Located within the Chesapeake Bay along the Kent Narrows and Chester River, Kent Island is the largest island in the state of Maryland. Kent Island has been inhabited by people for at least 12,000 years, dating back to the Paleoindian era at the end of the last Ice Age.

History

Prior to European colonization, the island was the traditional home of the Matapeake indigenous tribe of the Algonquian Nation, as well as the Ozinie and Monoponson indigenous tribes, who called the island Monoponson. Though the island was sighted and charted by early European explorers such as Captain John Smith as early as the end of the 16th century, it was not settled by Europeans until 1631, when a trading settlement was established on the island by William Claiborne, who named the island after the city of Kent, England. The first settlement burned down during its first winter of operation and was immediately rebuilt to include a courthouse, gristmill, and trading post. Throughout the mid-17th century, several disputes were waged about whether the island belonged to the province of Maryland or the colony of Virginia, resulting in Claiborne’s eviction from the island in 1658, though territory disputes between Maryland and Virginia continued until the American Revolutionary War.

Kent Island’s early industry revolved around the production of tobacco and corn crops, but in the early 19th century, the island’s farming industry began to decline due to soil depletion. In 1850 the town of Stevensville was founded, which became a major hub for steamboat and railroad travel within the region. A resort was established in the late 19th century at Love Point, located north of Stevensville. Though the island’s farming industry recovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rise of the fishing industry in the Chesapeake Bay region brought a large number of crabbing and oystering activity to the island as well. In 1952, the island was connected to mainland Maryland via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which was expanded and remodeled to accommodate the United States Route 50 freeway in the late 1980s. Following 2003’s Hurricane Isabel, many businesses and landmarks on the island were damaged, though most have been repaired and restored to their original condition.

Attractions

Today, Kent Island is included in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area and is home to several densely-populated unincorporated communities, including Stevensville, Chester, Grasonville, and Centreville. The island is located on the Chesapeake Bay along the Kent Narrows and Chester River waterways and is bordered by the Eastern Bay on its south side. The 31-square-mile island is home to more than 16,000 residents, making it the most densely-populated area within Queen Anne’s County.

A number of historic places on the island have been preserved as part of the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway and American Discovery Trail routes, including the 1809 Cray House, preserved as the most complete known example of the post-and-plank construction style. Other historic buildings include the 1870 Cockey House, the 1880 Christ Episcopal Church, the Stevensville Train Depot, the 1909 Stevensville Bank, and the old Stevensville Post Office building. Most structures are also preserved as part of the Stevensville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Two walking and biking trails, the Cross Island Trail and the Kent Island South Trail, provide access to a number of historic attractions and offer opportunities for scenic exploration.

The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center, located in Chester, offers visitor information on area attractions, dining, and accommodations. Tours of historic properties within the region are offered by the Kent Island Heritage Society, which maintains a number of properties within the Stevensville Historic District as living history museum facilities. Natural attractions on the island include Matapeake State Park, which offers a restored ferry house and landing, amphitheater, trail system, public swimming beach, and picnic area. A number of popular seafood restaurants are located throughout the island, including The Narrows Restaurant, The Fisherman’s Inn and Crab Deck, Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House, the Bridges Restaurant and Bar, and the Stevensville Crab Shack.

The island is connected to the mainland on both sides by several bridges, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which joins the island with the city of Annapolis, and the Kent Narrows Bridge, which connects to the Delmarva Peninsula. Several MTA transit routes provide public transit to and from the island from Annapolis and Washington, D.C., and several local airports, including the Bay Bridge Airport, provide mainland service to Baltimore and Annapolis. Overnight accommodations are provided at several chain hotels, including the Hilton Garden Inn Kent Island and the Holiday Inn Express Kent Island. The historic Kent Manor Inn also offers 24 guest rooms and two outdoor wedding and event venues. website, Map

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