In the early 1970's developers Milton and Barbara Kettler purchased a 340-acre farm on Kent Island as a hunting and fishing destination for their friends and business associates. The old house on the property was occupied by the family of Mr. J. Ellis Orr who continued to live there until the fall of 1979.
Those who experienced the beauty of this farm encouraged the Kettlers to develop it as The Cove Creek Club. The community was carefully planned to preserve and enhance the natural beauty and activities provided by its unique coastal setting. The developers sought to achieve an overall sense of visual harmony between the built environment and the natural environment.
When the Kettlers began construction in January 1979, Milton Kettler enthusiastically said, "Putting together the best place in the world to live is a lot of fun!"
The Kettlers' dream is still true today. Members are undeniably having fun enjoying golf, tennis, bocce, boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, biking, walking, and many other community get-togethers.
The Cove Creek Club truly is "the best place in the world to live".
Cove Creek Club Arial View 1982
Early History of the Cove Creek Club Property
The first permanent European settlement in what is now Maryland was established on Kent Island in 1631 by a Virginian, surveyor William Claiborne. Claiborne and a group of men settled on the island, built a fort on the southern tip, and established a trading post. Claiborne named the island after his home county of Kent, in England. While there is still some question as to where the original Kent Fort stood, more and more evidence points to the Cove Creek Club property as being the site.
Due to the long neck of land between Eastern Bay and the two creeks, the property has long been known as "Long Point." Originally the creeks were named Long Creek, probably by Claiborne. The main creek was later referred to as Tanner's Creek having been adopted by the Tanner family who inhabited the Farm for several generations. The origin of the name Cove Creek for the Eastern fork of the large creek is unknown although it was clearly labeled "Cove Creek" on the 1870 survey of the property.
Records are not specific as to the ownership and use of the property for the first 180 years from the earliest English settlements on the property until the year of 1811. Many of the earlier records are thought to have been destroyed in a fire of the first courthouse.
In 1811, the total property consisted of a 370-acre farm known as Long Point Farm. It was divided into two parts, the southern part consisting of 250 acres and the northern part being 120 acres.