K is for Kennedyville

K is for Kennedyville.  A short, pleasant 68 mile drive landed me in one of the many unincorporated gems located in Kent County (click here for map).  Kennedyville has a population of 203 and encompasses a land area of 0.56 sq. miles and a water area of 0.01 sq. miles.  The town is primarily made up of farms with acres and acres of lush green pastures.  As it was the month of January, the brilliant color of the seemingly never ending fields was a stark contrast against the barren trees.  It was quite an impressive sight!

The first order of business when I arrived to the town was to find the Historic Shrewsbury Parish Church.  Something special awaited me right outside the church, which thoroughly piqued my interest since I began my research on Kennedyville. 

So, about the church…….originally known as the South Sassafras Parish, the Shrewsbury Parish Church was one of the original 30 Anglican parishes in the Province of Maryland.  The first church was likely built in 1693.  As it was very small and the town was growing, it was necessary to remodel the building….not only once (in 1729), but a second time (in 1832).  A tower was built on this third edition and this is the present day building.  It was actually built by the parishioners.  The church holds historical and sacred significance.  In 1986, the Parish was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now an Episcopal congregation. 

Right outside the church was what I was very interested in seeing……the Shrewsbury Parish Churchyard (graveyard).  The history of this small graveyard is astounding!  The Shrewsbury Churchyard recorded its first burials in 1730 and present day

General Caldwalader's Grave

burials are still occurring.  The most famous person buried in the churchyard is General John Cadwalader (1742-1786) who was a commander of Pennsylvania troops during the American Revolutionary War. 

You are probably asking why this particular place was so interesting to me, right?  This is why…..the Shrewsbury Churchyard has the unique distinction of being the final resting place for veterans of several wars fought by the United States of America, including both camps of the Civil War.  These graves have bronze markers denoting the war or wars the individuals were a veteran of, not necessarily that they were a casualty of a particular war.  I made it my mission to find these markers and this is what I found:

       American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
       War of 1812 (1812-1815)
       Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
       American Civil War (1861-1865)
       World War I (1917-1918)
       World War II (1941-1945)
       Korean War (1950-1953)

Also found were bronze markers denoting additional service to the United States:

       Grand Army of the Republic (1866-1956)  
       Daughters of the American Revolution (1890-Present)    
       American Legion (1919-Present)

Each year the Parish recognizes our veterans with a Homecoming Celebration and Service to honor these heroes and their families. 

There are also nine rectors buried in the churchyard of which seven were rectors of the Shrewsbury Parish Church.  Their graves are marked with white crosses with brass plaques noting the dates of their service.  

This may be a strange thing to say about a cemetery, but although the churchyard was very small, the centuries of unspoken history was magnificent.  I felt it to be an honor and privilege to stand among each and every one of the individuals who were involved in shaping our country over the years (whether it be the civilians or military).  The entire experience left me humbled.  

From the Parish and Graveyard, I decided to wander over to Turner’s Creek Landing and Turner’s Creek County Park.  A bit of history about the landing: 

In the 18th century, Turner’s Creek was a busy shipping center where local grains were shipped to ports throughout the Chesapeake.  An old granary still sits on the site where an earlier version of the structure housed wheat that was shipped to George Washington’s army at Valley Forge. Today, Turner’s Creek Landing is one of the premier access points on the Sassafras River. Paddlers can spend several hours exploring the creek itself, which contains approximately 2 miles of navigable water at high tide, or venture out to the Sassafras River proper.  I suspect that during the warmer time of the year this place would be extremely busy with boaters and paddlers. 

Now over to the county park which was a little bit back up the road from the landing.  It was beautiful – rolling hills, trees, and the Chesapeake Bay in the background.  From the road, I could stand overlooking a grove of trees that houses two offspring

Offspring from Wye Oak

of the famous Wye Oak – the Maryland State tree and largest white oak in the United States before it toppled over in 2002 in nearby Talbot County.  The park is nice in that it has a picnic pavilion, trails, and restrooms. A boat ramp is available for launching small craft, kayaks and power vessels (county ramp permit is required).  You can also fish along the shoreline. 

Almost directly across from the county park entrance was the Knock’s Folly Visitors Center,

Knock's Folly Visitor's Center

which unfortunately was not open for business during the month of January.  This would be an interesting place to visit in the future as it houses exhibits highlighting the history of the farming community, the local Native American Tockwogh tribe, and the visit of Captain John Smith to the Turner’s Creek area.  From what I have read, future exhibits under development will focus on the rich natural history and wildlife of the Sassafras area. 

One more site to visit before stopping for lunch and that was the Sassafras Natural Resources Management Area (NRMA).  This area is located along the scenic banks of the Sassafras River and Turner's Creek in Kent County and operated by the Maryland Park Service.  The area is noted for the spectacular views of the Sassafras River and Chesapeake Bay from the high banks that face toward the South.  Hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trail riding are popular activities.  Birding enthusiasts will also find a surprising mix of songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors on their visit.  I was only able to drive a short distance before I had to turn around; the road was gated about a mile from the entrance.  The scenery was beautiful – lots of open land on one side of the road and small scrub and trees on the other.  However, I had to wonder why there were white, plastic, vertical cylinders placed sporadically throughout the fields.  When I approached one of them, I figured out why.  There were little trees growing inside of them and the cylinders were protecting them.  I thought it was for protection from a harsh wind or to prevent the tree from growing crooked, but I later found out it was a deer deterrent (saves the trees from a hungry deer).

After the short drive through the Sassafras NRMA, I was pretty hungry so I was happy that I was back on the road heading to “JR’s at Molly’s” for lunch.  JR’s at Molly’s (or Molly’s for short) was an all around delightful eating experience.  When I got there, I felt a little out of place because a majority of the customers were wearing at least ONE piece of woodland camouflage clothing.  I honestly wish I had at least worn a camouflage hat!  It made sense everyone was dressed as such because down the road was “Hopkins Farm Outdoor Entertainment”. 

I was seated next to a group of ladies dressed in COMPLETE camouflage attire (to include makeup) who were taking a break from goose hunting.  I smiled because the mere fact they were in camouflage on the outside did not take away the fact they were ladies on the inside.  They still wore their earrings and necklaces and this made the entire ensemble look very nice!  No eye rolls, guys!  I browsed the menu as I listened to people around me talking about their hunting stories; the one that got away, “You should have seen it!  That (animal) was THIS big!!,” and other cool tales from the field/deer stand.  Again, I just smiled in admiration. 

I decided to order Jesse's Best Backyard Black Bean Burger.  As I waited, I asked one of the ladies about goose hunting, as I knew absolutely nothing about hunting geese.  She gave me the basics.  The hunters are in a pit in a field surrounded by decoys.  Another person will be elsewhere calling the geese down to the decoys and, well, there you have it – the unfortunate few will be going home with the hunter.  Pretty simple I would think, but it probably is not, right?  I thanked them for their time and proceeded to eat my burger, which was of very generous portion and absolutely delicious!  One of the ladies in the hunting party had the chicken salad sandwich made from a recipe over 150 years old and she said it was incredible!  Overall, the food, service, and ambiance were things that would make me easily return to Molly’s for another meal in the future.

My last stop in Kennedyville was the Crow Vineyard for a wine tasting.  When I got there, I was
greeted by Stephanie (my hostess for the tasting) and eventually Judy Crow (the owner) stopped in to chat.  I settled in with my four samples of wine and some pretty awesome conversation.  Judy told me they not only make wine on the farm, but there is a B&B, plus a little cottage in the event you have children or pets. Additionally, she made mention if they need to source grapes, they work with growers that are within 100 miles of the farm.  The Crow Farm is comprised of 365 acres with 15 acres in grapes and 70 acres in pastures for their 100 herd of Grass Fed Angus beef.  The balance of land is used for growing corn and soy beans.  It is quite an operation and definitely worth the visit! 

We discussed the Snowy Geese that arrived in droves to the property the night prior resulting in a more than average number of calls from hunters (Judy had several photos of the locust-like infestation of the event).  Stephanie went on to tell me Snowy Geese can wreak havoc on a farm (as opposed to Canada Geese) in that Snowy Geese will actually pull the entire plant out of the ground, whereas Canada Geese will just nibble the tops of the plant.  I thought that was pretty interesting. 



Judy Crow

Judy needed to leave – I thanked her for her time and for her hospitality.  Stephanie then led me down to the winery building where they actually make the wine.  On the way, she gave me several tidbits on the grapes, such as:  testing the grape’s sugar levels so they know when the grapes should be picked and how moisture levels (dew, rain) affect the taste of the grapes. 



Vats

We got to the winery building and I was introduced to Ali and Catrina.  Catrina and Stephanie gave me a short class on how the wine is made.  With regards to white wine, the grapes are crushed removing the skins; they are put in the vat with the yeast; and after six months, the wine is put in a metal barrel.  To produce the red wine, the grapes are put in the vat WHOLE with the yeast for 18 months; the grapes are then crushed removing the skins; and they are put in an oak barrel. 


White Wine - Metal; Red Wine - Oak

Stephanie took me over to the

Bottler

bottling operation and that is where it becomes the Lucy/Ethel assembly line episode from “The Lucy Show”.  Unfortunately, nothing was being bottled today, so I could not witness the frenzy. 

It was time to leave – I thanked Stephanie, Ali, and Catrina for their time and the generous tour of the facility.  I also bought a couple bottles of their delicious wine to share with friends and family.  I decided I would return in the near future to participate in a couple of events they have scheduled.

As I was leaving Kennedyville, I was thankful for the magnitude of education I received today, from the unwritten history in the graveyard, to the demise of a goose, and finally the processing of grapes at the vineyard.  This saying holds very true with regards to visiting this wonderful small town, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust”.