Customer Reviews

Remembering Kent Island (MD): Stories from the Chesapeake (American Chronicles (History Press))

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What a great glimpse of history from the early days and forward of what was once an isolated island settlement that has now become a hectic suburban type community.

For those of you that travel thru this area on your way to the Maryland and Delaware beaches give this a read and gain a new perspective on this great area of Maryland.

Author Brent Lewis is one of those rare writers who can make the dry facts of history come alive with anecdotes and humor. Few are aware that Kent Island is the third English settlement in America, following only Jamestown and Plymouth. It occupies an often overlooked niche in our nation's history. Lewis fills this literary void with style and panache. Historically interesting and an easy read to boot.

Being a Kent Island local I was intriqued by the family name geneology. I found it helpful in keeping my facts stright about who's who around town. Brent's book is a small touch on local history. A fascinating easy read. Can't wait for more. I would love a book that specifically details Kent Island's indian population and culture.

This 125 page book is wonderful for those that know Kent Island, as a source for their Kent Island history, what is contained in the pages is written well and clearly resourced. There are plenty of black and white pictures and the ecological history is given. The original Indian population is satisfactorily covered as are the first settlers from Europe. The people of Kent Island are fascinating and their history is adequately done, as are the ravages of the storm Agnes in the 70's in the surrounding waters to the clams and oysters and the changes in the waterman's and their families lives.

A tour of Kent Island is given from Love Point in the north to Kent Point in the south; but here is where I began to wonder where the modern effects were and what I had been looking forward to being revealed in this book.

This part of Maryland - the Eastern Shore has gone through an enormous change since the building of the Bay Bridge and the campaign to "Reach the Beach" , literally dividing some communities in half by the highway and the number of cars coming and going to Ocean City, yet hardly any of this is mentioned other than the building of the Bay Bridge itself. I was also hoping to find some reporting of the impact the huge number of houses that have been built both for daily commuters to the Western Shore and the massive expensive enclaves for the rich - there is none of that there. I found myself wondering how can you write a new book and not include this colossal impact on the Kent Island area. Also for the past several years there has been the talk of huge numbers of people coming into the nearby areas with the federal BRAC funding that is taking place close to the Bridge and will undoubtedly put more people into the Kent Island region, if not to live, certainly to travel through. I was disappointed to find a new book on the area's history so lacking in the modern era and the effects it has had.

The emphasis is on life before the change of the Bay Bridge, only the last 10 pages cover the new developments it has brought and not much of that is really covered.