Oldest community-owned one-room schoolhouse still intact in Dorchester County. First constructed c. 1865 near Church Creek. Moved here in 1867, it was used continuously until July 15, 1966, as Rock Elementary School for students in grades 1 through . . . — — Map (db m3968) HM
Original home of Rev. Daniel Maynadier, who served as rector of the Great Choptank Parish from 1765-1772.
Rebuilt in 1840 by Henry Page a distinguished lawyer and state senator. — — Map (db m114733) HM
A Landscape and Lifestyle Defined by Water Dorchester County consists of 688 square miles of which approximately 1/3 is water. The extensive waterways and marshland have played a significant role in the development of the county. Only 20 miles . . . — — Map (db m8349) HM
In the 1780s, African American Methodists in Philadelphia and Baltimore walked out of white-controlled Methodist churches to protest discriminatory treatment. In 1816, these independent black Methodists from Philadelphia, Baltimore and elsewhere . . . — — Map (db m138278) HM
It is no accident that for years more fugitives escaped from slavery in Maryland than any other statethe 1850 census recorded 259 runaways. Location played a critical role in these escapes. Networks of black and white abolitionists helped fugitives . . . — — Map (db m168865) HM
Harriet Tubman, known as "Minty", was born to Rittia 'Rit' Green Ross, her mother, and Benjamin 'Ben' Ross, her father. Ben and Rit Ross were both enslaved (but to different owners) at the time of Harriet's birth. The number of Harriet Tubman's . . . — — Map (db m109922) HM
Originally part of the Choptank Indian Reservation laid out for them in 1669. Cambridge was made a port of entry by the Assembly in 1684. It is one of the few towns authorized at that early date that has survived. — — Map (db m3963) HM
This property
Has been placed on the
National Register
Of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior
c. 1847 — — Map (db m114669) HM
The Choptank River Bridge Prior to the Governor Emerson C. Harrington Bridge which was built over the Great Choptank River in 1935 (the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at Kent Island did not open until 1947) ferries were used to cross the river. . . . — — Map (db m12698) HM
The Chesapeake Bay was once the extended valley of the Susquehanna River, which flowed directly into the ocean near the mouth of the bay. The Bay and all its tributaries were once non-tidal freshwater rivers flowing through valleys in the last ice . . . — — Map (db m8348) HM
The original church erected year 1693 was destroyed and restored year 1794 and again rebuilt in year 1863. The wall was erected year 1762. The grounds contain graves of Revolutionary and other war heroes. Also of men famous in state and country. — — Map (db m73052) HM
The Slavery Conflict Deepens
During the 1850's the deep-rooted conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery Americans intensified. The 'abolitionists' were united around the common long-run goal of abolishing slavery. But they differed . . . — — Map (db m109916) HM
A Species in Peril This squirrel is presently restricted to local populations found on the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It lives mostly in mixed strands of mature hardwoods. Habitats include groves of trees along . . . — — Map (db m79139) HM
Boarded by two rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay, Dorchester County is graced with expansive marshes, fertile farmland, and scented pine forests. Here on the south shore of the Choptank River, the county seat of Cambridge boasts the only deep . . . — — Map (db m66638) HM
During the Civil War, U.S. Col. James Wallace, commander of the 1st Regiment, Eastern Shore Maryland Volunteers, used this building as his headquarters. The regiment which camped east of here, drew most of its members directly from the Eastern . . . — — Map (db m113141) HM
The Pine Street Elementary School built here about 1918, was the pride of the African American community in Cambridge. Located in the city's second ward, the segregated school was a one-story wooden building with a full basement. The entire . . . — — Map (db m138281) HM
Take a stroll along our one mile waterfront trail. This boardwalk stretches from the Franklin Street boat ramp, near Governors Hall, to the end of the Choptank River fishing pier.
A wide variety of native plants flourish all around the . . . — — Map (db m66640)
The landscapes here may look timeless---but theyre constantly changing. Since the Chesapeake Bay reached its present shape about 4,000 years ago, tides continue to tug at the shore, wind and storms, reshape the coastline, land settles, and the . . . — — Map (db m78735) HM
The Call of Freedom
Dorchester County occupies a central place in the story of the Underground Railroad, the secret network of "stations" and "conductors" that sheltered and shepherded hundreds of enslave African Americans to freedom in the . . . — — Map (db m3964) HM
Birthplace of William Vans Murray. Appointed minister to the Hague by President George Washington March 2, 1787. He served until 1801. He was minister plenipotentiary to Paris as one of the negotiators of the treaty with France, signed in 1800, . . . — — Map (db m3966) HM
Has been paced on the
National Register
Of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior
1988
Cambridge Historic District
Est. 1990
By the U.S. Dept
Of the Interior
Goldsborough House
Inv. #85
Historic . . . — — Map (db m113431) HM
Charles Goldsborough, governor of Maryland in 1818, lived in a manor house across Shoal Creek. The house was demolished in the early 1970s and this rare brick stable building is all that remains of the plantation. It was moved here in 1987 and . . . — — Map (db m138287) HM
The local community, joined by others across the nation, honors its native daughter, Harriet Ross Tubman. Her memory endures through artistic expression in works of literature, music, sculpture, paint, photography, performance, and more.
Todays . . . — — Map (db m109915) HM
In the first half of the 20th century, Pine Street in Cambridge pulsed to the music of the world's greatest jazz and blues musicians. The neighborhood was then a stop on the "Chitlin' Circuit," the network of nightclubs and theaters traveled by . . . — — Map (db m138282) HM
Harriet Tubman led many slaves from Dorchester County to Canada (via the suspension bridge at Niagara Falls). One trip with "fugitive slaves" occurred in November 1856, when Tubman conducted Josia (Joe) Bailey, William Bailey, Peter Pennington . . . — — Map (db m109913) HM
Rooted in Cambridge
John Barth – called “one of the greatest novelists of our time” – was born in Cambridge on May 27, 1930 and grew up on Aurora Street. While living here, Barth frequented his fathers soda fountain, . . . — — Map (db m113436) HM
Dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States who on this spot May 14, 1960, addressed the people of Dorchester County.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." — — Map (db m73050) HM
Agriculture has been a mainstay of the local culture and economy for centuries. In the1700s, grain production was so widespread that the Eastern Shore was called the “breadbasket of the American Revolution.” The farming tradition . . . — — Map (db m78733) HM
As a deep-water tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Choptank River was a commercial artery of the Eastern Shore since colonial times. Cargoes of timber, tobacco, and farm harvests were hoisted by dockworkers to waiting ships.
During the early . . . — — Map (db m78737) HM
Although isolated from Maryland's largest population centers, the Eastern Shore was important to the state's role in the Civil War and exemplified the citizens' divided loyalties.
In the years before the war, enslaved African-Americans here . . . — — Map (db m8331) HM
Welcome to Dorchester County! When the Civil War intruded into quiet communities, residents here, as elsewhere on the Eastern Shore, faced difficult choices.
Before the war, enslaved African Americans here began escaping bondage via the . . . — — Map (db m190251) HM
Once a focal point of a large farm as LaGrange, Meredith House is is one of the few remaining Georgian houses in Cambridge. Purchased by the Dorchester County Historical Society in 1959, the house is furnished with antiques reflecting the heritage . . . — — Map (db m3967) HM
This Georgian-style home was built about 1760. It contains furniture of the Federal and Victorian periods, portraits of people who once lived in Dorchester County, china, silver, handmade quilts, clothing, and toys. The Governor room displays . . . — — Map (db m138288) HM
A Tail of Two Rodents Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is home to the muskrat and, until recently, the nutria, both members of the rodent family. The muskrat is native to the area while the nutria was introduced from South America in the . . . — — Map (db m79128) HM
The Neild Museum, opened in 1980, includes farm implements and equipment used by local Dorchester County farmers. It features a farm kitchen and barn, and displays the history of local agriculture. — — Map (db m138289) HM
The area before you is a moist soil impoundment constructed in 1936 known as “Pool 1.” This 50-acre wetland was improved and enlarged in 2008 by a partnership that include Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the family of Gibby Roe, . . . — — Map (db m78894) HM
The David and Polly Robbins Heritage Center, opened in 2007, features exhibits on Native Americans, hunting and trapping, local Dorchester County industry, including both canning and seafood. The workshop of Ron Rue, a local and internationally . . . — — Map (db m138291) HM
Smokehouse / Strong House
This building was originally used as a Smokehouse, as indicated by its smoked and charred beams, and was gifted to the Historical Society in 1964. It originally stood at Belvoir Plantation on the Horn Point Road near . . . — — Map (db m138290) HM
In October 1857, ten years before Stanley Institute was established two large groups of enslaved families successfully fled this area.
Caroline and Daniel Stanley and their six children escaped with Nat and Lizzie Amby and six others. Two weeks . . . — — Map (db m114843) HM
William Still
William Still (1821- 1902) was born in Burlington New Jersey. His parents had been enslaved on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. To escape slavery, William Stills parents and their young daughter fled to New Jersey before . . . — — Map (db m117270) HM
A Survivor Tens of thousands of bald eagles soared over the United States as late as 1800. In time, their population dwindled due to habitat loss, environmental contaminants, and illegal shooting. By the 1960s, only 400 adults remained.
Thanks . . . — — Map (db m78896) HM
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. This refuge encompasses two rivers which share its name. The Little Blackwater flows into the Blackwater River south of the refuge Observation Site. The Blackwater River . . . — — Map (db m79127) HM
Insult and Injury on the Train to New York
The Civil War ended in April 1865.
The irony of the situation added insult to injury. She had dedicated her life for three years, at great personal risk to the Union cause. Now a railroad . . . — — Map (db m109919) HM
As a deep water tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Choptank River was a commercial artery of the Eastern Shore since colonial times. Cargoes of timber, tobacco, and farm harvests were hoisted by dockworkers to waiting ships.
During the early . . . — — Map (db m144447) HM
This bell originally hung in a monastery in Mexico. Brought to America during the Mexican War, 1846. Served as fire alarm in Cambridge until 1883. — — Map (db m3970) HM
In this cemetery is the grave of Thomas Holliday Hicks, Governor of Maryland 1858-1862 and United States Senator from Maryland 1862-1865. At the beginning of the Civil War during his tenure as governor, the position of Maryland was more important . . . — — Map (db m3971) HM
This monument, erected by the state in 1868, honors Thomas Holliday Hicks, a native and life resident of Dorchester County. Late in 1860, and early 1861 as Marylands first Civil War governor, he opposed the doctrines of secession and coercion. In . . . — — Map (db m113146) HM
President Roosevelt visited Cambridge on October 26, 1935, to participate in the dedication of the Emerson C. Harrington Bridge. This stack was removed from the U.S.S. Potomac, which carried him on numerous historic occasions. It enclosed the . . . — — Map (db m3965) HM
In the early 1900's businesses were numerous and prosperous from the south end of Pine to where it intersects with High Street.
The neighborhood was filled with beauty salons, barber shops, funeral homes, and taxi cab stands, shoe repair . . . — — Map (db m138279) HM
Blackwater Refuge expansive marshes, moist soil impoundments, woodlands, and variety of croplands attract thousands of migrating and wintering waterfowl each year. These three habitats provide the food, water, shelter, and space that these birds . . . — — Map (db m78819) HM
Blackwater was established in 1933 as a haven for migratory waterfowl. Although management for migratory birds remains a primary focus over 80 years later, the refuge also protects and manages habitat for threatened and endangered species and . . . — — Map (db m78873) HM
Come in and explore the history of wooden boatbuilding in Dorchester County and the Chesapeake Bay.
Meet Captain James B. ("Mr. James") Richardson and the other innovative builders who created the wooden vessels that shaped the local . . . — — Map (db m138283) HM
Native or indigenous plants naturally occur in the region which they evolved. They are adapted to local soil, rainfall and temperature conditions, and have developed natural defenses to many insects and diseases. Because of these traits, native . . . — — Map (db m78874) HM
The first American Methodist Bishop, Frances Asbury appointed Freeborn Garrettson as pastor to five Methodist Societies in Dorchester County in 1779. The societies grew into congregations of Methodist Episcopal Churches; Zion Methodist Episcopal . . . — — Map (db m138285) HM
