In the days before air conditioning, surviving the unique brand of local heat and humidity that makes every outdoor moment feel like a swampy endurance challenge requires access to water. Luckily, Kent County has an abundance of opportunities to enjoy the sweet relief of Bay, river, or creek. In today’s undated photo, a baby and two adults, all overdressed for summer weather by today’s standards, enjoy a day on the beach in Rock Hall. Kent County was the place to be in the latter part of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Rock Hall, Betterton, and Tolchester all hosted crowds of visitors when steamboats were the primary means of travel across the bay. Image courtesy of Historical Society of Kent County.
The Historical Society will host a free talk on Wednesday, July 16, the 71st anniversary of the Great Explosion in 1954. All are welcome to hear Erika Quesenbery-Sturgill speak about her recent book about the explosion, Working to Preserve Freedom When Suddenly Taken: The Chestertown Explosion of July 16, 1954. Members of the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company have been invited in honor of the first responders who rushed to the scene on that day. For more information, email [email protected].
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