Supporters Are The First To Meet "The Founders Of Kent"

Lisa Green reports from Kent. “In the early 1700s, the northwest corner of the colony of Connecticut was often described as a ‘howling wilderness,'” one learns on a tour of the Seven Hearths Museum in Kent, Conn. The building was built in 1751 by one of the early founders of Kent, and on Saturday, July 8, the Kent Historical Society’s most generous members and supporters attended a preview party for the new exhibit, “The Founders of Kent: Starting from Scratch on the Connecticut Frontier.” The history is fascinating and complex and almost bursts out of the walls of the colonial house that served as fur trading post, general store, inn, and, finally, the private residence of artist George Laurence Nelson (whose stunning paintings hang in the museum). “There’s a lot of reading to be done in this exhibit” among the artifacts, sloping stairways and period furniture, said KHS’s curator Marge Smith. But anyone who’s interested in the how and why of the earliest settlers of northwest Connecticut will find it a thought-provoking and worthwhile visit. The exhibit runs on weekends through the end of October. [Above: Mike Everett, KHS board president with board member Deb Chabrian and Ed Martinez greet guests at the cocktail reception.]

Bruce Whipple, treasurer of the board of the historical society and board member Roger Gonzales; Melissa Cherniske, secretary of the board, and Carol Franken.

Brian Thomas, executive director of the Kent Historical Society, in front of the Seven Hearths Museum.

Mark Peterson, a carpenter who worked on the restoration of the Seven Hearths building, and Heather Blue Forstmann, who is secretary of the board of the Warren Historical Society; KHS members Ruth O'Meara and Karina O'Meara.

Jeffrey Morgan, Tom Sebring and John Favreau.

Curator Marge Smith explains a bit of Kent history to Guy Peterson; A family tree shows that many of the founding families' descendants still live in town.