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COMMERCIAL FISHING – In 2019 this display that expanded on our fishing exhibit. Drawing on a wonderful book, photos from our archives and items loaned to us by the Betzenheimer family, we provided visitors with a look at how these intrepid fishermen did their work.

THE KELLEYS ISLAND NAVY – A little history about the founding of the Kelleys Island Landowners Assoc. Its roots go back to the fight with the State which had planned on taking over most of the Island and turning it into a State Park Resort. There were plans for a golf course, an Indian  village,… Continue reading Kelleys Island Navy

ISLAND DOCTORS – Our 2020 display focused on those doctors that served our little Island. Drs. Spaulding and Henderson were both women, specializing in homeopathic medicine. Not surprising, they both went on to create impressive legacies in their profession. You can read more about these two ladies and and how the Islanders coped with epidemics… Continue reading Island Doctors

SUFFRAGE AND THE FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE – In 2020 the KI History Museum explored the earliest days of Women’s Suffrage on the Island. In 1867 debates raged on whether women should have the right to vote. The arguments all appeared in the Islander, our Island newspaper. Obviously not everyone on the Island… Continue reading Suffrage

IT’S ELECTRIC – In 2018 our featured display was Island Electricity. From candles, to gas lights to our underwater electric cables. It’s all here. We also included items from our collection to demonstrate how people lived before electricity.

KELLEYS LIFE 2022January/February 2022 – no issue published March/April 2022 –

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL IN THE 1960s

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL IN THE 1940s

This is our school in the 1930s.We thank Kurt Boker for most of these photos.

Meet the students and teachers at Estes School in the 1920s. “Ollie” Schlesselman – I was going through an issue of “The Erie Echo” from 1927 [The Echo was an school annual for all the schools in Erie County] and was surprised when I came across this nice photograph of late Vermilionite Oliver “Ollie” Schlesselman’s… Continue reading Our School 1920s