Historic Towns on the Maryland Eastern Shore

Saint Michaels Chestertown Cambridge Salisbury and Oxford

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is comprised of nine counties with a population of nearly 450 thousand. The term Eastern Shore distinguishes a territorial part of the State from the land west of Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was a shallow canal with locks after its construction in 1829; it was deepened in the early 20^th century to sea level. The north-south section of the Mason-Dixon Line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware. The border was originally marked every mile by a stone, and every five miles by a crownstone. It was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle between the Penn and Calvert families. Commercial east-west ties between Delaware and Maryland towns were culturally significant in Colonial and Early American periods despite the border line. Trade with Philadelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns like Smyrna and Odessa; these cultural connections continue to this day.

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Saint Michaels derives its name from the Episcopal Parish established in 1677 which attracted settlers that grew tobacco and engaged in shipbuilding. The town's tourist industry has roots in the 19^th century with steamboats from Baltimore and summer guest cottages opening for weeklong rentals. The opening of the maritime museum in 1965, waterfront activities and historic bay vessels added further impetus to travel and vacations to the town.

Chestertown was founded in 1706 and achieved prominence as one of six Royal Ports of Entry becoming Maryland’s second port after Annapolis and second to the State Capital in the number of 18^th century mansions owned by a flourishing merchant class along the Chester River waterfront. In May 1774, five months after the British closed the port of Boston after the Boston Tea Party, the citizens of Chestertown wrote a set of resolves that prohibited the buying, selling, or drinking of tea. Based on these resolves, a popular legend has it that the citizens held their own tea party on the Chester River, in an act of colonial defiance.

The Chestertown Tea Party Festival celebrates Chestertown's colonial heritage with a weekend of events with colonial music and dance, fife and drum performances, puppet shows, colonial crafts demonstrations and sales, military drills, and a walking tour of the historic district. In the afternoon, re-enactors board the schooner Sultana and tea is thrown into the Chester River.

The US Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States

Cambridge was settled by English colonists in 1684 who developed farming on the Eastern Shore. The largest plantations were devoted first to tobacco, and then mixed farming. The town was a trading center and later a stop on the Underground Railroad, an extensive network of safe houses for slaves escaping to the north. Cambridge developed food processing industries in the late 19^th century, canning oysters, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  Main Street is a comprehensive downtown revitalization process created by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development with a focus on heritage tourism.

Salisbury is the largest town on the Eastern Shore and the commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula. The town’s oldest neighborhoods have Federal, Georgian, and Victorian architecture.

Oxford traces its start from 1666 when 30 acres were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens, Jr. enjoying prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. Early inhabitants included Robert Morris, Sr., who greatly influenced the town's growth; his son, Robert Morris, Jr., known as the financier of the Revolution; Jeremiah Banning, sea captain, war hero, and statesman; The Reverend Thomas Bacon, Anglican clergyman who wrote the first compilation of the laws of Maryland. Oxford has the oldest privately operated ferry service still in continuous use in the United States originally established in 1683.

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The US Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States

American Travel Hubs and Itineraries

The Northeast Region of the United States corresponds to the original 13 colonies that founded the country. Besides its illustrious history and culture, the region is a trend setter on the technological and environmental fronts along with agricultural innovations and unique, local food, wine and brew traditions.

Vermont is agriculture and industry, heritage museums and historic sites, small towns and downtowns where visitors and residents find the distinctive local businesses, historic buildings, and rich cultural and social activities that form Vermont's special sense of community. These authentic and attractive downtowns and villages are widely recognized as a key part of the state’s allure.

Rockland and Piermont on the Hudson located just 30 miles north of New York City are known for quaint villages, spectacular river views and outdoor recreation with 32,000 acres of parklands dotted with sparkling lakes and streams rushing down to the Hudson. Miles marked trails lead right to the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains.   

The Hudson Valley extends 150 miles above the tip of Manhattan; a National Heritage Area the valley is steeped in history natural beauty culture food and farmers’ markets.

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Upstate New York is home to city and country settings, high-tech industries and natural wonders. 

Corning drive through the Catskill Mountains and reach the Corning Museum, the world’s largest glass museum featuring a contemporary art and design wing; experience live hot glass demonstrations of glass objects made by artists and hands-on exhibits highlighting science and technology.

Finger Lakes and Watkins Glen State Park is the site of 19 waterfalls and a gorge. Seneca Lake is a long slender lake with wineries along both sides. From Geneva, on the north shore of the lake, you can head east towards Syracuse and visit Destiny USA, sixth largest shopping destination in the United States.

Rochester is a world renowned American city and home to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film inside the home of Kodak’s founder.

The Erie Canal is an Active Waterway Cruise or Walk through Historic Villages and Natural Landscapes

Maryland Baltimore was the first and remains among the most successful efforts at redeveloping a downtown area. The Inner Harbor is a major travel destination and home to a unique museum made up of historic ships that have served the local community and the nation over time. Nearby, Maryland’s Capital of Annapolis is a great example of a small town with a tourism vocation as demonstrated by museums that tell us about colonial America and life on the Chesapeake Bay.

Local Food Wineries and Breweries

There are several fascinating examples throughout the Northeast of a resurgence in farming that cater to an ever increasing demand for local, quality and sustainable food, wine and ale consumption:

In the Washington, DC area, both in the US capital city and its suburban communities, a unique local economy driven by government spending has also fueled the development of downtown and neighborhood construction. This in turn has spawned a demand for nightlife and weekend amenities for both a highly educated and environmentally conscious local population and out of town visitors.

In the Maryland suburbs, the community of Silver Spring has undergone such a transformation and is excellent base from which travelers can take in the sights and monuments of the capital as well as the Potomac River Trails and the coastal communities along Chesapeake Bay.

Similar experiences that provide a uniquely local eno-gastronomical atmosphere with historical and sustainable attractions are present in Southeastern Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia Neighborhoods and Hershey Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River Valley.

Travel and the Environment

Some communities have been in the forefront of land conservation, historic preservation, arts movements that celebrates land and landscapes and water resources management initiatives: 

In the Lehigh Valley, the local culture draws from the Moravian settlements experience in which all men were equal; a broad cultural environment in which music, art, education and religious tolerance flourished, as evidenced by the communal dwellings, churches and industrial structures.

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Sustainable Tourism Environment and Community Economic Development

The Brandywine Valley, facing an industrial development that would impact a largely rural community, focused on Development & Conservancy Issues, including floodplain areas that threatened to devastate water supplies in parts of the Delaware River Valley. Local residents bought endangered land and initiated conservation easements that now protect five and one-half miles along the Brandywine River.

  

Hudson Delaware and Susquehanna River Trails

In the city of Philadelphia, the waterfront is now a 6 mile walking and biking destination. Trail features include streetscape improvements along the entire waterfront trail, a bi-directional bikeway, pedestrian walkway and rain gardens that collect the first inch of storm water, relieving the city sewer system during major weather events, as well as benches, bike racks, decorative street pavers and innovative solar trail lighting. Center City offers a thriving culture and entertainment scene as well as contemporary arts museum with training programs and study tours for students, aspiring artists and family traveling.  

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The Towns and Villages of Loudoun County Virginia

Loudoun County is renowned for rolling hills of farms and vineyards, pastures filled with grazing horses, and the Blue Ridge Mountains; it is also just 25 miles from Washington DC.

Leesburg is Loudoun's county seat, has seen significant history from 1758, and has a well-preserved downtown historic district with stunning 18^th and 19^th century architecture. Leesburg is also a shopping and dining venue and features historic sites such as Gen. George C. Marshall's home, Dodona Manor and Ball's Bluff Civil War battlefield. Video

Middleburg, known as the capital of Virginia's horse country, has been welcoming visitors since 1787. It is also a shopper’s delight, with home furnishing and antique stores, boutiques and more; a stroll through this historic hamlet is an experience in itself. Middleburg has hosted iconic American personalities such as Jackie Kennedy and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Read More

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