National Register of Historic Places

Kent Neighborhood Historic District

Dorset, Bennington County, Vermont
Listed
July 13, 1978
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
78003203

About this property

The Kent Neighborhood Historic District encompasses a little-altered early 19th-century rural neighborhood of Dorset, Vermont. Centered at the junction of Dorset West Road and Nichols Hill Road, the area is also historically significant as the site in 1775 of the first meetings that culminated in Vermont's period of independence prior to become the 14th United States state. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Kent Neighborhood is located in western Dorset, south of the main village. It extends along Lane Road to Dorset West Road, and then further westward along Nichols Hill Road. The district is entirely residential, with dispersed houses along the three roads. All are clapboarded wood-frame buildings, and most are stylistically vernacular interpretations of Federal period architecture. The oldest house dates to about 1783, and there are four non-historic 20th century houses interspersed among the older ones, which were typically built before 1850. One of the houses is a former one-room schoolhouse, built in about 1834, and another is notable as the home of George Holley, a leading figure in the development of the area's marble quarries. One of the area's early settlers was Cephas Kent, Sr., who moved to the area in 1773 and built a house and tavern. While there is some disagreement about which structure was the Cephas Kent Tavern, one of the two buildings stands at the bottom of the road and the other was moved up the hill from its original location. It was at Kent's tavern that a series of meetings took place in 1775, when the settlers of the area that is now Vermont, disputed between New York and New Hampshire, negotiated a set of agreements among themselves that resulted in the founding in 1777 of the independent Vermont Republic. The site of the Kent Tavern is marked by a marble memorial, placed in 1912. Many of the older houses in the area were built by members of the extended Kent family. National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont

Location

Dorset, Bennington County, Vermont
43.24033, -73.09966

Categories

MILITARYEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Nearby Historic Sites

Dorset Village Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.9 mi
Manley-Lefevre House
Industrial
1.1 mi
Dorset Village Historic District
Listed
1.2 mi
Jenks Tavern
Early Republic
2.6 mi
Yester House
Industrial
4.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Kent Neighborhood Historic District listed on the National Register?

Kent Neighborhood Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 13, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Kent Neighborhood Historic District?

Kent Neighborhood Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Kent Neighborhood Historic District?

The period of significance for Kent Neighborhood Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Kent Neighborhood Historic District?

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