During this time of closed businesses and social distancing, the Historical Society of Kent County is still offering our county’s stories to visitors and residents.
Take a walk to corner of High and Cross Streets in the heart of Chestertown’s Historic District to visit the window exhibits at the Society’s home, the Bordley History Center. Right now, the Center’s south window is hosting a guest exhibit on “The Port of Chestertown,” created by Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for Study of the American Experience. The Center’s north window features local African American legend, Henry Highland Garnet, for whom our local elementary school is named and was known for his fiery rhetoric. These exhibits will be in place until early May when new exhibits will be installed, including one on the Eastern Shore’s famous indigenous log canoes.
Continue walking into the Historic District with the Society’s “paperless” walking tour of the historic homes there. Just visit the Society’s website www.kentcountyhistory.org and scroll down the first page to “Historic Chestertown Walking Tour.” The online tour covers 25 sites in the Historic District, describing the history and architecture of each site. The online tour replicates the original architectural walking tour written by local historian Robert Janson-LePalme in 1985.
The Society’s website also has extensive information on local history from the 1600’s to the present, with links to other sources too. Click on Events, then First Fridays to see a video of Bill Leary’s presentation at Legacy Day 2019 on the county’s African American churches.
More videos of the Society’s First Friday talks can be found on the Society’s Facebook page.
The Society plans to re-open the Bordley History Center as soon as Gov. Hogan permits non-essential businesses to re-open. Until then, take advantage of the Society’s website, Facebook page, and its window exhibits at 301 High Street.
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