I recently read this quote in Washington College’s Elm newspaper, “…We have the best website out of any town here on the Eastern Shore and arguably, the entire state of Maryland.” With this statement, I assume that was Chestertown’s goal.
Since even ‘best’ can be improved upon, I have two suggestions:
First is our history. We are very fortunate in Chestertown to live, work, and play where our history and architecture have been preserved. So many towns have been allowed to deteriorate to a point where enormous expenditures of time and dollars were required to bring them alive again. For instance, the State of Maryland’s Main Street program was developed by the National Trust originally for that purpose—to bring attention to those towns whose history had been forgotten and architecture had been neglected.
Chestertown is NOT such a town. We have the luxury of enjoying the efforts of many generations before us who have preserved our past, our history, our architecture, and our values. Not a small feat. The preservation of these irreplaceable assets did not just happen overnight.
Chestertown’s history has created the background for all that we stand for and is used as a ‘pallet’ for our future endeavors—the Arts, our environment, and our education.
Our website’s banner reads, “Historic Chestertown” followed on the next line by the message, “Where the arts, environment, and education meet.” But the banner “Historic Chestertown” simply means that Chestertown is just old. Many towns are old, but very few have so many ways that history has been applauded and used as a background for our approach to cultural amenities.
To name a few examples: Washington College is the tenth oldest college in America. Chestertown has celebrated its 300th birthday. Chestertown is one of only three towns in Maryland on the National Register of Historic Places. We have a Historic District (recently expanded) that brings enjoyment, a quality of life, increased property values, and an enhancement and magnet for our tourism. (By the way, these latter two facts are not mentioned on the new website.)
Omitting the word ‘history’ in the message line that follows the banner is not redundant, as was recently suggested at a Town Council meeting. The word ‘history’ inserts history as a value that meets with the Arts, the environment, and education. History is an integral part of the whole that is Chestertown. Those seven letters say that history is important to our identity. To omit those letters implies that Chestertown is not where history meets the Arts, the environment, and education.
Second is the lack of photographs in the ‘Explore Chestertown’ section. This section is simply a Google map insertion. The video pictures there are distorted and blurred. Some are so dark along Cross Street—one of our two major commercial routes—that the buildings cannot be defined. The Google tour reveals only white studded roadways, cars, curbs, and parking lots. The beautiful residences and businesses are less than secondary. The Wickes House, one of our historic architectural gems, has a dumpster sitting in front. Our riverfront with boardwalk and wetland plantings is not visible. The beautifully restored Greek Revival building where Sultana is now housed is shown as it was pre-restoration several years ago. The businesses, most of which are in unique historic buildings, cannot be detected at all. Our fine Court House, Town Hall, and Court Street barrister buildings are not included. These things ARE Chestertown.
The old saying ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is apt here. With all of the photographs taken of our Town, surely a simple slide show could be readily assembled to show the real Chestertown, telling our story fluently and vividly without words.
It is far too easy to have Chestertown’s real values ignored if we do not remember and emphasize our history and the beauty of our built environment. These values are the economic engine of Chestertown. Our entire arts, education, and environment programs are based upon the historic values and panorama of Chestertown.
Carla Massoni says
Thank you for your excellent critique! One of the ways we will have the “best” website on the Eastern Shore will be because of the feedback provided by the citizens of our beautiful town. Judy Crow – who does an excellent job of marketing Crow Vineyards – once told me that a website is only as good as the material you put into it. Your suggestions are very thoughtful and I think these issues could be easily remedied as we move forward. We have some of the best photographers in the region right here in River City and a fabulous archive of images available through our Historic Society. Websites are living “documents” – they can be changed and updated regularly. I am not sure to whom you are addressing your critique but I would suggest sending your comments to the Mayor and Town Council for their review.
connie godwin says
Great letter, Nancy, particularly the slideshow suggestion, maybe with even a few more additions, like our several B&Bs which are in historic buildings White Swan, Brampton, and now even Imperial, since Mrs. Sheehan has, I understand, three of the rooms reserved as B&Bs, while the rest, of course, are for her or for his office.
Samuel Shoge says
Hi Connie! We actually have some information on a couple of the places you mentioned on the website in the “For History Buffs” section under the Visitors tab. I have commissioned the creation of a marketing committee for Chestertown and we hope to not only tell the stories of some of these B&B’s, but hope to drive business to them as well! One project I will be proposing is creating “get-away” packages we can market and sell on websites such as Groupon and Living Social. These are sites that sell deals by locality and include discounts on amenities such as restaurants and hotels. It is a great way to increase business exposure and drive customers to a particular destination.
Steve Payne says
It’s not well marked but if you click on the picure slideshow it takes you to the Downtown Chestertown Instagram page.
https://instagram.com/downtownchestertown/
The Google maps streetview section is just how it is. I really like it though.
There are a few places where the images overlap but that might be because I’m usually on smaller screen. Overall I think the site is great.
Samuel Shoge says
Nancy–Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the new Chestertown website. While the new website is a significant step above the former site the Town utilized, it is still a work in progress. As the site was being designed and built, we realized that several things would need to be expanded once we officially launched and emphasizing our history was one of the main topics we highlighted. This is a topic I plan on collaborating with the Kent County Historical Society to do just that. It would have been easy to just put up something about our history but I want to make sure we put up content that is engaging, interactive, and informative. A project like this will take some time. Another project I plan on proposing is doing a comprehensive update to the Chestertown Wikipedia page. When one searches for a town or city, its Wikipedia page is often the second link that shows up on a Google search and is often explored in conjunction with the official website. We need to make sure both sources are reflecting the same information. In addition, to address your particular concern about the “Historic” signature in the website header, I disagree with you in regards to it making the Town just seem old. There have been several towns and cities that have built very successful brands by incorporating such terminology–think Colonial Williamsburg and Old Town Alexandria. Ultimately, the point I am driving at is we are building a Chestertown BRAND. In order to build a brand, it must be carefully planned and executed. The text that we use, and the pictures that we post all have to be working in unison and harmony to craft a message that is most effective. That is why I commissioned the creation of a Chestertown Marketing Committee that will be responsible for building and marketing the brand of Chestertown and it will be comprised of some of the most creative and innovative minds Chestertown and Kent County has to offer. Tackling the concerns of history, branding, and vibrant photographs that you mentioned in your Op-ed are already agenda items. Exciting things are coming and I can’t wait to share them with you all!
Diane Daniels says
Further to Nancy’s and Sam Shoge’s comments in particular, no one needs to reinvent the wheel with regard to telling the story of Kent County History. The Historical Society of Kent County’s website: http://www.kentcountyhistory.org (designed and maintained by Chesapeake Bay Internet Associates) does that. Although there is much more to be put on the site, including excellent research done by the Society with a dynamic collaborative community effort on African American History, there is a great deal of quality content there. The site received in 2013 (the last year for which I personally had figures) 540,000 hits annually – not bad for a little Historical Society. Although, small though it may be, the Society has been received a great deal of attention from across the bridge for it’s innovative, inclusive documentation projects. And yes, Nancy is correct in saying that the Society has a tremendous archive of photographs and other materials that will, ideally, soon be more broadly known throughout the County when the Society moves into its central location in the Bordley Building and history will take its rightful place in the heart of the community.
Francoise Sullivan says
Diane –
I have included some additional information on the Historical Society on the History page of the Chestertown website and made it more prominent with a link to your website. I am happy to include any images that you would like to send me for the town website.
As was mentioned in a previous comment, the website is a work and progress and will continue to grow and change to match the needs of our residents and visitors. Please feel free to contact me, Sam Shoge or the town with any suggestions – we appreciate your input!
Thanks!
Francoise Sullivan
[email protected]