Bellefontaine in Logan County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

General Robert Patterson Kennedy

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, July 17, 2014

1. General Robert Patterson Kennedy Marker

Inscription.

Distinguished citizen, legislator, public servant, and historian born in Bellefontaine, January 23, 1840. A Civil War hero, he was promoted to brigadier general at only 25 years of age. Admitted to the bar in 1866, he practiced in Bellefontaine until 1878 when President Hayes appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue. He was then elected Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1885 then served two terms in Congress from 1887 to 1891. Following the Spanish-American War, he was appointed by President McKinley to serve as head of the Insular Commission to establish the new government of Puerto Rico. In 1903 Kennedy published Historical Review of Logan County. Kennedy started the Bellefontaine Tree Commission. Gen. Kennedy’s home was on this site and later served as the Bellefontaine City Building. General Kennedy died on May 6, 1918.

Erected 2011 by Lt. Colonel John Chance, Logan County Historical Society and the Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 13-46.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #19 Rutherford B. Hayes, the Former U.S. Presidents: #25 William McKinley, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is January 23, 1840.

Location.

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40° 21.595′ N, 83° 45.698′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in Logan County. It is at the intersection of South Detroit Street and West Chillicothe Avenue, on the left when traveling south on South Detroit Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 132 S Detroit St, Bellefontaine OH 43311, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: The Historic Post Office of Bellefontaine (within shouting distance of this marker); The Shirk’s Logan Tire Co. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Canby Building (about 400 feet away); The Home of Blue Jacket (about 500 feet away); The Kauffman Block (about 500 feet away); The G.C. Murphy Building (about 500 feet away); The Gorges Building (about 500 feet away); The Strand / The Belle Theater (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellefontaine.

Also see . . .
1. R.P. Kennedy. The entry for R.P. Kennedy in Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Generals, and Soldiers, Kennedy "joined the Twenty-Third Ohio as Second-Lieutenant, June 1, 1861" and received his last promotion, to "Major and Assistant Adjutant-General of volunteers, and Lieutenant-General by brevet" on November 17, 1864. The entry also includes Kennedy's promotions and the battles in which

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 13, 2022

2. General Robert Patterson Kennedy Marker

The marker has significantly weathered.

he took part. (Submitted on September 15, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

2. The Historical Review of Logan County, Ohio. This is a link to Kennedy's book on the Internet Archive. (Submitted on September 15, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, April 10, 2015

3. General Robert Patterson Kennedy Marker

View of the marker, looking southwest, across the intersection, towards the old, abandoned Bellefontaine post office (seen in the distant background).

General Robert Patterson Kennedy home which stood on this spot. image. Click for full size.

the late Si Herring, from Dr. Ronald Irick's personal archives, unknown

4. General Robert Patterson Kennedy home which stood on this spot.

This house served as Bellefontaine's "City Hall" for many years.

General Robert Patterson Kennedy image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, July 21, 2014

5. General Robert Patterson Kennedy

portrait drawn by Henry Howe from personal archives of Dr. Ronald Irick

Frontpiece of Gen. Kennedy's book image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, July 21, 2014

6. Frontpiece of Gen. Kennedy's book

The Historical Review of Logan County, Ohio 1903 original copy in personal archives of Dr. Ronald Irick

Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2014, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,072 times since then and 27 times this year. Last updated on July 22, 2014, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. Photos: 1. submitted on July 21, 2014, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. 2. submitted on May 16, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 3. submitted on April 24, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 21, 2014, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.