The Commons has since become associated with the Kent State shootings and forms a large part of the May 4 , 1970 , Kent State Shootings Site , which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and made a National Historic Landmark in 2017 . On the southern edge of the Commons is the Victory Bell , which was placed there in 1950 after being donated by a local railroad . While it was originally rung following KSU football victories , it became associated first with the antiwar movement of the 1960s and ultimately with the events surrounding the Kent State shootings as it was rung to announce the start of demonstrations . It is still rung every May 4 at 12:24 pm , the moment of the shootings , to honor those who were killed or injured . The Commons was the site of several protests in the 1960s and into 1970 , including those just prior to the shootings on May 4 , with the ROTC building burned down by arsonists on May 2 , 1970 . The Commons continues to be used for general recreation , and is also the site or the annual commemoration of the Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
Rockwell Field (Kent State)