The house pictured above is not part of the Historical Society’s House & Garden tour this Saturday, it is within Chestertown’s Historic District and is representative of the architectural style of many of Chestertown’s late 18th and early 19th century  houses. Its decorative trim, symmetrical  front gabled form, and ornate porch details align with Victorian styles that were popular in Chestertown and around the world starting around the middle of the 19th century.

Saturday’s Hidden Gems of Chestertown tour will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Bordley History Center at 301 Cross Street.

In this week’s Flashback Photo, we look forward to summer days on the Chester and the Bay, following the lead set by Captain Lillie Mae Flowers, pictured here circa 1939 aboard her vessel Chester. At the age of 22, Flowers became the youngest female sea captain, according to The Kent News of Saturday, July 22, 1939, which called her “A comely lady, slight and lissome.” The 1989 announcement of her death in a local newspaper noted that she “had been to the East Indies and sailed through storms. Chesapeake Bay storms, she said, were the worst of all.” The same article reported that she was the subject of a question on the television quiz show Jeopardy! but none of the contestants could name the youngest female sea captain.

If you have additional information or stories to tell about Captain Flowers, or other local sea captains, please share them in the comments below, or send them to [email protected].

This image showing the end of a demolition process appeared in the Kent County News in 1960. The text accompanying the photo reads (with identifying information removed):

“One week only was required to remove from the center of [—] a century-old landmark … There is still no definite word as to what use the site will serve,” and “DOWN SHE COMES: [—], built in 1864 and for more than 90 years [—]’s leading [—], is being razed. The Harford Contracting Co. began this week wrecking the structure, a job of several weeks. What comes next? [—], attorney for [—], who purchased the building two years ago from Mr. and Mrs. [—], said Thursday morning: ‘I don’t know and I can be quoted.’”

No doubt many readers will recognize this site. The first to email [email protected] correctly identifying the demolished building and what replaced it wins bragging rights until our next quiz. Image courtesy of Historical Society of Kent County. 

Congratulations to last week’s quiz winners, Cheryl Hoopes and Billie Carroll!

Bring a lunch and your curiosity to the Historical Society at noon on Thursday, May 15 for Lunch & Lore to explore Kent County History with research librarian Joan Andersen. This week’s topic: People, Places, & Things. Joan will talk about the many fascinating sites, items, and characters that she has been researching recently. All are welcome!

As May is National Historic Preservation Month, we thought we would share a Flashback Photo of a Kent County site that is both historic and has undergone a number of preservation efforts over the year. The current Janes United Methodist Church building on the corner of Cross and Cannon Streets, and pictured here in an undated photo, was dedicated on November 8, 1914, was the church’s third building, and is on its third site. Construction had started on March 1, 1914 with the laying of the cornerstone, only to be delayed when a fire destroyed much of downtown. The roof was replaced during a larger renovation project in 1992, but due to the use of faux slate, fiber-cement shingles, it was a matter of less than a decade before the roof again began to need attention. In 2020, those shingles had been replaced by a new, historically-appropriate slate roof tiles expected to last 90+ years.

A QUICK QUIZ: What is the name of the 1,000 pound bell, first acquired by the church in 1909 and the only piece of the church that survived the 1914 fire? If you know, please put it in the comments below, or email the answer to [email protected]. Image courtesy of Historical Society of Kent County.