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

Inscription. 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 --

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

Vienna is selected as the site for a new power generating plant.
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. Marker 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.

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 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Discover: Vienna

Discover: Vienna Heritage Marker in front of the Vienna Heritage Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013

2. Discover: Vienna Heritage Marker in front of the Vienna Heritage Museum

(approx. ¼ mile away); Discover: The Shoreline (approx. ¼ mile away); The Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vienna.

Also see . . .
1. Walking Tour of Vienna Maryland. (Submitted on February 13, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
2. Join the Adventure: http://www.tourdorchester.org. This URL appears on the Marker on the Marker. (Submitted on February 13, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Hurst Gas Station image. Click for full size.

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.

Shell with Button Holes image. Click for full size.

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.

Button Stamping Machine in the Vienna Heritage Museum image. Click for full size.

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.

Vienna Heritage Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013

9. Vienna Heritage Museum

Vienna on the Nanticoke image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2013

10. Vienna on the Nanticoke

The Water Tower in Vienna Maryland

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 645 times since then and 52 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.