Cobb Island, MD – There’s a whole lot to love about Cobb Island. It may not be a tropical paradise island or even a fantasy island. Unlike Maryland’s celebrated Smith Island, Cobb Island doesn’t have a cake named for it—although a beautiful cake was served to residents and visitors Saturday, June 11. Cobb Island is not Manhattan Island either. It was purchased for $5,000 during the late-19th century, a transaction considerably pricier than the one nearly 300 years earlier that gave the Dutch possession of Manhattan. Instead of skyscrapers, Cobb Island is a blend of cottages and homes—each with its own unique look.
June 11 was Cobb Island Day and residents marked the occasion with six hours of activities at Old Fisherman’s Field. The event started with a parade down Main Avenue. Both segments were sponsored by the Cobb Island Citizens Association (CICA).
Parade coordinator Rochelle Creighton-Tompa told The BayNet, the march down Main Avenue included nearly 70 units, making it the town’s largest parade ever. In addition to several vehicles from the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department, an array of Ford Mustangs and a 4-H Equestrian unit, parade watchers exchanged waves with grand marshals Bill and Joellen Lawman, and Charles County commissioners Peter Murphy and Ken Robinson. Vehicles from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office also proceeded along the short route.
The Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department will mark its 70th anniversary Nov. 10. The aforementioned cake was served as part of an early celebration.
In addition to over one dozen craft vendors, the event included children’s games—including tug-of-war and the balloon race, hot dog and pie eating contests, live music and fire truck rides.
According to information compiled by the CICA, Cobb Island was first inhabited in 1889 after it was purchased by George Vickers, who won a $5,000 election bet. He used this windfall to buy the island from the Neale family, who had owned the island for nearly 250 years. History was made on the island in December 1900 when Vickers’ brother-in-law Francis Very and a colleague, Reginald A. Fessenden broadcast the first intelligible speech by radio with two pairs of 50-foot poles set in Neale Sound. Cobb Island was acquired by Robert Crain—of U.S. Route 301 fame—in 1918. Crain had the island surveyed and subdivided. Vacation lots were sold five years later. At the start of World War II the island became a year-round home for most of its inhabitants.
One of the next big events on Cobb Island will occur Saturday, Oct. 8 when the CICA sponsors the Monarch Mania Festival. The event is a celebration of the migration of the Monarch Butterfly over the Potomac River to Mexico. Traditionally, the butterflies are tagged and released during the festival.
For more information contact CICA at cica.president@gmail.com
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
