College Archives

Kenyon's Bicentennial

2024 Kenyon celebrates its Bicentennial year beginning with the reopening of Bexley Hall as a residence hall

President Kornfeld

2023 Julie Kornfeld becomes the 20th president of Kenyon College

Chalmers Library

2021 As part of the West Quad project, the newly built Chalmers Library, named for former President Gordon Keith Chalmers and his wife, Kenyon Review co-founder, Roberta Teale Swartz Chalmers, opens in 2021.

President Decatur

2013 Sean Michael Decatur, Ph.D. is the first African-American President of Kenyon College.

Gund Gallery

2011 The Gund Gallery, a contemporary art museum, opens on campus

President Nugent

2003 Susan Georgia Nugent, Ph.D. becomes the first woman President of Kenyon College.

Kenyon Athletic Center

2003 The Kenyon Athletic Center, now the Lowry Center, opens. It took $70 million to construct and contains a 1,600 seat arena, a 200 meter indoor track, an Olympic size pool, a 12,000 square foot fitness center, and a 120 seat...

President Oden

1995 Robert Allen Oden, Jr., Ph.D. is President of Kenyon College.

Brown Family Environmental Center

1995 Originally named the Kenyon Center for Environmental Studies, the Brown Family Environmental Center opens on a former farm straddling the Kokosing River

Harlene Marley

1987 Harlene Marley of the Department of Dance and Drama becomes Kenyons first female faculty member awarded full professorship

Women's Swimming Championship Streak

1984 The Women's Swim Team begin their 17 consecutive NCAA Division III championship run.

Men's Swimming Championship Streak

1980 The Men's Swim Team begin their 31 consecutive NCAA Division III championship run.

Paul Newman Returns to the Hill

1978 Paul Newman (K1949) returns to Kenyon to direct the first play in the new Bolton Theater.

President Jordan

1975 Philip Harding Jordan, Jr., Ph.D. is President of Kenyon College

Women Graduates

1973 The first female students graduate from Kenyon.

Kent State Shooting

1970 When the Kent State shooting occurs, Kenyon gains national attention as one of the few colleges to remain open and peacefully continue regular operations

Co-Ed Campus

1969 Kenyon admits the first women students to the Women's Coordinate College and into Kenyon in 1972.

President Caples

1968 William Goff Caples, J.D. is President of Kenyon College.

Bexley Hall Leaves

1968 Bexley Hall Seminary splits from the College and moves to Rochester, NY. It moves again to Columbus in 1998 and then merges with Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in 2013.

Kenyon Chasers

1964 The College's oldest, still-running a cappella group, the Chasers, are founded.

President Lund

1957 President Franze Edward Lund, Ph.D. is President of Kenyon College.

First-Year Sing

1956 Acting-President Frank Bailey begins the tradition of the First-Year Sing in which new students sing the traditional Kenyon songs "Philander Chase," "The Thrill," "Ninety-Nine," and "Kokosing Farewell."

African American Students Enrolled at Kenyon

1952 Allen B. Ballard, Jr. and Stanley L. Jackson become the first African American graduates of the College since William J. Alston's graduation from Bexley Seminary in 1859.

African American Students Enrolled at Kenyon

Old Kenyon Fire

1949 A devastating fire in Old Kenyon kills 9 students and severely damages the original College building. An immediate effort is made to rebuild stone-by-stone and a reconstructed Old Kenyon reopens in 1950.

World War II

1941 During the second World War, Kenyon joined the war effort by hosting a pre-meteorology program for the Air Force and an Army Specialized Training Unit in Area and Languages. Forty-one alumni and students gave their lives in...

The Kenyon Review

1939 Founded by poet John Crowe Ransom and Roberta Teale Swartz Chalmers, the Kenyon Review literary journal saw its first publication in 1939. Even through a 10 year hiatus from 1969-1979, the Review has maintained a prominent...

President Chalmers

1937 Gordon Keith Chalmers, Ph.D. is President of Kenyon College.

Peirce Hall

1929 Peirce Hall, the College dining hall, is built.

World War I

1917 The College's contributions to the war effort include President Peirce working for the American Red Cross in France and hosting a unit of the Students' Army Training Corps. Eight Kenyon alumni and students died in service.

Rosse Hall Fire

1897 Rosse Hall, originally the College chapel but serving as the gymnasium after the construction of the Church of the Holy Spirit, burns down.

President Peirce

1896 Rev. William Foster Peirce, L.H.D. is President of Kenyon College.

President Sterling

1891 Theodore Sterling, M.D., LL.D. is President of Kenyon College.

Harcourt Place Seminary

1887 The Harcourt Place Seminary, open 1887-1936, was a school for girls affiliated with the College until it was forced to close during the Great Depression.

Kenyon Military Academy

1885 The Kenyon Military Academy, open from 1885-1907, was a secondary school for boys established in Gambier. Housed in Milnor and Delano Halls, the Academy was developed from past preparatory schools affiliated with the...

President Bodine

1876 Rev. William Budd Bodine, D.D. is President of Kenyon College.

The Rail Line

1873 A rail line running from Cleveland to Mount Vernon to Columbus opens in Gambier. The train remains the major form of transportation for students until it closes in 1950. The rail line is now the Kokosing Gap Trail.

Church of the Holy Spirit

1869 The Church of the Holy Spirit is built replacing Rosse Hall as the College chapel.

President Tappan

1868 Eli Todd Tappan, LL.D. is President of Kenyon College

President Stone

1867 Rev. James Kent Stone, A.M. is President of Kenyon College

President Short

1863 Charles Short, LL.D. is President of Kenyon College

The Civil War and President Andrews

1861 President Loren Andrews is the first Ohio man to enlist in the Union Army and becomes a colonel in the 4th Ohio Infantry. Andrews returns to Gambier after contracting typhoid and becomes the first Kenyon President to die in...

Extension of Middle Path

1860 The 3rd Bishop of Ohio, Gregory Bedell, extends Middle Path, then called "Bishop's Walk," from the College Gates to Bexley Hall.

Ascension Hall

1859 Ascension Hall opens. The building was designed by William Tinsley and endowed by the Church of the Ascension in New York.

Kenyon Collegian

1856 Four seniors publish the first issue of the Kenyon Collegian which would become the student newspaper but began mostly as an outlet for short stories and poetry.

Reveille

1855 The Reveille, eventually the yearbook, becomes the first student publication at Kenyon.

President Andrews

1854 Lorin Andrews, LL.D. is President of Kenyon College

Delta Kappa Epsilon

1854 In 1852, the Lambda Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon became Kenyon's first fraternity. However, fraternities were banned at the time and so the group was not recognized until 1854 when it also built the first fraternity house...

President Smith

1850 Rev. Thomas Mather Smith, D.D. is President of Kenyon College

Village of Gambier

1850 The Village of Gambier incorporates.

President Bronson

1845 Rev. Sherlock Anson Bronson, D.D., LL.D. is President of Kenyon College

Bexley Hall

1844 Bexley Hall, eventual home of the Theological Seminary, opens. Designed by Henry Roberts, the cornerstone was laid in 1839 but the building would not be completed until 1858.

Middle Path

1842 The original section of Middle Path - the modern southern section between the College Gates and Old Kenyon - opens.

Matriculation

1842 President Douglass begins the tradition of Matriculation after a "probation of at least twenty weeks." New students still sign the Matriculation Book and recite the Matriculation Oath on Founders' Day.

President Douglass

1840 David Bates Douglass, LL.D. is President of Kenyon College

President McIlvaine

1832 The Rt. Rev. Charles Pettit McIlvaine, D.D. is President of Kenyon Colllege.

Literary Societies

1832 The College literary society splits into the Philomathesian and Nu Pi Kappa societies due to regional tensions about slavery. Philomathesian becomes the "Northern" society and Nu Pi Kappa the "Southern." Literary societies...