page.l a K, if Q? 5 Tn! eseep .ff K A lilac garden with over lOO varieties of lilacs-a place of peace and beauty that many townsfolk visited. ich: ik... A. 3' r.. A 'Q E. 3 5 ,g :E 28 ! fr 'W