About Kent
Native American artifacts in the Kent region have been radiocarbon-dated to as early as 10,600 years ago when the first Paleo-Indian people encamped here.
Kent was incorporated as a town in 1739, but early white settlers arrived in the area much earlier in pursuit of the iron ore that fueled the local growth and economy for almost 150 years.
The original settlement in Kent was about two miles north of the current town center, in what is today the Flanders Historic District. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the origin of its name has never been determined with certainty. Some believe it refers to the industrial activity in the neighborhood in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, comparable in the minds of some locals to the iron-mining in the County of Kent, England.
From the time of its founding to the late 1800s the primary industry of Kent was iron mining and manufacture. Nearly every family in Kent had at least one member working in the iron industry and by 1812 Kent had at least six forges, each producing 30 to 40 tons of iron per year.
With the coming of the railroad in 1844 and the construction of the first railroad station south of Flanders, a new, more modern village began to form on Kent Plain. Entrepreneurs such as John Hopson, Jabez Swift and John L. Stuart built substantial houses within walking distance of the station.
Hotels and inns went up, including the Kent Hotel (library site), the Golden Falcon (the open lot owned by the Casey Family on the east side of Main Street), and the Kent Inn (where the PATCO gas station now operates). These hotels, the last of which was torn down in the 1950s, capitalized on Kent’s scenic beauty and its convenient transportation. They laid the foundation of a tourist industry that has waxed and waned ever since.
The Village was planted end to end with roadside elm trees which, by the end of the century, made Main Street a sylvan showplace.
The combination of good transportation and pastoral landscape not only brought travelers to Kent, it also attracted the attention of early artists, and painters, musicians, actors and writers have followed, many choosing to stay and become colorful parts of the fabric of the town.
The stately old homes that line the Flanders District portion of Rte. 7 exemplify the endurance of the early structures. The Captain Philo Beardsley house, c. 1750 on Beardsley Rd. in Kent Hollow, was also awarded National Registry status. Other fine examples of both simple and grand colonial architecture, as well as several large houses associated with the wealth of the nineteenth century iron industry, line Main Street.
The old Hopson place became home to the New Milford Savings Bank after local citizens persuaded the buyer to preserve rather than tear it down. Rustic farmhouses and barns dot the landscape throughout Kent, although several of the barns have been converted into dwellings. Taken in their entirety, the houses of Kent give a clear picture of local history and architectural taste over the past 300 years.
Excerpts pulled from:
Town of Kent