Stevensville Sojourn

Kent Island's historic hamlet rolls out the welcome mat.

By Kathy H. Ely
Photography By Scott Suchman

The frost is on the fields, the Chesapeake is in its wintery shade of slate gray, and unlike my summer outings to the Shore, I’m not racing against the clock to get to the beach before the weekend expires. No, this time I have nothing but time, which I intend to spend investigating the Bay Bridge-bordering village of Stevensville, Maryland’s oldest English settlement.

Once a quiet enclave claimed by watermen and farmers, Stevensville long functioned as a trading post, established in 1631 by English colonial trader William Claiborne. “Stevens Adventure,” a 1694 land grant presented to Englishman Francis Stevens, gave the town its name. Although the steamboat line that ran across the Bay kept a steady stream of visitors and business coming—and going—well into the mid-nineteenth century, it was the building of the first Bay Bridge that brought the first wave of tourists and Western Shore transplants. And with the building of the second bridge in 1973 came even greater numbers, requiring large housing tracts, new schools, expanded sewer systems, and roads never before needed.

And so times have changed for Stevensville. The population continues to grow, spurred by a lifestyle that blends old Eastern Shore with a hint of Key West, according to a transplanted islander, who identifies himself only as “John C.” Many of the newly built homes are being bought by baby-boomers, who now commute to their former homes and current workplaces of D.C., Baltimore, even Dover, Del. “I’ve been here thirty-five years, and I’m still considered to be a chicken-necker” [Eastern Shore-speak for an outsider], he says. “There are lots of characters lurking about who still say ‘You must be from the other side.’”

Not yet incorporated (with no plans to do so), Stevensville is a mesh of new homes and old, fanciful buildings that, in 1986, earned it a position on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic district, the heart of the town, is rich in Federal and Victorian nineteenth-century architecture and stretches about eight square blocks. Nancy Cook, president of The Kent Island Heritage Society for the past four years, points out the giant red circles with the white numbers on the historic sites around town, signposts for the walking tour created by the Society. Cook and her cohorts are busy fighting the good fight for the preservation of the local jewels. Their latest success is saving the town’s oldest home, the Cray House. Built in 1809, this rare post and plank house, constructed by a ship’s carpenter, was falling down with termite damage and various other ills. Extensive restoration work wrapped up in late spring, set back by the unusually tough winter. “It costs $200 to build, and $200,000 to restore,” says Cook, adding that it took more than five years and a bond bill to get it done.

While an interest in the town’s historic buildings is encouraged, taking history home is even better. Pippi’s Place can sate both desires. When owner Kirsten George outgrew her antiques booth in a mall on the Western Shore where she was selling cocktail shakers and assorted art deco items, she and her husband, David, decided to open a proper store. They leased the old Stevensville Bank of Queen Anne’s County, one of the oldest bank buildings in the county and the oldest on the island. Today their store is a sophisticated collection of shabby-chic antiques, gift items, unique garden decorations, and what Kirsten calls the “one of the largest collection of art deco barware on the East Coast.”

Find that perfect collectible for Uncle Harry or other holiday treasures at Stevensville Antiques, with their more eclectic mix of offerings, and at least a dozen proprietors who bring their own scavenged treasures, such as metal toys, kitchenware, linens, books, and lamps. “It’s neighborly here; people just love to browse and chat,” says co-owner Ernestine Kepley. Lowery-Turner Antiques also features a low-key sampling of wares, from Oriental rugs to cast-iron kitchenware and furniture. New and old art can be found at Blue Heron Art Framing, Artists at Work, and My Little Studio, all located behind Stevensville Antiques. Ye Olde Church House Antiques, owned by tenth-generation Kent Islander Bill Denny and his wife, Janet, offers up a lovely collection of handmade wares in the colonial style—dried flowers, herbs, handmade soaps. The found maritime items, carnival glass, and assorted antiques are all gathered in a great Civil-War-era Methodist church, complete with custom stained-glass windows. You can make your own stained glass at The Glass Bug, a small shop offering how-to classes as well as new treasures. Buffy Cromwell and Denise Boggs grew up around Kent Island and have done well with their Crossroad Designs interior decorating business and Treat Your Seat upholstery shop. Now their recently expanded Island Furniture, housed in what used to be the old Acme Market general store, sells couches, chairs, beds, rugs, lamps, and accent pieces from the likes of Tommy Bahama, Bauer, and Lexington.

Stevensville More than forty years ago, a bunch of local artists joined forces to create the Kent Island Federation of Art. Housed in a large Victorian building with scalloped shingles in two shades of peach, it continues to support and encourage the local talent, with close to two hundred participating members. Kids’ artwork regularly shares gallery space with that of professionals, and classes in painting, sculpting, and photography run throughout the year. A brand new gallery, to be completed in November, will give access to handicapped artists and visitors. Each year, volunteers gather to help out at the annual Christmas pageant and open house. With its festive mix of holiday gifts and community spirit. Director Maureen Wheatley, who calls KIFA “my second home” includes all the neighbors in the events, including the high school jazz band.

Although the restaurant offerings are limited, they’re not to be missed. The Love Point Café, which opened last March, is already gaining a fine reputation for a great menu and a friendly, sophisticated atmosphere. Inventive seafood dishes and a Sunday champagne brunch bring in customers; a lounge area that inspires local guitar players to jam regularly and an art gallery keep them coming back. Owners Dan Lepling and Tom Peterson are still making improvements, adding murals by local artists and al fresco dining. Most out-of-towners head to the stately Kent Manor Inn for fine dining and a lovely stay at a seventeenth-century mansion; the Silver Swan over at the Queen Anne Marina opened a year ago to bring gourmet dining to docking sailors—now boaters aren’t the only ones attracted to Chef James Hudson’s creations.

The yellow bench and wafts of sweet smells welcome you into the Peace of Cake bakery, a don’t-miss spot that has garnered quite a following in its one-plus year in existence. Inside, co-owner and pastry chef Kirsten Cate rushes around finishing custom cake orders. Petite, with her pixieish blond hair tucked under her baseball cap, she has put her casual touches on the surroundings as well, with a surfboard hanging in one corner as reggae music serenades.

Stevensville is not yet the next Annapolis, as some may tell you. There’s not a cohesive business association hungry for a big bite of the tourist apple, and lots of the shops don’t even have regular hours (but they’re working on it). But the rush of development is foreboding and spurred one dismayed islander to describe the area’s fall colors in a letter to the The Sun as yellow and brown: “yellow for the small army of bulldozers…brown with fields of dirt where wildflower meadows once resided.”

Stevensville Such is the struggle of this little hamlet, so close yet so far from the hubbub of the big marinas and crowded crab houses at nearby Kent Narrows. It’s a town where the firehouse stands at the center of much of the social life, hosting Santa Claus at Christmas and the summer carnival every July. This is a place that fought to keep out Wal-Mart, but, as long-timer Bill Denny puts it, “is making the muskrats move from the marshes to make room for new houses. It breaks your heart.” It’s a place where people fear the population explosion a new sewer system could bring, but where nineteen-year-olds still join the volunteer fire department and dress up as Santa. It’s still a place of wide fields, deserted roads, and water views. It’s a watermen’s paradise and a retiree’s dream—for now.

Kathy H. Ely spends her days writing and editing at her home in Silver Spring, Md., when she’s not exploring the Chesapeake.

Locals’ Guide to Stevensville

Saturday Night’s Real Deal
With dirt on the floor and long-time regulars, the No Place Saloon is the place to hang out with the indigenous folk, who couldn’t care less what chicken neckers think. Just don’t call them quaint. Love Point Rd.

Sweetest Place in Town
Whether it’s the bûche de Noël at Christmastime or the peach tarts in summer, Peace of Cake bakery is the place to give a sweet start to the morning. Their cheese bread ain’t bad, either. 314 Love Point Rd., 410-604-0355

Farm Life
Don’t be taken aback if you receive a hearty greeting from Orphan Annie, the Nubian goat pastured next to Ye Olde Church House Antiques—she’s just happy to see you, as are the half a dozen sheep and chickens that share the field with her. 426 Love Point Rd., 410-604-0355

Natural Wonders
Best way to see the herons and egrets and other Bay critters around these parts is by bike on the recently completed Cross Island Trail. Six-miles long and ten-feet wide, the trail winds from east to west through Terrapin Nature Park all the way to Kent Narrows. Rent bikes from Happy Trails Bicycle Repair, 111 Cockey Ln., 410-643-0670