The Flashback Photo is back with a grainy but fascinating view of a floating sawmill on the Sassafras River, c. 1900. A long-john boiler and a tall smokestack are visible in this photograph, which appeared in M.V. Brewington’s This Was Chesapeake Bay (New York, 1953) with photo credit going to Thomas P. Hammer.

As always, if you have any additional details to share about this photograph, or about floating saw mills in Kent County, please email [email protected].

September is International Underground Railroad Month, chosen because both Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery on the Eastern Shore during September. Today’s undated Flashback Photo is a Kent County site related to the Underground Railroad, Bogles Wharf. Now a remote but popular public boat ramp and site for fishing, crabbing, and birdwatching within the Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, the wharf was built during colonial period and became a busy transportation hub, including an oyster packing plant and a steamboat dock through which passengers and produce flowed to and from Baltimore and other ports.

The Historical Society of Kent County’s Underground Railroad Driving Tour also identifies Bogles Wharf as the site of an attempted escape from enslavement. According to the tour guide, “In September 1863, more than 150 enslaved men and women attempted, but failed, to board a federal steamer from Baltimore conscripting slaves for the Union Army.”

There are 8 stops on the driving tour, covering much of Kent County. Tour brochures are available at the Bordley History Center, 301 High Street in Chestertown. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

Thanks,

In the days before email, mail delivery was a significant part of the daily routine. We haven’t had much rain nor sleet nor snow this week, and lucky for this dedicated mail carrier, the weather was clear for him in this undated photo at the corner of Pine Street and Greenwood Avenue in Chestertown. If you look closely, you will see some residents on the steps of the house across the street, waiting for their mail. If you can identify this fellow, let us know at [email protected]. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

Many thanks to Robert W. Clark and Dawn in the comments, who helped identify the Betterton teachers in last week’s photo. They each agreed that Mrs. Mildred Dwyer, principal and 1st and 2nd grade teacher is on the left, and Mrs. Tarbutton, 5th and 6th grade teacher is on the right. In the middle is either Mrs. Jackson or Nancy Miller. If you can confirm or deny either of these names, please be in touch!

In celebration of Legacy Day 2024 this weekend, a Flashback Photo from the Historical Society’s current exhibit highlighting African American Fraternal and Community Organizations. Star Temple No. 1141 was organized in 1961 to work with the Bay City Elks Lodge No. 1490 in Rock Hall. In this photo are State Presidents who also served as Daughter Rulers of Star Temple No. 1141.

The Bordley History Center will be open special hours this weekend, from 5 – 6 pm on Friday and 3 – 5 pm on Saturday, as part of the Legacy Day celebrations, in addition to its regularly schedule hours Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am – 2 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 pm. Visitors can also browse the museum shop and explore genealogical records on a drop-in basis. Collections staff is available by appointment to assist with research in the library and archives. Visit www.kentcountyhistory.org or call (410) 778-3499 for more details. Image courtesy of Legacy Day 2024 and the Historical Society of Kent County.

Thank you to those who commented to let us know that we had misidentified the location on last week’s Flashback Photo. We have added the information to our records and we’re delighted to have a more complete understanding. The Historical Society’s work of preserving, sharing, and celebrating the history of Kent County is one of continuous learning and re-learning. We rely on help from this wonderful community to add to the collective knowledge and understanding of our shared history. So, as always, please be in touch at any time to contribute to the historical record!

Today we share a postcard from Betterton Beach was a popular vacation destination in the late 19th and early 20th century. Visitors arrived by steamboat to enjoy the swimming, fishing, and boating in the northern Chesapeake Bay, and a the hustling and bustling atmosphere of a resort town with “restaurants, taverns, dance halls, bowling alleys, and amusement arcades” (Betterton, MD (townofbetterton.com). It’s a bit quieter today, and people arrive by car for the most part, but it has a lovely beach and is a beautiful place to enjoy the bay. The Betterton Heritage Museum is open on weekends and is a great place to learn about the history of this little town in northwestern Kent County.

View an exhibit tracing the eventful history of Galena, Maryland, on display throughout July at the Bordley History Center at 301 High Street in Chestertown. Regular hours Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am – 2 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 pm, and from 5 pm – 7 pm on First Fridays. Visitors can also browse the museum shop and explore genealogical records on a drop-in basis. Collections staff is available by appointment to assist with research in the library and archives. Visit www.kentcountyhistory.org or call (410) 778-3499 for more details.

In honor of the 4th of July weekend and the Historical Society’s new exhibit in partnership with the town of Galena, a circa 1898 photograph of the Galena Cornet Band. Image courtesy of the town of Galena, Maryland.

From a newspaper clipping of the era:

“This musical organization purchased a building in March, 1898, and fitted it up with stage and curtains for a hall. It is situated near the center of town and is one of the most suitable places for shows, festivals, etc., in the town. There is a 20 foot flag that may be seen floating from a 60 foot pole on all public holidays and extra occasions in front of the hall. The band bought uniforms June 28, 1899. Among their numerous engagements which they have fulfilled in a creditable manner the first was Chestertown on May 5^th 1897, at the big Children’s Carnival. At this time they had taken their first [illegible] just three months previous. Tolchester Beach was visited July 4^th, 1899, and afterwards the Tolchester Company engaged them for for the Kent-Queen Anne’s Fair. Excursions, festivals, tournaments, political meeting [sic], and in fact all leading and important events have seen and heard them. The Band has paid all encumbrance and is free from debt with a good surplus in the treasury. The members of the band meet regularly every Monday and Friday evenings, Monday evenings [illegible] and on Fridays is their practice night. The band is in a good, flourishing condition, plays all the leading and popular airs and is open for engagements.”

The newspaper article (not necessarily contemporaneous with this photograph) names the following members: President C.W.S. Medders, Vice-President W.K. Davis, Trustees J. Thos. Pennington, Dr. J.W. Latimer, Wm. Steele and R.I. Dempsey, Secretary Jos. E. Boyd, Treasurer R.T. Dempsey, Leader Andrew W. McConley, Instructor Robt. S. Godwin.

Please visit the Bordley History Center during the month of July to view a new exhibit, produced in partnership with the town of Galena. Regular hours Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am – 2 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 pm, and from 5 pm – 7 pm on First Fridays. Visitors can browse the shop, view the exhibitions, and explore genealogical records on a drop-in basis. Collections staff is available by appointment to assist with research in the library and archives. Visit www.kentcountyhistory.org or call (410) 778-3499 for more details.

As the school year wraps up and summer begins in earnest, today’s photo offers a classic Eastern Shore scene: a boy, a dog, a river, and a fishing pole. The photograph is labeled “Pearce, Mike fishing,” but does not indicate the location (or the dog’s name). If you recognize this photo or anyone in it, please let us know at [email protected] or by calling (410) 778-3499.

Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

The Bordley History Center is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am – 2 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 pm, and from 5 pm – 7 pm on First Fridays. Visitors can browse the shop, view the exhibitions, and explore genealogical records on a drop-in basis. Collections staff is available by appointment to assist with research in the library and archives. Visit www.kentcountyhistory.org or call (410) 778-3499 for more details.

A minor departure this week: Instead of a historic image, a contemporary look at a historic subject. The fountain pictured here is the only one of Memorial Park’s monuments dedicated to an individual, George B. Wescott, whose daughter, Chestertown resident Harriet L. Hill donated it in memory of her father. It was dedicated on August 8, 1900. The fountain features a large basin on the street-facing side at an appropriate height for thirsty horses with a smaller basin facing the park for people. At one time, it also had a ground-level water station for cats and dogs. The fountain is no longer in use and the spigots have been removed. Images courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

The Bordley History Center’s regular hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am – 2 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 pm. For this weekend’s Museums of Kent driving tour, opening hours are extended on Saturday, June 1 until 4 pm, and Sunday June 2 from 12 noon – 3pm. Visitors are invited to browse the shop, view the exhibitions, and explore genealogical records on a drop-in basis. Collections staff is available by appointment to assist with research in the library and archives. Visit www.kentcountyhistory.org or call (410) 778-3499 for more details.

For this Memorial Day weekend—better known in these parts as Tea Party weekend—an undated photograph from an early re-enactment, perhaps even the first iteration of the Tea Party festival and commemoration in 1968. Let us know if you recognize any of these be-wigged fellows. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

While the original Chestertown Tea Party’s story likely lies somewhere on the blurry border between fact and legend, the spirit of colonial Chestertown remains entwined with the town’s identity, with the Tea Party its most iconic expression. This year’s festival marks the 250^th anniversary of the events of 1774. The Bordley History center will host musicians Annie and Ridley Enslow for “songs of liberty” and stories from the American Revolutionary War era at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm on Saturday, May 25.