Lands of Cornelius Tanner

Lands of Cornelius Tanner. Walking the Kent Island Railroad. This bridge sits on land that Cornelius Tanner sold to the Queen Anne's Railroad Company for $300 in 1901. The entire farm once contained 93 acres. However, when Route 50-301 cut through the farm in 1952, his heirs sold off much of it. The first area to go is where Western Tire and Auto and the Shell Station are now located. In the late 1990s, the construction of the Route 18 bypass split the property again.

About 400 feet away are the remnants of the Tanner family farmhouse and sheds from the 1800s. Research suggests the current house replaced an older one, an idea supported by records showing the land was first surveyed in 1699 for John and Valentine Carter and called "Copartnership."

Tanner's farm, similar to others on Kent Island and the Eastern Shore mainland, functioned as a small-scale operation managed by tenants or owners. They cultivated things like grains, vegetables, fruit, and hay. By the 1840s, farmers began growing crops to sell in cities. Better roads and railroads, such as the one that ran through here, helped them transport their produce faster.

As farming grew in the late 1800s, so did the population of Kent Island. But by the early 1900s, factory jobs in cities like Baltimore and Washington boomed and people began moving west in pursuit of better pay. That pattern shifted once again following the completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1952. This engineering marvel provided a cost-effective means for daily commuting.

Life back then proved tough and often uncertain, but it had its charms. Imagine the excitement of hearing the train rumble through your backyard!

(Captions):

Cornelius Tanner Farm
Route 50-301 to the south (1957)

Cornelius Tanner House
Back yard looking south east (1995)

Cornelius Tanner House
Front yard looking north east (1995)