Historical Society moving to new home in old building

KENT — The Kent Historical Society is moving to a new home, in an appropriately old building. Executive Director Margaret Smith said the society is in the midst of moving from Swift House, on Route 341 just east of Route 7, to the recently acquired Tallman House property on Studio Hill Road north of the town center.In 1978 the Historical Society inherited Seven Hearths, which was built in 1751. It took several years for the work to get under way but the society is now restoring the home and converting it to a museum.Seven Hearths is a prized possession, but it also presents challenges. For one, it is located on a lot about one half acre in size with no parking area. Because of its location outside the town center, it has only been open to the public on weekends during two months every summer.Meanwhile, the Historical Society has been outgrowing Swift House, which is owned by the town. Swift House does not provide adequate space to display exhibits. Many of the society’s possessions remain hidden from public view.To gain more space and to put the society’s office closer to Seven Hearths, the Historical Society purchased Tallman House, which is on property adjacent to Seven Hearths. This new acquisition will provide parking for Seven Hearths visitors and additional space for Historical Society displays and exhibits. The Historical Society office will move to Tallman House, which will make it possible for visitors to tour Seven Hearths all year long.“The new office and proximity to Seven Hearths will also provide better care and housing for our textile collection,” Smith said. “The move is taking all of our time and it is taking a long time,” she added. “Logistically we have to make the move very carefully. With the Tallman House space no bigger than what we have here, we have to plan very carefully. It is really choreographed, planning what goes in where and when.” As part of the move, a historic structures report was done on Seven Hearths, with help from a grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. Hudson Valley Preservation was hired to do the in-depth look at the building.“That was fun,” Smith said of the study, “because we not only wanted to look at the bones of the building to see if they were in good shape structurally, we also looked for physical evidence of the history of the house, of what had been going on in the house.”Smith was especially excited by one finding. A Hudson Valley Preservation worker used a special digital camera with a lens at the end of a long probe. The probe was inserted into a hole in the ceiling to see what might be hidden above. To everyone’s delight, the camera provided evidence of one former use of the building.Smith said there are some records indicating Seven Hearths had once been used as a fur trading facility. The digital camera found a hidden beam with the word “mink” written on it. Smith suspects this indicates mink pellets were stored on the floor underneath that word.This information also indicates that the ceiling of the room was installed some years after it had been used for fur trading in colonial times.“Now we are searching for additional written records to back up some of the research findings,” Smith said.In searching for evidence of life at Seven Hearths, Historical Society research found several people who knew how the house had been used in years gone by. For most of the 19th century, the house had apparently been divided into two apartments. It was later restored to a one-family home.Ester Pollard, a Sharon resident, had uncles who were born at Seven Hearths in the 1880s. And two sisters have been found (one is in Brookfield, the other is in Danbury) whose mother, Helen Segar, was born in 1904 at Seven Hearths.While the historic structure report yielded numerous valuable and interesting findings, Smith feels there are still many missing references yet to be found. For example, there are mentions of a Flanders Academy. To date, the Historical Society has not been able to identify any documents concerning such a school. Smith said she would love to hear from anyone who might be able to help with this quest.Call 860-927-4587 or visit www.kenthistoricalsociety.org.

Latest News

Nuvance hospital system to merge with Northwell Health

Sharon Hospital would become part of a larger regional health systems with 28 hospitals.

Yehyun Kim/CTMirror.org

Nuvance Health, which owns four hospitals in Connecticut and three in New York, will merge with Northwell Health to form a larger regional health system across two states.

Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care and employ 14,500 providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Creators: An interview with filmmaker Keith Boynton

Keith Boynton, left, with Aitor Mendilibar, right, the cinematographer who shot “The Haunted Forest” as well as “The Scottish Play” and “The Winter House.” In the background of is Vinny Castellini, first assistant director.

Submitted

Keith Boynton is a filmmaker who grew up in Salisbury, Connecticut. He attended Salisbury Central School, Town Hill School, and Hotchkiss. He has made numerous feature films including Seven Lovers, The Scottish Play, The Winter House, and is just wrapping up a new film, The Haunted Forest, which is a horror/slasher movie. Boynton has made numerous music videos for the band Darlingside, and for Alison Krauss. He is a poet, a playwright, and comic book art collector.

JA: This series of stories The Creators focuses on artists, their inspiration, and their creative process. Keith, what was the seed that got you started?

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton director is an Oscar nominee

Arlo Washington in a film still from the Oscar-nominated short "The Barber of Little Rock."

Story Syndicate

John Hoffman, a Millerton resident, has been nominated for his film “The Barber of Little Rock,” which he co-directed with Christine Turner, in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Distributed by The New Yorker and produced by Story Syndicate Production in association with 59th & Prairie, Better World Projects, and Peralta Pictures, “The Barber of Little Rock” explores the efforts of Arkansas local hero Arlo Washington, who opened a barbershop at 19 years old and, with a mission to close the racial inequality gap in his community, went on to found the Washington Barber College as well as People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Washington’s goal is aiding his primarily Black neighborhood, which has historically been underserved by more prominent banking institutions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Inside Troutbeck's kitchen

Chef Vincent Gilberti

Courtesy of Troutbeck

About growing up in Carmel, New York, Troutbeck’s executive chef Vincent Gilberti said he was fortunate to have a lot of family close by, and time together was always centered around food.

His grandparents in White Plains always made sure to have a supply of cured meats, olives, cheeses and crusty bread during their weekend visits. But it wasn’t until his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was 16 that his passion for food really began. It was there that he joined the German Club, whose partnership with Johnson & Wales University first introduced him to cooking.

Keep ReadingShow less