Mr. Eric Reitan will present a program on the history of Knob Hill, now Scenic Hill on Tuesday, May 21st at 7:00pm at the Bereiter Museum. The residents of the hill have included many names we recognize in modern Kent, be they businessmen or doctors. Mr. Reitan will talk about the neighborhoods distant and not so distant past with pictures and stories from the hill.

Admission is $10 for GKHS members, $12 for non-members, and only $5 for students. It looks to be a highly informative event!
For more information or to reserve your spot, please call the museum (253-854-4330) or send an email to ctyofknt@msn.com.
See you then!

Mike Evans, Chairman of the Snoqualmie Tribe of Indians and Chairman of the Blue Heron Heritage Family organization will present a varied historical, cultural, and education program.  There will be dancers, drummers, story tellers, and a puppet show by the Raven’s Puppets.  It will be an interesting event and it is open to the public!

Date: Saturday, May 4th, 2013
Place: Kent Commons, Rainier Room, 525- 4th Ave. N.
Cost: By donation to support the Kent Museum programs
Parking: Free – use the City Parking Garage or the Commons parking lot

Also, I have an answer to a question that came up from last month’s discussion in the form of a short Youtube lesson.

Check it out, then come to the museum on the 2nd or 4th and participate in the lively discussion!

For a little more information and a short preview video, do check out our rotating displays page.

As with all our rotating exhibits, this one will be up for a limited time so you will need to stop by before the end of June to see the display!

We are going to look at that world that inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald.  We will listen to some newfangled jazz and talk about the new women.  We will look at the “easy” wealth and the rise of manufacturing.  We will look at some of the wacky fads that swept the nation; we have a flag pole out front and will clear a space if you want to try marathon dancing (this is a joke, no flag pole sitting!).

Then we will dig a little deeper and look at what is going on in the Kent Valley.  This might surprise you, but Kent (population 2,282 in 1920) experienced something rather different from New York City or even Seattle.  Our little farming town experienced some growth in business and in population but the local farmers had real struggles.  Even though times were tough there was joy to be had in dances and sports.  We are going to get a chance to see how much our town has changed in 90 years and also how much has stayed the same.

The whinnying twenties in Kent.

We will touch on Prohibition and Suffrage but lightly this month as May’s Kent Chronicles will be devoted to those two Progressive movements.

See you tomorrow or Saturday!

If you are considering attending college in the fall, the application process is straight forward.  Fill out the 2013 Greater Kent Historical Society Scholarship and return it to the museum by April 30, 2013.

The application does require an official transcript, two letters of recommendation, and two short writing samples.  The award amount this year is $900 so it is well worth the time.

Don’t wait to get started and good luck!

We are going to be talking about the late 1970s. In preparation, here is a short video to introduce some ideas for the topics.

We will be meeting at the Bereiter Museum on March 7th and March 9th from 11:00 to 12:30. Check out the Kent Chronicles page for more info.

See you then!

Saturday February 23, 1:00 pm

Kent Senior Activity Center
600 East Smith Street
Kent, WA 98030

In honor of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the Kent Historical Museum is hosting a discussion with historian Karen Meador delivering a PowerPoint presentation on the little-known role of the future Confederate President in settling the Pacific Northwest, including securing funding for South King County’s Military Road in the 1850s.  Karen’s work has appeared in numerous venues, including Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History.  She currently serves on the Neely Mansion Association and AKCHO Boards of Trustees and has recently been appointed to the King County Historic Preservation Program’s Citizen Advisory Committee.

Admission is $10.00 for GKHS members, $12.00 for non members, and $5.00 for students.

The museum will be closed for this fundraising event.

The Greater Kent Historical Society is excited to present historian Hilda Meryhew lecturing on the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln Presenter Poster

The above link has all the information but at a glance;

Who: You

What: Lecture on the Life of Abraham Lincoln by Hilda Meryhew

Where: Bereiter House

When: January 24th, 7pm

Addmission is $10 for members, $12 for adults, $5 for students.