page_title: History of Kent, Ohio
section_title: Early history
hierarchical_section_title: History of Kent, Ohio / Early history
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of Standing Rock in Kent, Ohio in the Cuyahoga River. Standing Rock was also known as "Standing Stone" and "Council Rock" as it was a meeting place for some Native tribes who inhabited the area prior to European settlement in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
context_page_description: The area now occupied by the city of Kent, Ohio, was previously inhabited by various Native American tribes until the 19th century. Though no record of any settlement exists, the area was located along several known trails. In 1798 it was sold to Aaron Olmsted as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. He initially named the area "Franklin" after his son, Aaron Franklin Olmsted. The first settlers, the Haymaker family, arrived in late 1805, having been attracted to the area by the Cuyahoga River and its potential for powering gristmills.
  Twin settlements developed along the river, known locally as the "upper" and "lower" villages and collectively as Franklin Mills, though the upper village was also known for a time as Carthage. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, construction of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal helped fuel construction of a central business area opposite the twin villages though most of the anticipated growth from the canal was never realized.
context_section_description: The region was previously inhabited by various tribes of American Indians including the Mound Builders for an unknown period of time.  There is no record of any type of settlement in the area, but it was located near Native settlements in what is now Silver Lake and Cuyahoga Falls.  It is believed a large rock in the Cuyahoga River, known today as Standing Rock, served as a place of council for these early tribes.  Several trails crossed the area well before the arrival of European settlers.  Around 1780 the Indian fighter Captain Samuel Brady achieved notoriety for his activities in the area, including his famous 21-foot (6.4 m) leap over the Cuyahoga River to avoid capture, known as Brady's Leap.  After leaping the river, he hid in a nearby lake which was later named for him, Brady Lake.
caption: Standing Rock, located in northern Kent in the Cuyahoga River.
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