Love Point is the name for the northernmost tip of

Kent Island Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is sep ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States and as such, marks the southern point of the mouth of the

Chester River The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 and its watersh ...

. It has served as a major ferry terminal, the western terminus of the

Queen Anne's Railroad The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a railroad that ran between Love Point, Maryland, and Lewes, Delaware, with connections to Baltimore via ferry across the Chesapeake Bay. The Queen Anne's Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894, and re ...

, and the nominal western terminus of

Maryland Route 18 Maryland Route 18 (MD 18) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from the beginning of state maintenance at Love Point east to MD 213 in Centreville. MD 18 is the main east–we ...

(which is aligned in a north–south direction near Love Point). Two notable landmarks once stood at the Love Point area; the Love Point Light and Hotel Love Point, both of which are destroyed. Today, Love Point is primarily a residential area.

Etymology

Love Point's name dates back to at least 1694 and is often explained in local legends. Most of these legends are variations of the same basic story where two lovers die either at Love Point or in the nearby waters. Depending on the specific variation, the lovers are either Native American, European settlers, or one of each. In many versions of the story the couple's love is forbidden, and this is what leads to their death. Another element present in some versions is that their bodies are found washed ashore in an embracing position. An unrelated explanation states that sailors going up the

had to luff their sails as they rounded Love Point due to a strong northwesterly wind. According to this explanation, the point came to be known as "Luff Point" and over the years the name changed to "Love Point".

References

Geography of Queen Anne's County, Maryland Kent Island, Maryland {{QueenAnnesCountyMD-geo-stub