About the Kelso House Museum

Mailing Address
  Brimfield Historical Society
  Post Office Box 1231
  Kent, Ohio 44240-0024

Location and Contact Information
  4158 State Route 43
  Brimfield, Ohio
  Phone: 330-673-1058
  Email:curator@kelsohouse.org

Museum Hours
  The Kelso House Museum is open on
  Thursdays and Saturdays from noon
  until 4p.m. or call 330-673-1058 to
  make an appointment. Group tours are
  welcome with advanced notice.

Consider Donating Items to our Collection

The Kelso House Museum is committed to preserving the history of Brimfield Township. We continue to collect relevant objects, photographs, and documents related to the township or early area families and businesses. If you believe you have items matching our need, the Accessions Committee will be interested in reviewing your possible donations. Please contact the Kelso House office for more information at 330-673-1058.

Exhibit and Display Rooms

The Kelso House Museum uses five rooms for exhibits that are open to the public. Displays on the first floor include an 1843 beam loom and a gallery that offers an assortment of special exhibits. The parlor, decorated in Victorian style, includes an organ and horsehair sofa while the kitchen features a wood-burning stove. In the upstairs bedrooms are many Kelso family items, including a low poster bed and a quilt made by Lucy Kelso.

Adjacent Buildings

The park-like grounds of the Kelso House includes several buildings and numerous items relevant to the early history of the community:

The Granary houses an antique tool exhibit that is open for viewing by appointment.

The double-bayed Boosinger Corn Crib anchors the northeast corner of the property and is used for storage.

The restored Garden Shed stands adjacent to the back porch of the Kelso House and holds garden tools.

A millstone from nearby Plum Creek Mill rests near the Memorial Herb Garden.

The original Town Hall Bell sits adjacent to the front door of the main building.

The Michael-Cable Barn, an example of an early 19th century New England-style farm building, serves many functions for BHS. That structure was moved to the Kelso House grounds in 1991.

Corn Crib (c. Post Civil War)
This double bay corn crib, built by John Boosinger, Jr., was the first out building to be added to the Kelso campus grounds in 1975.
[Gift of Charles Cannon family]

Hammered Brass Relief (c. Late 19th/early 20th century)
This item was found in the Kelso House attic when the BHS acquired the building in 1963.
[Gift of Harold Underwood]

Township Bell (c. 1871)
Manufactured by the Buckeye Bell Foundry & Vanduzen & Tift, Cincinnati, this bell was used in the original Brimfield Township Town Hall until 1951 when that building was demolished.
[A gift of the Brimfield Area Chamber of Commerce]

Museum Book Archives

The Accessions Committee is conducting an inventory of all books housed in the Kelso House Museum. All titles will be entered into a database for easy access and location.

Other projects Underway at BHS

Brimfield School Arch Project

In collaboration with Brimfield Township Trustees and the Field Local Board of Education, the BHS has preserved the stone arch from the historic Brimfield Elementary School building adjacent to the Kelso House Commons. Plans to restore and rebuild the arch are in progress.
(Click here to learn more)

Oral History Project

The Association continues to gather oral and written recollections by members of our community for our archives. Contact the Kelso House for more information about this ongoing research project.