Main Street Kent - What's New in Downtown Kent

Historic Downtown Kent

The village of Franklin Mills (today's Kent) undoubtedly owed its existence to the Cuyahoga river. Waters rushing through the narrow gorge above and below the present day Crain Ave. bridge provided the power needed for the operation of grist and saw mills. Distilleries, tanneries, and forges soon followed, forming an "upper village" and a "lower village." Collectively, they were known as Franklin Mills.

In the early twenties the country had been bitten by the "canal bug." By 1825 one canal—the Ohio—had been planned, authorized, financed, and partly built. In 1827 legislation sanctioned the construction of another canal—the Pennsylvania & Ohio—to link the interior of Ohio to Pittsburgh and beyond, via Ravenna and Franklin Mills! For a time it seemed as though the canal was only a dream due to difficulties with financing. Those "on the inside" however, knew for certain that the canal was a reality. Eastern capitalists, enriched by years of prosperity, were looking westward towards Ohio for places to invest their money, and were seeking water power sites. The P&O canal and abundant water power...a money making opportunity, if there ever was one.

So along comes Zenas Kent, prosperous Ravenna merchant and builder, with many influential friends. It is most likely that he had a clear knowledge that construction on the P. & O. canal would soon begin. He acquired approximately 500 acres of land and kept buying parcels of land adjoining the lower village, and by the end of 1933 was the biggest landowner in Franklin Township, and most of the land was next to the best water power site.

Now the stage is set for the Franklin Land Company. An organization of capitalists from Cleveland, Boston, Hudson, Ravenna, and elsewhere, who believed that Franklin Mills could be one of the foremost manufacturing centers of the country. They purchased the water power site and 750 acres from Zenas Kent and his wife for $75,000. About the same time, the Franklin Land Company bought the holdings of Pomeroy & Rhodes in the upper village. This gave the company complete control over the river, as well as all property that is now Kent.

Then things moved fast. A large tract of land on the East side of the river was surveyed and laid out into lots, with business streets and wide thoroughfares. Today that tract of land is Kent's downtown business district. The canal builders—large gangs of Irishmen—built a giant lock, a beautiful arched dam across the river, and a sturdy covered bridge at the foot of Main St. The canal and bridge builders had to be housed and fed, as did the carpenters and bricklayers who came to work on the new buildings. Many stores were opened and did a thriving business. In a few short years investors bought everything in sight...95 per cent of the land now within the city limits of Kent changed hands at least once.

Downtown Kent, undoubtedly owes its existence to the Pennsylvania & Ohio canal.

The oldest known photo of downtown Kent (circa 1850). The building on the right was a tin shop; on the left, Kent’s second oldest school house. The white residence in the background with the white fence was the home of Dr. J. H. Krape on Columbus Street in 1956. Aproximate view of today's northeast corner — Main and Water streets — today's Huntington Bank.

learn more about Kent's history — Kent Historical Society

Main Street Kent...a program focused specifically on downtown Kent.