Vienna in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Discover: Vienna Heritage
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
1. Discover: Vienna Heritage Marker
Welcome to Vienna, Maryland. Situated on a bend in the Nanticoke River, Vienna has been a crossroads, a trading center, and a gateway to the Chesapeake Bay for centuries. Today Vienna is busily planning for its future while embracing its past. With the pristine Nanticoke River as its backdrop, Vienna is a stop on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. To begin your exploration, visit the Vienna Heritage Museum; enjoy a walking tour of historic homes; or take in the view along our Nanticoke Riverwalk.
Vienna Through Time
900-1200 -- Native Americans establish settlements on both sides of the Nanticoke River.
1608 -- Explorer Captain John Smith encounters the native people near Vienna.
1698 -- Colonists establish the Chicone Indian Reservation north of Vienna. It is disbanded 70 years later.
1706 -- The Maryland Assembly designates Vienna as a Port of Entry.
1776 -- British vessels conduct raids during the Revolutionary War.
1812 -- British vessels patrol the Nanticoke River during the War of 1812.
1828 -- The First bridge over the Nanticoke River is Built.
1861 -- The U.S. Civil War divides Vienna's populace.
1892 -- The railroad joins the steamboat as a transport option.
1927
this page online
1991 -- U.S. Route 50 bypasses Vienna.
2003 -- Vienna's Community Vision Plan call for its becoming the "Gateway to the Nanticoke".
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1608.
Location. 38° 29.125′ N, 75° 49.559′ W. Marker is in Vienna, Maryland, in Dorchester County. It is at the intersection of Race Street and Market Street, on the left when traveling east on Race Street. The marker is just west of the Vienna Heritage Museum, 303 Race Street, Vienna, Maryland. Near the corner of Market and Race Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 Race Street, Vienna MD 21869, 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: John Smith Explores the Chesapeake (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Unnacokossimmon (approx. 0.2 miles away); A walking tour of Vienna (approx. 0.2 miles away); Discover: Restoration (approx. 0.2 miles away); Discover: The Nanticoke
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
2. Discover: Vienna Heritage Marker in front of the Vienna Heritage Museum
Also see . . . A Brief History of Vienna, Maryland. Town website entry (Submitted on March 11, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
3. Hurst Gas Station
The Vienna Heritage Museum once served as a gas station operated by the Hurst family for more than 50 years. One of the first gas stations to open on the Eastern Shore, it also offered a lunch counter, hunting and fishing licenses, and a place for men of the community to gather. (photo courtesy Steve Hurst)
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
4. Brick House
Vienna's walking tour includes stops at the towns first brick home (c. 1861) and the Heritage Museum where visitors can see a machine that once stamped out shell buttons at nearby Elliot Island. (Photo: Chuck Krop)
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
5. Buttons
Mother-of-Pearl Buttons stamped out at the Martinek button factory in Elliot Island. Chester and Jean Martinek moved their button factory to the marshes of Elliot Island in 1949. The Martinek family closed their operation in 2001.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
6. Shell with Button Holes
The Martinek factory imported shells from south-east Asia as raw material for their mother-of-pearl buttons.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
7. Brick House
James K. Lewis added this Italianate brick house at 100 Church Street to a late 18th century house in 1861.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
8. Button Stamping Machine in the Vienna Heritage Museum
When the Martinek factory in Elliot Island closed in 2001 this button stamping machine became the centerpiece of the Heritage Museum.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
9. Vienna Heritage Museum
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013
10. Vienna on the Nanticoke
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,331 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on February 13, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
