History

They are the islands of the Magothy River.

Riding the waves like the Dutch ship to which it has been likened, Dobbins Island at times erodes at the rate of 20 feet a year. Set astern of Dobbins, Little Island’s original two acres have protection from a shifting sandbar which lies between Dobbins and North Shore. Standing together in their tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the islands have not weathered too well the ebb and flow of the Magothy River’s tides.

Their history is a legacy for the people of Maryland.

In 1850, Judge George Dobbin (1809-1891) was head of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore. Among his many other titles, he was one of the founders of the Maryland Historical Society and a director of the B&O Railroad. He had established residence on an estate named “the Lawn” in Howard County with his wife and six children. Because of his power and delegation of appointments, it behooved ambitious lawyers to live in close proximity to him, and a number of them bought property nearby—hence, the development and name of Lawyers Hill Road in Elkridge.

In the fall of 1850, Judge Dobbin accepted an invitation from several of his sportsmen friends to go duck hunting on a section of land which they portrayed as “beyond description” and teeming with waterfowl. The friends would only tell the judge, however, that the property was in Anne Arundel County; they remained vague as to its specific whereabouts.

They met at a stable and hired a rig; at a given point, as had been agreed upon beforehand, the horse-drawn carriage was halted. This prestigious man, Judge Dobbin, was carefully blindfolded, and the journey continued. When the hunting party had reached its destination, the judge, now un-blindfolded, was overwhelmed by the magnificent scenery and abundant wildlife in the area. He immediately fell in love with the islands.

His friends knew of the judge’s aggressive nature. With his wealth he could purchase this community farmland—or “common land”—quite easily. They feared that if he knew their exact location, he would indeed buy the islands for himself. Yet they enjoyed his company, and so the blindfolding precaution was taken.

The hunting was exhilarating and rewarding. The company, as usual, was pleasant, and Judge Dobbin was determined that those islands would become his.

The hunting parties continued. On each trip, at least an hour from their hunting grounds, the blindfolding ritual was repeated.

On one such sojourn, Judge Dobbin sat with his blindfold in place, pretending to be asleep. But in his pocket, he had sequestered a notepad and pencil. He counted: so many squeaking revolutions of the carriage’s axel and the horse turned right. The harness was taut against the horse’s back—a hill. So many more squeaking revolutions and then a turn to the left; the harness was limp—a valley. Another turn to the right…and so the trip continued, and the judge kept counting and making notations on his pad.

That same evening, after the hunting partners departed for Baltimore, the judge lagged behind; he then hired the same rig and horse. But now, with no blindfold in place, he referred to his notes, made the return trip, and found this paradise on his own. He rested for a while by “his” islands, situated off Gray’s Point, and then returned to Elkridge and began making preparations to buy them.