A Short History

The Native Americans were attracted to the river's resources and used Standing Rock as a landmark as they traveled throughout the area. To the early settlers, however, it meant a source of water power. For this reason, the area that is now Kent became desirable to speculators as well as businessmen.

One speculator and businessman from Connecticut who realized the potential of this area was Aaron Olmstead. He bought the entire twenty-five square mile township from the Connecticut Land Company at the cost of 12.5 cents per acre. As the original proprietor, he took the liberty of naming the town and township after his son, Franklin.

It wasn't until December of 1805 that the first settlers arrived. In that year, the Haymaker family settled in Franklin. Their first task was to build a dam across the Cuyahoga River in an attempt to control the river's current so that a grist mill could be powered more efficiently. Upon completion of the dam and mill, the township became even more appealing to a variety of businessmen.

After the War of 1812, many new settlers arrived in Franklin and with them came more development. The Haymaker grist mill (which had been sold to Jacob Reed in 1811) was again sold in 1817, this time to George B. DePeyster and William H. Price. They converted the "corn cracker" into such an efficient mill that it soon became known as the best in Portage County. Undoubtedly due to the reputation of this mill and the abundance of mills in Franklin, the name of the town was changed to Franklin Mills.

Most of the businesses had been located in the western and southern sections of the town. However, after Joshua Woodard arrived in 1818, he began to build small factories in the north section near where the Crain Avenue Bridge is today. Thus, and "upper village" (also known as Carthage) and a "lower village" developed. In time, however, the entire town adopted the name of Franklin Mills.

Early in the 1830's, plans began to develop to build a canal that would run from Pennsylvania to meet the Ohio and Erie Canal in Akron. The town was abuzz with rumor that the canal would run through Franklin Mills, prompting a land speculation. Among those attracted to the town was John Brown. The advent of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal gave the town enormous industrial momentum. When the canal was finished in 1840, it helped create a lively era for Franklin Mills. However, when railroad service arrived in 1851, canal business began to dwindle, and by 1870, the canal era was over for the town.

Through the efforts of Marvin Kent, the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad came to town in 1863. Franklin Mills was strategically located on this trunk line that connected the east with the west. The village was selected by the railroad officials as the location of the railroad's shops, due in part to geographical location, and due in large measure to the influence of Marvin Kent.

The community was so grateful to Marvin Kent for having secured the shops that a movement was started early in 1864 to change the name of the village from Franklin Mills to Kent. The new name was adopted by the Post Office Department on August 17, 1864, but it was not until May 6, 1867 that the change was incorporated. The railroad era brought lasting prosperity to Kent.

In 1910, the State of Ohio awarded one of its new public teachers' colleges to Kent, and that "normal school" eventually became Kent State University. While now a college town, Kent maintained its industrial heritage. Neither the Great Depression nor the closing of the railroad shops in 1930 could truly undermine Kent's spirit.

A noted person from Kent was Martin L. Davey, who was Governor of the State of Ohio from 1935-1939. The son of John Davey, founder of Davey Tree Expert Company, he had previously been Mayor of Kent and a member of the United States House of Representatives.

The national spotlight was focused on Kent in May of 1970, when a series of events led to the deaths of students on campus. Nevertheless, Kent State University remains one of Ohio's largest research institutions. The city itself bounced back from adversity and today is a thriving community with a vibrant downtown. It is home to major industries such as the Davey Tree Expert Company and Gougler Industries.