Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown
The corner of Cross and High Streets was commonly referred to as “Bordley’s Corner,” due to the gentlemen’s goods and clothing store operated by Thomas S. Bordley, which operated from 1877 to 1950. The building now houses the Historical Society of Kent County. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.
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William B. Nicholson, born in Kent County and attended Fairlee School in his early years, is known to many as ”Swish.” He played on a number of professional baseball teams from 1936 to 1953. First with the Philadelphia Athletics, then the Chicago Cubs, and finally to the Philadelphia Phillies, he grew a reputation which landed him a spot on the All-Star Major League Team in 1945. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.
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Kent County has seen its fair share of Presidential trips, though none so momentous as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s visit to Kent County to receive an honorary degree from Washington College in 1933. He is pictured here docked at the Godlington Marina. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.
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Have you ever wondered what the inside of Twigs & Teacups looked like before? This image of the Gill Bros. Ice Cream Factory and Dairy, ca. 1950s, should give you an idea! Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
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Be sure to enjoy your time at Downrigging this weekend! This image is of the steamboat l on the Chester River ca. 1910. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.
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“Stop by the Bordley History Center to take a look at our new exhibit highlighting the architectural drawings of Michael Bourne. Pictured here is his drawing of the Brampton, done in 2003. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.”
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Pictured is the Chester River Bridge House ca. 1910, home of the author Gilbert Byron. The bridge itself was completed in 1821 in partnership between a committee of citizens from Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. The Maryland State Roads Commission took over the bridge in 1914 and was replaced with a concrete bridge in 1929.
Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.
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Looks like a great week to gather! Pictured is a scene from Edesville, near Rock Hall, ca. 1900s. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
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Nellie Rhodes, Roger D. Brown History Award recipient, with Phyllis Brown at May 21 award ceremony. Photo by Historical Society of County.
The Historical Society of Kent County presented its annual Roger D. Brown History Award to Nellie Rhodes on Sunday, May 21, during a Society event at a historic home near Rock Hall.
The award is made annually by the Society to a graduating senior from Kent County High School in recognition of outstanding achievement in history. The award includes a plaque and a $500 scholarship. It is named for the Society longtime treasurer Roger D. Brown. Phyllis Brown, wife of the late Roger Brown, presented the award to Nellie.
Nellie, daughter of Susan Newton-Rhodes and Frank Rhodes, has spent her entire high school career at Kent County High School, where she completed an AP Course in International History with a score leading to college credit. She is bound for the University of Kansas, where she will be a fifth-generation legacy student following in the footsteps of her mother and other relatives.
The award was made during a special Society event held at the historic home of Dennis and Betty Martin at Reese’s Corner near Rock Hall. The event raised funds to support the Society’s programs, exhibits, speakers, brochures, and archives, most of which are offered without charge to members and the public.
In other HSKC news:
New Board Members and Officers
Sunday’s event followed the recent 87th Annual Meeting of the Society held at St. Paul’s Church on April 30, at which new directors and officers were elected.
Joining the board for the first time was Ashley Files Flory, who always lived in historic districts during her 30-year tenure with the federal government, retiring as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services focused on budgeting issues and policies. Flory is a member of the Board of Historic Takoma, Inc., a historical society and advocacy organization in the Takoma Park Historic District, which covers portions of Montgomery County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. She is currently restoring an 18th century home in Chestertown, which she saw on a snowy January day in 2022 and purchased several months later. Her other interests include furniture restoration and kinetic sculpture racing.
The Society also welcomed Michelle Pilliod Carroll, who joined the Board for the first time earlier this year. Trained as an art therapist and after a successful career as a meeting planner for large corporations, Carroll turned her talents to history when she retired in 2013, researching and writing coffee table books on historic homes in the D.C. Capitol Hill neighborhood where she then resided. She is a former vice president of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Carroll and her husband purchased a home in Chestertown in April 2021.
Re-elected to second terms as directors were LaMonte Cooke and Nivek Johnson.
New officers were Victoria W. Smith as vice president and George Corey as treasurer. Re-elected were Barbara Jorgenson as president and Erik T. Gulbrandsen as secretary.
The Historical Society, founded in 1936, collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Kent County to foster a knowledge and understanding of the shared heritage of our community. Its archives and library house scores of local genealogies, books on local history, and original documents. It is the only library decided solely to Kent County history.
The Society’s museum and gift shop, located in the Bordley History Center at 301 High Street, are open Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Museum admission is free, and exhibits change periodically. The Society’s library is open by appointment only. Contact [email protected]; 410-778-3499.
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The weather is warming up—time for watermelon! Image of the Brice family at their home on Eastern Neck Island.
Join the Historical Society of Kent County. Please visit our website here.
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