Northern Kentucky History Day: America250 Celebration
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Kenton County Public Library - Erlanger Branch
401 Kenton Lands Road
Erlanger, KY 41018
Registration
Registration is open. This event is free to attend and open to the public. Registration required. All attendees and vendors must register.
Schedule
7:30 AM – Vendor Hall setup begins.
8:00–9:00 AM - Registration is open. Vendor hall is open.
All presentations take place in the Anne Bronte Meeting Room.
9:00–10:15 AM – Opening Remarks and Presentation - Mourning in Kentucky in the 1800s - Dr. Cynthia Williams Resor
Mourning the dead was an important part of life in the 19th century. Cynthia Williams Resor will begin her time-travel tour of this culture of mourning in Kentucky cemeteries by examining the symbols on tombstones and their meanings. Explore customs and beliefs associated with death through the eyes of 19th-century writers and artifacts of mourning such as hair mourning jewelry, stationery, clothing. Finally, we'll visit the new funeral parlors of the late 1800s and memorial park cemeteries of the early 1900s to discover why mourning customs changed.
10:30–11:30 AM – Presentation - Revolutionary War Soldiers of Boone County, Kentucky - Hon. Anthony W. Frohlich
Judge Frohlich has written biographies of over 300 patriots who lived or owned land in Boone County of which in excess of 110 died in Boone County. He will discuss migration patterns, research techniques and interesting details about the lives and service of Boone County’s Patriots.
11:30 AM–12:30 PM – Lunch Break
12:30–1:30 PM – Presentation – Germans in the Revolution - Don Heinrich Tolzmann Ph.D.
By 1775, the colonial German element was mainly settled in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. Although only ten percent of the population, Germans strongly supported the American Revolution. Significant officers and units they formed will be discussed, as will tangible evidence of their legacy in the Ohio River Valley.
1:45 PM – Presentation - Kenton County Historical Society High School Essay Contest Winners, immediately followed by Sons of the American Revolution: Simon Kenton Chapter – Flag Folding Ceremony and Musket Salute
Winners of the Kenton County Historical Society High School Essay Contest will read from their papers and/or presentations.
Join us outside for a demonstration of a traditional flag folding ceremony and musket salute presented by the members of the Sons of the American Revolution: Simon Kenton Chapter. Children and families are encouraged to attend.
Speaker Biographies
Dr. Cynthia Williams Resor is a historian and lifelong educator who retired from Eastern Kentucky University after two decades of inspiring future teachers. At EKU, she taught courses in history education, medieval history, and led study abroad experiences. Dr. Resor is the author of three books exploring the history of daily life and ordinary people, and she continues to share her enthusiasm for the past through writing, speaking, and educational travel. She leads teacher-focused field trips to historical sites and regularly publishes blog posts on her website, TeachingWithThemes.com, where she connects historical themes to classroom practice.
Hon. Anthony W. Frohlich is a retired Chief Judge of the Boone Circuit Court. He is currently a Felony Judge Mediator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the chair of the Boone County Archive Commission. He graduated summa cum laude from Northern Kentucky University where he received the Outstanding Student in History Award. He then graduated first in his class from Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where he was awarded the Outstanding Student in the History of Anglo-American Law Award. He has authored numerous publications in the areas of law, history, and soccer and has received both the Anne W. Fitzgerald Research Award and the Bruce Ferguson Sustained Excellence in Historical Preservation Award.
Don Heinrich Tolzmann Ph.D. is the author and editor of numerous books on German-American history and culture. He served as Curator of the German-Americana Collection and Director of German-American Studies at the University of Cincinnati. Currently, he is President of the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati, Curator of the German Heritage Museum, and Historian for the Roebling Bridge Society.
Sons of the American Revolution – Simon Kenton Chapter is a lineage society dedicated to promoting patriotism, American history, and education. They meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Boone County Public Library in Burlington, KY.
Vendor Hall
(updated as of February 11, 2026)
Author: Terry Foody
Author: Robert Schrage
Author: Don Heinrich Tolzmann Ph.D.
Author: Bob Webster
Author: Dann Woellert
Boone County Public Library: Archive and History Center
Boone County Archive Commission
Boone County Historical Society
Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.
Daughters of the American Revolution - Boone County Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution - Rebecca Bryant Boone Chapter (Kenton County)
Daughters of the American Revolution - Mary Ingles Chapter (Campbell County)
Drewry Family Historical Production Co.
Friends of the Kenton County Public Library
Genealogy by Jan
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
Kentucky Historical Society
Little Miami Publishing Company
Pendleton County Historical and Genealogical Society
Sons of the American Revolution - Simon Kenton Chapter
Interested in being a vendor? Email history@kentonlibrary.org
This project is supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society. For more information, see history.ky.gov.
A list of some of our favorite Kentucky history reads.
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