WC Students Contribute to New Book Celebrating 300 Years Here on the Chester

Chestertown, MD, November 18, 2005 — Where did the 1960s' most famous beat poet once attempt to levitate a town jail? Where did such music legends as Ray Charles and James Brown once fill the night air with the soulful sounds of R&B? Where did rebellious colonials tussle with Redcoats, thumb their noses at British taxes, and—supposedly—dump tea on May 23, 1774? And where did chicken-neckers by the thousands once find the Bay's best-tasting Callinectes sapidus? The answer? Right Here On the Chester.

In commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Chestertown in 2006, Washington College's Literary House Press has just released Here On the Chester, a new collection of stories, essays, reflections, and photographs celebrating Chestertown's rich and colorful past. Compiling the work of 28 Washington College writers, Here On the Chesterprofiles the people, the places, the personalities, and the history that have made Chestertown an Eastern Shore treasure, a colonial jewel, and an eccentric's haven for generations. Contributors and friends of the College celebrated the release of the book Friday, November 18, at Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House.

The book also gave four current Washington College students an opportunity few college students have, to see their work and research published in print. John Bohrer '06 of Monroe Township, NJ, describes George Washington's various trips across the Chesapeake to Chestertown in the late 18th century. History and American Studies major Erin Koster '07 of Tranquility, NJ, contributed valuable research to Adam Goodheart's controversial "Tea and Infamy: Fact, Fiction and the Mysterious Spring of 1774," an article on the famous Chestertown Tea Party that is sure to raise a tempest in the town's teacup. Senior Nicole Vattimo '06 of Columbia, MD, authored "The Chestertown Blast," an article on the tragic explosions of July 16, 1954, when common firecrackers, M80s, destroyed the Kent Manufacturing Company and 11 lives, and Elizabeth Clay '08 of Bethesda, MD, contributed the essay "Black Patriots on the Eastern Shore," an overview of the little-known history of Kent County's African-American Civil War veterans.

From Revolutionary War heroes and Freedom Riders to beat poets and blues stars, there's something for everyone Here On the Chester, says Baird Tipson, President of Washington College.

"The book represents Washington College's contribution to the remarkable community in which we have found ourselves. You may soon find yourself, as I did, reading the volume from cover to cover. Or, you may just pick and choose. Your appreciation for this fascinating town is certain to increase."

Here On the Chester is available for $14.95 per copy by mail, check or money order, from The Literary House Press, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620. For more information, including information for book retailers and wholesale orders, contact JoAnn Fairchild, Director of Sales and Marketing for The Literary House Press, at 410-778-7899 or via e-mail, jfairchild2@washcoll.edu.

The publication of Here On the Chester was made possible in part by a grant from The William H. Donner Foundation of New York, NY.

Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in historic Chestertown on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, it was the first college chartered in the new nation.