Kent Island (Maryland)

Kent Island is an island in the Chesapeake Bay, separated from the eastern shore of the bay by the Kent Narrows, and from Sandy Point on the western side of the bay by roughly four miles of water. It is part of Queen Anne's County, Maryland, and is the oldest English settlement within the present day state of Maryland.

History

Kent Island was first founded in 1631 by William Claiborne of Virginia, as a trading post with Native Americans, and eventually, after disputes between him and Cecil Calvert (aka Lord Baltimore) the island was made part of Maryland in 1657.

Until 1952, Kent Island remained mostly rural, however, when the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge connected it directly to the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, the island began to see rapid growth that continues today.

In 2003, Kent Island was one of the many places in the Chesapeake Bay Area affected by Hurricane Isabel. As of 2005, many of the damages caused by the hurricane have not been fully recovered from.

Transportation

The main mode of transportation on Kent Island, as with most other suburban areas of the United States, is by car. Kent Island's main roads include US 50/US 301 and Maryland State Highways 8 and 18. These and other roads serve to connect the island's various communities by car. Also, since the late 1990's, the Cross Island Trail, a short walking and biking trail that was originally built at that time, has been progressively lengthened to connect the communities via a walking path.

Kent Island, being an island, relies on bridges to connect it to the mainland; there are currently four of them:

• The Chesapeake Bay Bridge spans the Chesapeake Bay and carries US 50/301 to Annapolis.
• The Kent Narrows Bridge spans the Kent Narrows and carries US 50/301 to the Delmarva Peninsula.
• The Old Kent Narrows Bridge, Kent Narrows Drawbridge, or Route 18 Kent Narrows Bridge is a drawbridge that carries MD 18 into Grasonville, it was the predecessor to the current Kent Narrows Bridge and now serves local traffic.
• The newest bridge connecting Kent Island to the mainland is a wooden bridge that carries the Cross Island Trail across the Kent Narrows.

See Also

Places on Kent Island

• Stevensville, Maryland
• Chester, Maryland
• Kent Narrows, Maryland (partially on Kent Island)

External Links and Sources

• Unofficial Kent Island Website