 Part of the Connecticut Western Reserve , Kent was settled in 1805 and was known for many years as Franklin Mills . Settlers were attracted to the area due to its location along the Cuyahoga River as a place for water @-@ powered mills . Later development came in the 1830s and 1840s as a result of the settlement 's position along the route of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal . Leading up to the American Civil War , Franklin Mills was noted for its activity in the " Underground Railroad " . With the decline of the canal and the emergence of the railroad , the town became the home of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad maintenance shops through the influence of Marvin Kent . In 1864 the town was renamed Kent in honor of and in gratitude for Marvin Kent 's efforts . It was incorporated as a village in 1867 and became a city after the 1920 Census . Today Kent is a college town best known as the home of the main campus of Kent State University , founded in 1910 , and as the site of the 1970 Kent State shootings . 
