Virtual Tour

Upstairs

The Gallery

Originally the front (southern) section of this room extended across the house to the east, but was separated from the northern section by a wall, the location of which is still visible. The big front room had been used as a meeting room, a ballroom, and an academy. When the Nelsons bought the house in 1919, there was no plumbing in the house.7Upstairs bedroom - 3

They shortened the room on the east, making a hallway and a bathroom on the east side and using the remaining smaller room on the west as a bedroom, with its cozy little fireplace.

After the Society took over the house, the wall between the northern and southern rooms was removed in order to provide a gallery for exhibits.

The Gallery has just been refurbished, with new wiring, lighting, plaster and paint. It will permanently house the best of Mr. Nelson’s artwork, which has also just been conserved. Most of the paintings in this room feature Nelson family members, most noticeably his wife Helen, who is either the subject of or model for many of his paintings.

The Southwest Bedroom

Originally there were only two bedrooms upstairs, both on the south side of the house. These rooms are currently undergoing restoration. This front bedroom has a small fireplace, and windows on the south and west sides, making it a cozy spot for a winter afternoon.

The Doctor’s Office

Dr. John Wesley King was a much loved physician in Kent. His medicine chest, his instruments and his lunch basket that he took with him as he traveled around the community are on display. His brother was also a doctor and a few of his things are included. The artifacts were presented to the Society by his grandchildren. Seven Hearths Doctor's Office

Dr. King planted the large old birch tree on Main Street, which was taken down when the Kent Town Center was built.

At the time of its demise, the birch tree was undoubtedly one of the oldest white birches in existence, and marked the site of Dr. King’s house.

The Southeast Bedroom

The little bedroom at the top of the kitchen stairs is the only room in the house without a fireplace. This is possibly due to the fact that it could have been used in the production of the family’s linen.7Upstairs front bedroom Linen is woven from flax thread, the production of which creates a highly flammable dust.

Having a fireplace in the same room would have been too dangerous. But warmth came from the massive chimney in between the east and west bedrooms. Some of the spinning and weaving equipment here is on loan from Kent’s Britton family.

Others were donated by the Irving family of South Kent, where the late Walter E. Irving had a vast collection of Colonial tools and artifacts.
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