A Short History of Crisfield

by John W. Paul

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.

The historical museum's artifacts depict how seafood is harvested and processed and its model boat collections illustrate the types of craft which plied the Bay and extracted its natural resources. The museum also has assembled artifacts related to Lem and Steve Ward who are the acknowledged founders of the unique American art form of decoy carving and painting.

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."