Steeped in history and legends, New York is filled with stories of the forgotten, eerie and the weird that influence us everyday. While exploring the Mohawk River Trail in Rome, we learned of a long-abandoned amphitheater that once graced the banks of the river.

Lite 98.7's Eric Meier has teamed up with Folklorist P.W. Creighton to explore the haunts and legends of New York. Through their travels into the dark and often overlooked spaces they will bring these historic sites back to life and make some unexpected discoveries along the way.

In this episode we search out the site of the amphitheater and look for any remnants of its existence today.

 

Kent Ampitheater History

According to an articled that appeared in the Rome Sentinel in 2014, the venue included;

Fifteen semi-circular tiers of seats, enough to accommodate a crowd of 1,000, were put in place. They were made up of 300 railroad ties donated by the New York Central Railroad from its creosote plant on West Dominick Street. Pettibone-Mulliken Corp. donated the use of a portable derrick to help lift and stack the ties. Green Acres Restaurant owner Chick Travis provided free lunch to volunteers who helped move the ties, as well as a

tractor to pull the ties. RFA students pitched in, as did Boy Scouts and many other volunteers.

The amphitheater was officially opened on July 28, 1966, with Mayor William Valentine announcing to the crowd of 150 people that the facility would be named for the Kents. “Had it not been for these two pioneers, there would be no amphitheater on a quiet bend in the historic Mohawk River,” he said.

Investigation Gallery

Forgotten Kent Amphitheater

All photos credit Phil Nye/TSM

Watch the Complete Haunts and Legends Season 1 via this Youtube Playlist

Watch the complete first season of the Haunts and Legends of New York including our explorations of the Happy Valley ghost town near Syracuse, the Lost Village of Delta near Rome, Utica's Secret Underground Waterways and the Hidden Vault at Bagg Commemorative Park in Utica.

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