Salisbury in Wicomico County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Drop to Drink
Pemberton Plantation Historic Trail
Photographed by Nate Davidson, January 18, 2011
1. A Drop to Drink Marker
Inscription.
A Drop to Drink. Pemberton Plantation Historic Trail. In the colonial period, the safety of drinking water was uncertain, so people drank cider, wine, and distilled spirits instead. Each plantation made its own beverages. A cider press extracted juice from fruit. The cider could be consumed as is or left to ferment into "hard cider," which was slightly alcoholic. Cider was also distilled into highly alcoholic "apple jack." Isaac Handy also produced brandy. Some beverages from this and other Eastern Shore plantations were shipped via the Wicomico River and Chesapeake Bay to ports along the Atlantic Coast and beyond. The Pemberton Hall Plantation cider press was close to this spot. At the time of his death in 1762, Isaac Handy owned distillery equipment and 100 gallons of cider.
In the colonial period, the safety of drinking water was uncertain, so people drank cider, wine, and distilled spirits instead. Each plantation made its own beverages. A cider press extracted juice from fruit. The cider could be consumed as is or left to ferment into "hard cider," which was slightly alcoholic. Cider was also distilled into highly alcoholic "apple jack." Isaac Handy also produced brandy. Some beverages from this and other Eastern Shore plantations were shipped via the Wicomico River and Chesapeake Bay to ports along the Atlantic Coast and beyond. The Pemberton Hall Plantation cider press was close to this spot. At the time of his death in 1762, Isaac Handy owned distillery equipment and 100 gallons of cider.
Erected by Wicomico County Parks and Tourism, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.
Location. 38° 20.8′ N, 75° 38.633′ W. Marker is in Salisbury, Maryland, in Wicomico County. It can be reached from Pemberton Historic Park Road 0.4 miles Pemberton Drive. Located within Pemberton Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Salisbury MD 21801, 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, and in the Tidewater. 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.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Pemberton Hall (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Nate Davidson, January 18, 2011
2. Marker Location
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. This page has been viewed 721 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 22, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
