Gibson Island's history includes its use as a summer residence by
Native Americans in the 17th century. Captain
John Smith sailed past it in his voyage up the Chesapeake Bay in 1608. Land grants began issue around the 1680s. In the early 1900s, W. Stuart Symington Jr. (1871–1926) bought the island's land (including three existing island farms) with his brother Thomas, to develop the island into a residential community. One of the early owners was a man named Gibson, after whom the island is named. The Symingtons, upon the advice of Edward H. Bouton, the developer of the
Roland Park and
Guilford neighborhoods in Baltimore, hired landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to create a master plan for the island. The Symington brothers set certain areas aside for community facilities and divided the remaining land into building lots offered for sale through the Gibson Island Company, now known as the Gibson Island Corporation. In 1925, the first deed and agreement was adopted and recorded. From that time to the present, the corporation has had its own real estate department specifically handling the listing and selling of island properties. The
Great Depression halted rapid development of the island. An 18-hole
Charles B. Macdonald designed golf course constructed in the 1920s was forced to downsize to nine holes, where it remains to this day. In 1936, corporation ownership was reorganized, giving greater control to island homeowners. This change led to a greater emphasis on maintaining the island's natural environment, with about two-thirds of its land set aside for recreation, forestry and open space. Today, home prices on the island start at $US 1 million-plus, with the 2023 median sale price being $2,525,000. This makes Gibson Island the most expensive zip code in Maryland and the 45th most expensive zip code in the country. Today, Gibson Island is a
gated community run by the Gibson Island Corporation, along with the Gibson Island Club, limiting access to the island and its facilities to residents or those with a formal reason for visiting. Many residents of the island are seasonal residents who reside primarily in Washington, D.C. or Baltimore. Features of the island include a yacht club, golf, tennis, skeet shooting, a post office, a historical society, and an Episcopal church. ==Public safety==