Chestertown, the seat of Kent County on Maryland's Eastern Shore, is located on the Chester River. Once a center of trade with Great Britain and the West Indies, the town founded in 1706 now boasts grand houses built by wealthy merchants. The town is also home to Washington
College, which was founded in 1782 with the help of George Washington, making it the 10th-oldest college in the country. Chestertown residents, proud of their heritage, hold their own tea party celebration each year in remembrance of the 1774 citizens who boarded the brigantine William Geddes and tossed its cargo overboard to protest the British tea tax. This volume is meant to be its own celebration of Chestertown and Kent County's rich history.