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Under
the auspices of the Crisfield Heritage Foundation, the City of Crisfield
has three museums which taken together tell the story of this historic
community.
Founded
in 1666 by Benjamin Summers, Crisfield was originally known as Somers
Cove. Annemessex was a typical small Eastern Shore village. Gradually
the name of the village was changed to Somers Cove. This came about
because boat captains and crews consistently referred to the area by the
small cove which afforded them protection from the weather in the
Chesapeake and was a fine docking place.
In
1854, a Coast and Geodetic survey of the Chesapeake Bay discovered a
large number of oyster beds in Tangier Sound adjacent to Somers Cove.
John W. Crisfield recognized the importance of this natural resource and
pushed the Eastern Shore Railroad from Salisbury to Crisfield.
With
the advent of the railroad the products of the Chesapeake Bay could move
from the Eastern Shore to the lucrative markets of the northeast. In
recognition of his contributions to the city, the town fathers changed
the name of the city from Somers Cove to Crisfield.
The
combination of the railroad and the oyster helped fuel the development
of secondary industries in the city. Harvested seafood requires cool
temperatures in order to keep it fresh and edible. Consequently, a large
ice house was built which supplied ice to keep seafood refrigerated in
transit.
A coal
fired power plant generated the electricity necessary to keep the city
and its industries supplied with this source of power. Agricultural
packing houses were established which canned vegetables and then took
advantage of the railroad for transport of this produce.
A
sewing industry took advantage of the expert seamstresses in the area.
This industry produced fine finished products for Wall Street clothiers.
Many more small businesses were started to serve the local people
employed in the major industries.
The
rich history of this major region of the Chesapeake Bay is preserved for
posterity by the museums of Crisfield. Organized under the Crisfield
Heritage Foundation these museums tell the story of the City.
Museums operated by Crisfield Heritage Foundation
The
J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum
is the general history museum of the area. Its collections tell the
story of the vicinity from its pre-Columbus beginnings when
native-Americans surrounded the land, through the colonial period and up
to the present.
Governor Tawes Library
commemorates the 54th Governor of the State of Maryland who was born,
raised and passed away in Crisfield. Governor J. Millard Tawes was one
of Maryland's most active governors and is remembered as an advisor and
confidante of three presidents. his many achievements include the
creation of the Center for Public Broadcasting which became the model
for other states.
Governor Tawes was the first southern governor to ban discrimination in
public accommodations and also discrimination in state employment. The
governor additionally started the University of Maryland Baltimore
campus, authorized the second span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and
served as the fist secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.
These
and many more interesting facts are to be found in the Governor Tawes
Library which is located in the birthplace of Governor Tawes. The 1887
Victorian home is itself part of the interesting history of the area and
is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The
third museum operated by the Foundation is the
Ward Brother's Workshop.
This building is actually composed of the separate structures which were
combined by
Lem and Steve Ward
to form a complete decoy carving and painting workshop. The workshop
exterior has been renovated and work is now being done on the interior.
These
three museums offer the visitor a complete cultural heritage experience
of this historic waterfront town which was once known as the "Seafood
Capital of the World." |
