A Walk Down Middle Path

It's a footpath. It's a village green. It's a gathering place. It's a marketplace. It takes you where you're going and invites you to stop along the way. It's a trail and a metaphor, a defining presence. Ten feet wide and running the length of the College, Middle Path is both the heart of Kenyon and its central artery.

Traversed daily by students, faculty members, adminstrators, residents of Gambier and its visitors, the Path marks the intersection of college and village and, most importantly, of people's lives. For Kenyonites universally, Middle Path embodies the ideal of community.

Stroll or pedal along Middle Path in any season and you'll see–well, everybody and then some. In fine weather, organic farmers and local Amish families peddle their wares. Benches bordering the Path welcome gatherings of friends, sippers of coffee, exchangers of gossip, readers of newspapers, players of banjos, professors and students sociably chatting or deep in discussion. Baby strollers, dog-walkers, and tricycles add to the mix. Everywhere passersby greet and wave.

A site of College and community rituals, Middle Path is the pathway first-year students walk to Opening Convocation, lined by two columns of professors in academic robes, and it's the same route they march to Commencement four years later, this time dressed in caps and gowns and applauded by their teachers.

A walk along Middle Path takes in the vistas of Kenyon's past and present. Two of the College's historic buildings, Old Kenyon and Bexley Hall, form its endpoints. Ranged along its length you see the harmonious variety of Kenyon's architectural styles, from the grandeur of Greek-revival Rosse Hall and the gorgeous stone gargoyles of Samuel Mather Hall to the decidedly modern Olin Library.

Passing through "downtown" Gambier, you're greeted by the New England-style beauty of picket fences and green-shuttered cottages housing College offices. Middle Path bisects two of the most frequently visited spots in town, the bookstore and the post office, where spontaneous meetings prompt engaging interchange of every stripe.

Middle Path: In Our Own Words

"Middle Path lights up in winter. The trees are bare, and you can see your breath. It's beautiful when it's snowing. When you see people walk down that path, it gives you a deep connection to the place." – Ben Goldberger, Class of 2004, American studies