Salisbury in Wicomico County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Water Connection
Pemberton Park Historic Trail
Photographed by Nate Davidson, January 18, 2011
1. A Water Connection Marker
Inscription.
A Water Connection. Pemberton Park Historic Trail. Beneath these waters lie the buried timbers of the oldest documented wharf of its kind in the United States. The timbers date back to 1746 when Colonel Isaac Handy built a 200-food bulkhead wharf here at Mulberry Landing. Colonel Handy had a personal interest in shipping. As a youth, he trained as a mariner on his father's ship, the "Samuel and Mary." He later inherited a half interest in that ship and became part owner in three other sloops: "George," "Anne," and "Sally and Molly." These ships carried Pemberton Hall Plantation goods to market, and delivered needed supplies. At the time, water transportation was the only reliable way to get to other plantations, ports, and the outside world.
Picture Caption , You can still see the remnants of the old rolling road that led to the wharf at Mulberry Landing. Large barrels, called "hogsheads," filled with plantation goods were rolled along the road to the wharf where they were transferred to flat-bottomed scows, then loaded aboard ships bound for the Chesapeake and the Atlantic.
Beneath these waters lie the buried timbers of the oldest documented wharf of its kind in the United States. The timbers date back to 1746 when Colonel Isaac Handy built a 200-food bulkhead wharf here at Mulberry Landing. Colonel Handy had a personal interest in shipping. As a youth, he trained as a mariner on his father's ship, the "Samuel and Mary." He later inherited a half interest in that ship and became part owner in three other sloops: "George," "Anne," and "Sally and Molly." These ships carried Pemberton Hall Plantation goods to market, and delivered needed supplies. At the time, water transportation was the only reliable way to get to other plantations, ports, and the outside world.
Picture Caption You can still see the remnants of the old rolling road that led to the wharf at Mulberry Landing. Large barrels, called "hogsheads," filled with plantation goods were rolled along the road to the wharf where they were transferred to flat-bottomed scows, then loaded aboard ships bound for the Chesapeake and the Atlantic.
Erected by Wicomico County Parks & Tourism, Chesapeake Bay Gateways network.
Topics. This
Click or scan to see this page online
historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1746.
Location. 38° 20.75′ N, 75° 38.767′ W. Marker is in Salisbury, Maryland, in Wicomico County. It can be reached from Pemberton Historic Park Road 0.4 miles Pemberton Drive. Marker 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, 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 walking distance of this marker: Wicomico Wetlands (within shouting distance of this marker); The Original Residents (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); An Apple a Day (about 300 feet away); Nature's Pasture
Another marker is no longer nearby. Pemberton Hall (was about 800 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
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 551 times since then and 12 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.
