Henderson County Historical Society

Henderson County Historical Society's Artifact of the Week

This week's artifact can be found in the Henderson County Museum’s parlor, an Atwater Kent Model 4700 radio speaker from 1928. A speaker like this would have been paired with a stand-alone receiver, giving it the ability to be placed decoratively in the family living space. The face has a picture of a sailing ship.  This type of radio and speaker became popular during the advent of widespread home electricity in the late 1920s, replacing the earlier battery operated units.  One might imagine a family lounging for the evening listening to this very speaker in their Henderson county home.

Arthur Atwater Kent Sr. (1873 – 1949) was an American inventor and prominent radio manufacturer based in Philadelphia.  In 1921, he produced his first radio components, selling the do-it-yourself kits that could be assembled by early radio enthusiasts.  In 1925, the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company became the largest maker of radios in the United States. The company also sponsored the popular The Atwater Kent Hour, a top-rated radio concert music program heard on NBC and CBS from 1926 to 1934. The show featured top entertainment and became one of the most popular and acclaimed regular radio programs of the era. 

Fun Fact: In 1937, Kent helped to organize and pay for the restoration of the Betsy Ross House in Center City Philadelphia. Kent also helped found the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, Philadelphia's city history museum, by purchasing the original home of the Franklin Institute and donating it to the City of Philadelphia in 1938.