The Thomas P. Kennard House
Thomas Perkins Kennard was an enigmatic man who was born just outside Flushing, Belmont County Ohio in 1828. It wasn’t until 1857 when he moved with his oldest brother Levi Kennard to Nebraska that he began his contribution to the then only booming state. Later in his life he became very much involved in civic concerns in Nebraska and was elected as Secretary of State in 1867, later serving as a state senator and carrying a few other federal appointments. He also founded the Western Paint and Glass Company in 1879, a company where he remained associated with for the rest of his years.
The Thomas P. Kennard House was their former domicile, and was sold in 1887 upon the death of his wife Livia Emily Kennard. The years after 1887 saw the Kennard House used as a boarding house, a fraternity house, and as a regular home for a few single families.
1968 saw the Thomas P. Kennard House dedicated as the Nebraska Statehood Memorial. IT is the oldest standing structure in Lincoln’s original area. Located at 1627 H Street in Lincoln Nebraska, The Thomas P. Kennard now serves as a museum and a place for special, private events.