Kent’s House Up on the Hill
ent’s namesake, Marvin S. Kent, first saw the break of dawn in Ravenna in 1816. A son of Zenas Kent, Marvin eventually became inextricably associated with the community in those days known as Franklin Mills.
Marvin developed a keen business acumen, not unlike other members of his illustrious family. He acquired a good deal of land in what was to become Kent…but also generously donated tracts for causes such as churches, the library, and the railroad depot. Numerous endeavors attracted his interest: he helped organize the Franklin Glass Co. and the Franklin Cotton Mills Co., and built the Kent Flouring Mills, among other interests. He also served a term as president of the Kent National Bank.
Most historians agree, however, his greatest achievement was spearheading the move to bring rail transportation to the town. In 1863, the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad chugged into Franklin Mills from Warren. Marvin had been president of the line since 1859, and was subsequently reelected five times.
t times, it took all of Marvin Kent’s considerable influence to keep the railyards and car shops in town. By 1868, some 800 workers were employed in them, and they spent a great deal of their income in the community.
The year before, Franklin Mills had been incorporated. As a note of interest, the Rockton (Masonic) Lodge was to be named Kent Lodge. But Marvin Kent’s admirers favored renaming the town Kent, even though Marvin himself preferred Rockton as the community’s name. Public sentiment prevailed, and ever since, the city has been known as Kent while the Masonic Lodge has been called Rockton.
Marvin’s influence was to spread even wider and his keen mind was to have an influence that would be statewide rather than local. In 1876, he was elected a state senator from the 26th District, serving until 1878.
Later in life, at the intersection of West Main Street and North Mantua, Marvin commissioned and built a private residence that still stands today as a jewel of the city. Now known as the Kent Masonic Temple, it is said to have been built between 1881 and 1883, although one source dates that the cornerstone was laid on June 7, 1887.
Expert woodcarvers were brought in to fashion and craft the finest woods, for which Kent is said to have searched far and wide. The finished home, according to the History of Portage County Illustrated, was “one of the most elegant and palatial private residences in northern Ohio.” “Within and without,” the account continued, “there are evidences of a cultured taste in art and adornment.” Four presidents—Warren Harding, William Howard Taft, William McKinley, and Benjamin Harrison are said to have enjoyed accommodations at the stately Victorian showplace.
German stone cutters fashioned the Eastlake style pediments that adorn the windows.
Since 1923, the Rockton Masonic Lodge has owned the historic landmark where Marvin Kent once lay down his head as night grew old, reflecting, perhaps, on his many contributions to the city he obviously loved.
