 The region was originally inhabited by various tribes of American Indians , including the early Mound Builders . Around 1780 , Captain Samuel Brady achieved notoriety for his activities in the area , including his famous leap of 21 feet ( 6 m ) over the Cuyahoga River to avoid capture by an unknown band of American Indians . The site , known as Brady 's Leap , is now a city park . Settlement by Europeans began in the late 1790s and early 19th century . As part of the Connecticut Western Reserve , the area was divided into survey townships in 1798 and almost all of what is now Kent was originally part of Town 3 Range 9 , which would eventually be known as Franklin Township . Aaron Olmsted , a wealthy Connecticut merchant , had purchased the 16 @,@ 000 @-@ acre ( 6 @,@ 500 ha ) township and named it for his son Aaron Franklin Olmsted . 
