Kent County, Maryland: History
Indigenous peoples have lived in what is now Kent County for thousands of years. At the time of European colonization, the primary tribe on the Eastern Shore was the Nanticoke. In Nanticoke oral tradition, their ancestors migrated south from "the land of snow and ice" through the Ohio Valley and the Allegheny Mountains until they reached the Eastern Shore. The Nanticokes spoke an Algonquian language.
In 1608, Captain John Smith explored and mapped a portion of what is now Kent County. In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County. In 1675, the first county seat was New Yarmouth. The seat was briefly moved upriver to Quaker Neck, and then to the site of modern Chestertown. Before the American Revolution, New Town on Chester, now Chestertown, was a port entry for the counties of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's.
The county has a number of properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kent County was the mean center of U.S. population in the 1790 census.
In 1793, the county had its first newspaper, called Apollo, or Chestertown Spy. It was succeeded by local papers such as the Chestertown Gazette.
Washington College, the oldest college in Maryland, is located in Kent County. It was the first college charted in the nation after the Declaration of Independence and was founded by William Smith in 1782. George Washington authorized the use of his name and gave the college its largest gift of 50 guineas. Washington served on the Board of Visitors and Governors for five years. The college has been host to four United States Presidents, including George Washington, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. All were awarded honorary degrees from the college.
The War of 1812 was the only war Kent County experienced on its soil. During the spring and summer of both 1813 and 1814, residents faced immediate threats from the enemy as the British terrorized the Chesapeake, looting and burning farms and towns. Kent County citizens and local militia were tested and stood their ground with ingenuity and determination during the burning of Georgetown, the rescue of the Kitty Knight House and the Battle of Caulk's Field.