Kellogg Community College history students are curating an exhibit of 1920s items and more that will be on display at the Kimball House Museum in Battle Creek starting in April.
“Speakeasy: A Party at the Kimball House” will be open for viewing starting with an opening event held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the museum, which is located at 196 Capital Ave. NE. Admission is $5 per person for the general public and $3 per person for students, but individuals 12 and under get in free.
Refreshments — Kool-Aid and pineapple upside-down cake, both invented in the 1920s — are included with admission.
The exhibit was planned and curated by Spring 2025 HIST 210: History of Michigan students at KCC as part of the class’s embedded experiential service-learning requirement.
The exhibit will include historical items of significance including:
- 1920s fashion including clothes, jewelry and other accessories
- A special exhibit of items from Battle Creek baseball teams
- A room dedicated to items owned by the Kimball family
The exhibit will be on display through the end of the spring semester, when a new HIST 210 exhibit will take its place.
“Speakeasy” was a term used to describe “illicit” establishments — usually that served alcohol illegally — during Prohibition in the 1920s.
KCC History Professor Ray DeBruler said, “We call the exhibit ‘Speakeasy: A Party at Kimball House’ because we have our mannequins dressed up in 20s clothes and positioned around the house as though they are at a party. All of the clothes and accessories are from the 20s. And we are using a black and gold color palette. Those were the colors that speakeasy owners used.”
The Kimball House Museum is a historical home built in 1886 by Dr. Arthur Herbert Kimball and later donated to the city of Battle Creek to be used as a community museum.
For more information about the exhibit, contact DeBruler at debrulerr@kellogg.edu. For more information about the Kimball House Museum, visit https://hsbcmi.org/cpage.php?pt=5.
More information about studying history at KCC can be found on the KCC website at kellogg.edu/history.