Kent Island: The Land That Once Was Eden

by Janet Freedman

A story of family, place, and time before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge paved over a way of life with a six-lane highway.

180 pages, Hardcover

First published December 2, 2001

About the author

I grew up in blue collar East Baltimore and by a sheer stroke of luck was able to continue my education past high school. I've been a practicing artist for over 50 years and have written a screenplay and two books.
I'm married with two adult children, and though now retired, I've held a variety of jobs in addition to being a lifelong artist and dabbler in words. My work can be viewed at my website: www.studioprose.com.

Education: MLA, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; BFA, (major: painting); Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD

Books: Kent Island the Land That Once Was Eden, ISBN 0-938420-84-4
Divine Intervention A Memoir, ISBN 9798592818783/ASIN: B08SVRPWD2

Recipient of Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award & prize in Playwriting for The Marlborough (screenplay) , 2007

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any Marylander who loves the Bay and for whom the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has always served as their means of access to the Eastern Shore (and Ocean City!) will thoroughly enjoy this bittersweet memoir by a Baltimore resident who tells of her grandmother's farm on Kent Island. Completed as part of Freedman's MLA graduate project at Johns Hopkins University, this book is part family history and part local history, and makes resourceful use of a wide range of sources (e.g., oral histories, Freedman's own recollections, family photos, images from the Kent Island Heritage Society, maps and atlases, and even archaeological information). Long story short, the author's thesis is that the July 30, 1952 opening of the Bridge brought to a close the isolation of Kent Island and forever changed this once rural agrarian community.

The story of the Nash farm is the story of every rural family whose land has been forever changed--and never for the better--by a highway project. In many instances, the locals had to travel west to go east. With their lands literally divided by the new roadway, the Nash family was cut off from their family graveyard--something for which the State Highway Administration appeared to have little concern or compassion. Nor could they take Sunday drives during life post-Bridge, as it was simply too difficult to get back home with the traffic. The sound of shorebirds was replaced by that of cars. Ultimately, the Nash Farm was lost to fire. Aunt Lil's tavern, however, was refurbished as a real estate office--where it stands as tangible proof of the sheer randomness of what survives and what is lost.

Freedman is fair in considering both sides of the story--that is, both the pros and cons of development on Kent Island. Kent Island: The Land That Once Was Eden is an enjoyable read full of local wisdom, history, recipes, and vivid descriptions of landscapes, landmarks, and traditions that have literally gone by the wayside. Freedman's writing is solid, and her description of place is quite magical. While one might well hope that this book will inspire readers to advocate for responsible growth and managed development, maybe it will also motivate readers to chat with their older family members and jot down recipes and family stories before they, too, are lost to the passage of time.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this personal story of Kent Island which consisted of memories the author had as well as other family members. The short memories make me miss the east coast where I grew up. I could almost smell the salt air as the author spoke of walking in the marshes and fishing or going to the beach. I like that it's a personal story with spattering of historical info. The end made me angry to know that Kent Island has been all but ruined by "progress" and is now covered with chain stores and restaurants as well as expensive waterfront mansions.