PAST
Targeted during both the War of 1812 and the Civil War, the village’s most vibrant days actually came at the beginning of the 20th century with the Steamboat era. Kinsale prospered as a strategic port and commercial center, serving as the distribution point for the area’s rich agricultural offerings and functioning as a busy stop for passengers on steam ships from DC and Baltimore. The village was home to several hotels, taverns and barrooms, commercial stores, and canning factories.
In the heart of Kinsale and adjacent to the steamboat landing, this property was originally the site of a tomato canning factory in the 1880s. In 1956, more than a decade after the tomato canning factory closed, local Harry Lee Arnest, Jr. converted it into a marina. Here he sold everything from Johnson outboards, to Browning shotguns, to chocolate milkshakes and created a lively riverside hub.
