Discover Kent's Rich Heritage
Explore the Archives & Collections
The collection boasts a fascinating array of artifacts spanning from the mid-18th century to the present day. The collection also includes clothing and textiles, personal accessories, and unique items from former local businesses, each with its own story to tell.
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Discover Our Rich Photo Collection
Our extensive photo collection offers a captivating glimpse into the past, featuring a variety of historical formats such as tintypes, daguerreotypes, and glass plate negatives. Tintypes, daguerreotypes, glass plate negatives, stereoscopics, as well as 20th and 21st century formats, beginning with early polaroid images and on up to prints of current digital photographs. Albums, family photos, general town scenery and events, and a large collection of postcards. Many of the postcard images were taken by Dr. George Smith, Rector of St. Andrews Church from 1900 to 1910. He was an accomplished amateur photographer, who rigged up a box for his camera equipment on the back of his bike, which he rode around town to document its scenery.
Object collection
Artifacts from the mid-18th century up to the present. Household items, furniture, tools, toys, clothing and other textiles, personal accessories; signs and other items from former local businesses; farm tools; Schaghticoke baskets and tools.
Archives Collection
The archives include scrapbooks, diaries, letters and other personal papers pertaining to daily life in Kent; genealogical material including deeds and wills, family bibles and (limited) probate records; account books and records of local businesses, civic organizations, farms and churches, as well as extensive information on the local iron industry and the veterans of WWII; school rosters, diplomas and other certificates; also old maps and a large collection of newspaper clippings. In addition to the clippings, we have a complete set of The Kent Good Times Dispatch (GTD) from 1952 to 1978, and most issues of The Kent Weathervane and The Kent Forum from the 1980s.
Artistic Heritage
Celebrating Our Art Collection
The art collection consists primarily of work by George Laurence Nelson, the former longtime owner of Seven Hearths, who bequeathed his house and its contents to us in 1978. He was a multi-talented and well known artist who had studied and exhibited around the world. Hundreds of his works are now in our collection, along with pieces by his parents, Carl and Alice Hirschberg, as well as those of Robert Nisbet, William McKillop, and Ammi Phillips
