Caroline County Historical Society

Civil War Reenactment

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:07:35 +0000

Civil War Reenactment at the Historic Linchester Mill Campus

On Saturday, April 20th, the historic Linchester Mill Campus in Preston, Maryland will be hosting a Civil War Reenactment featuring two infantry companies, a field hospital encampment, campfire cooking demonstrations and more. This free event, which will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., is hosted by the Friends of Linchester Mill and the Caroline County Historical Society.

Two infantry companies, the 2nd Maryland Company G and the 18th Virginia, will be doing drilling throughout the day, including camp of instruction. A Civil War surgeon will have a field hospital encampment set up and will be demonstrating various medical treatments used during the war. A Single Corp will demonstrate how flags were used as communication on the battlefield, and there will also be campfire-cooking demonstrations.

Docents will be on hand to provide tours of the Linchester Mill and the recently restored Hog Island School. Attendees can also walk along the nature paths that wind along Hunting Creek behind the mill. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

The Linchester Mill is located at 3390 Linchester Road in Preston. For more information, please contact Charles Andrew at 443-786-2549.

Caroline County Courthouse

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:09:03 +0000

Although chosen by the Maryland legislature in 1773 as the county seat, the creation of Denton was delayed until word arrived in 1781 that the British were surrendering at the Battle of Yorktown. The current Romanesque and neo-Georgian courthouse (c.1895) replaced the original courthouse (c.1797) that was believed to have been designed by William Buckland.

Choptank River Heritage Center

admin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:43:48 +0000

The Choptank River Heritage Center is a replica of the 1883 Maryland Steamboat Company’s Denton Wharf featuring a Passenger Waiting Room, Steamship Agents Office, and warehouse space for assorted commodities.

The West Denton Area was a commercial maritime center and transportation hub, which included wharves, granaries, a flour roller mill, a shirt factory, canneries, maritime warehouses and related agricultural and maritime industries. The wharf was part of an inland port that served as a regional hub for moving goods throughout the Upper Shore via convenient connections to river, rails and roadway networks.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this site was a prominent wharf and port of call for schooners, sloops and skipjacks plying their product. Many are familiar with the famous skipjacks of the oyster dredging fleet. Few are aware, however, that during the off season, many skipjack captains would bring their shallow drafted vessels into the bay’s tidal rivers to supplement their income by carrying trade goods between farming communities and the large cities on the bay. Skipjacks would come up the river bringing manufactured goods, oyster shells for paving roads and fertilizer, and in turn take agricultural commodities such as watermelon, grains, produce from farms to city markets.

As modes of transportation evolved, so did the wharves. In 1882, the MD Steamboat Company bought one of the West Denton wharves and made improvements to the wharf in 1883, which including dredging a “divit” to allow steamboats to turn around in front of the wharf. This wharf was visited weekly by the steamboats Joppa and Avalon over the next three decades and became known to county residents as “Joppa Wharf.”

Joppa was one of two steamboats that ran between Denton and Baltimore from the 1880s to about 1920. The other steamer was the Avalon. Other vessels ran up the Choptank before and after these, but old timers along the Choptank River still have fond memories of Joppa and Avalon steaming into West Denton and other landings along the river.

The Choptank River Heritage Center now houses the Caroline Office of Tourism. To arrange a tour of the facility, please contact 410-479-0655.

Colonel Richardson’s Tomb

admin — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 20:21:02 +0000

A State Historical Marker
In 1776 Richardson’s 5th Maryland Regiment drove the British from the field at the Battle of Harlem Heights. This, the first victory of the Continental Army in a stand-up fight, restored the confidence of the previously badly-beaten American soldiers. Richardson later suppressed pro-British rebellions on the Eastern Shore before being captured and held prisoner in England until 1781. This idyllic spot was his home at Gilpin’s Point, circa 1765-1825.

Exeter

admin — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:24:03 +0000

Exeter’s land was patented to Rev. Thomas Dill of Exeter Fief, England upon his arrival to Maryland colony on April 27th, 1732. Dill came as appointed minister to the congregation of St. Mary’s White Chapel, located south of Preston. The Exeter house, a finely preserved early 19th century vernacular, was accepted and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Exeter is now owned and maintained by the Federalsburg Historical Society and can be toured by appointment.

Federalsburg Area Heritage Museum

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:49:02 +0000

The Federalsburg Area Heritage Museum is housed in the historic Covey and Williams garage building. The restored structure features unique artifacts and exhibits of local heritage.

Jacob Leverton Dwelling

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:27:08 +0000

The Jacob Leverton Dwelling was the “main stopping place,” a focal point around which several adjoining landowners participated in a broad stronghold of Underground Railroad activity. From their early 19th Century residence, Quakers Jacob and Hannah Leverton aided escapees moving under cover to freedom in the North. It is a designated site of the Network to Freedom Program.

James H. Webb Cabin

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:05:25 +0000

James Webb, a free African-American farmer, built this hand-hewn log home in 1852. He lived here with his enslaved wife, Mary Ann, and their four children, Charles, Elizabeth, John and Ann, and Webb’s father, Henry. The Webbs were members of Mount Pleasant Church. This one-room log cabin, with its “potato hole,” open fireplace and loft accessed by a crude ladder, was made from materials found at hand or nearby. Built on ballast stones from ships, it stands near the Choptank River, Hog Creek and several roads including Harriet Tubman’s possible route from Poplar Neck. This cabin represents the kind of housing that sheltered many African-American and poor white families during the early and mid-19th century. Harriet Tubman’s father and mother, Ben and Rit Ross, probably lived in a very similar structure at nearby Poplar Neck.

Linchester Mill Campus

admin — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:26:03 +0000

Visitors are welcome to explore the grounds of the Linchester Mill, including the Nature Braille Trail that winds behind the mill. To arrange for a tour of the mill or to inquire about using the Mill campus for your next event, please contact Michael McCrea at 410-310-9202. The Linchester Mill will be open with a docent on the 2nd and 4th Fridays and Saturdays of every month from 10am-4pm now through October.

The Linchester Mill Campus includes:

Linchester Mill – One of the last operating water-powered mills on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Linchester Mill ceased operating in 1979 when the mill pond dam broke after heavy rains. The structure has been described as a “treasure of America,” because its original equipment reflects the long evolution of American milling.
Hog Island School
Nature/Braille Trail
Miller’s House
Assistant Millers House

Mason Dixon Line

admin — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:30:34 +0000

A crownstone of the Mason-Dixon Line is located in Marydel. The dividing line was surveyed in the 1760’s by Charles Mason and Jerimiah Dixon to settle the contradictory land claims of the Penn and Calvert families. Caroline County’s eastern border was marked by 36 stones placed at one-mile intervals, while every 5 miles Crownstones were placed.