This was one of the caches placed for Cache Across Maryland 2023.
Kirwan House
The year was 1917. The United States had just entered World War I and was looking to establish military bases to train soldiers and test weapons. The War Department eyed rural Kent Island as a candidate and was prepared to pay $3,000,000 to buy the island and displace its 3,000 residents. Most islanders did not like this plan. Civic leaders met at the home of former Maryland State Senator James Kirwan to organize a resistance movement. Over the next few months, Senator Kirwan led delegations of hundreds of citizens to Washington DC to protest the proposed base. In the end, Kent Island was spared, and Aberdeen Proving Ground was established instead.
This cache is hidden at the former home of James E. Kirwan (1848-1938), State Senator, shopkeeper, farmer, and ship captain. The house was built in 1889 from lumber which had floated down the Chesapeake Bay from the Susquehanna River after the river had flooded in the Great Storm of 1889. Kirwan lived here with his wife, Rebecca, and three children, and operated a general store on the property. Boats traveled Kirwan Creek bearing lumber and coal that were then unloaded and transported by livery to various businesses and homes in the Chester area. A lumber mill, a cooper’s mill, a blacksmith shop, and a brick making kiln were once located on the Kirwan property. Today, the house is owned by the Kent Island Heritage Society, who operate it as a museum.
Geocachers are welcome on the grounds during daylight hours year-round. Cachers should stay in the area of the house and not venure into the woods, since they are sometimes used for hunting. Grounds are accessible daily during daylight hours. The house is operated as a museum, but is only open the first Saturday of the month, 12:00 - 4:00 pm, May through November.
Special thanks to the Kent Island Heritage Society for their permission in placing this geocache.
Link to the Kirwan House on the Kent Island Heritage Society website.
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