Ewell on Smith Island in Somerset County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Welcome…this is Ewell
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones, June 6, 2026
1. Welcome…this is Ewell Marker
The Smith's Island community of Ewell was known only as North-End during the first 228 years before it received its first post office in 1885. The name of the new post office was given by the Postmaster of Drum Point, Benjamin Franklin Marsh, who in 1885 had the only post office on Smith's Island. The two other island communities of Rogues Point and North-End, were steadily receiving population increases. This was due to the severe erosion that was driving many of the island's people to higher land after farming and raising cattle near the island's outer reaches for more than 200 years.
Postmaster Marsh realized there was a need for the other two island communities to each receive a new post office to accommodate the people moving into the island's interior from the outer reaches of the island. Postmaster Marsh asked the newly appointed Somerset County Postmaster Dr. Oscar B. Ewell to intercede with the U.S. Postal Service that finally brought the two new island post offices to Rogues Point, and North-End.
Postmaster Marsh thought it would be appropriate to name the new post office at North-End in Dr. Ewell's honor, for his work in acquiring the new post offices. So the settlement that was known as North-End was changed to Ewell in honor of the good doctor. Yet even today, many islanders still call this island
this page online
Erected by National Recreational Trails Program through the Maryland State Highway Administration, with additional funding from the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Postal Mail and Philately series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. 37° 59.705′ N, 76° 1.88′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is on Smith Island, Maryland, in Somerset County. It is in Ewell. It is on Caleb Jones Road west of Evans Dock Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20906 Caleb Jones Rd, Ewell MD 21824, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Smith Island (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); State Dessert… Smith Island Cake (about 300 feet away); World Wars I and II Memorial (about 400 feet away); Korean and Vietnam Wars Memorial (about 400 feet away); Armed Forces Memorial (about 400 feet away); Smith Island Cake (about 500 feet away);
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 6, 2026
2. Welcome…this is Ewell Marker
This marker was likely on display elsewhere in the community but was on display outside of this storefront.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 6, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
