February 23, 2025

Rushing out of the mountains in the town of Warren is Falls Brook. It cascades down nearly 250 feet on less than a quarter mile run to the Housatonic River. 

Kent Falls is not one waterfall but a series of falls. The most significant single drop is known as Big Falls, with a dramatic 70-foot descent into a reflecting pool. It is the crown jewel of the state parks. According to the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, more than 100,000 visit the falls annually.

During the Great Depression, it was the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp. The CCC was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Many called it Roosevelt’s Tree Army, because of all the trees planted. According to the FDR Library, jobs were available for unemployed youths while improving the environment. While in Kent, the CCC lived at Camp Macedonia, which opened in 1935 and closed in 1937. 

While working on Kent Falls, the CCC built new roads, walls, a picnic area, and even a trail that climbed alongside the falls. If you hope to go and see Camp Macedonia, it is no longer in existence, according to town historian Marge Smith, but the trail and picnic area can still be viewed today. 

By AJ Schenkman

Photo is Courtesy of the Kent Historical Society