Sharptown in Wicomico County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Sharptown Shipyard
Matthew Marine founded the Sharptown Marine Railway Shipyard around 1818. Nearby forests and the navigable Nanticoke River made the location perfect for shipbuilding and maintenance. Tugboats, yachts, barges, rams, and three and four masted schooners (some exceeding 200ft) were built and serviced here. Vessels sailed Chesapeake Bay, East Coast, Caribbean, South American, and Transatlantic routes. For about 100 years, Sharptown was populated by the shipyard's shipwrights, sailors, and captains.
Erected 2026 by Maryland Department of Transportation; Maryland Historical Trust.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Historical Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 38° 32.597′ N, 75° 42.933′ W. Marker is in Sharptown, Maryland, in Wicomico County. It is on Sharptown Road (Maryland Route 313) west of Sharptown Line Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12796 Plum Hill Ln, Sharptown MD 21861,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chesapeake Bay Restoration in Progress (approx. 0.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Sharptown War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); School a source of pride for historic Black community (approx. 2.3 miles away); San Domingo Maryland (approx. 2½ miles away); San Domingo School (approx. 2.6 miles away); Phillips Landing and Harley G. Hastings (approx. 2.7 miles away in Delaware); Captain John Smith Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away in Delaware). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sharptown.
Another marker is no longer nearby. San Domingo School Community & Cultural Center
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
