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The Childhood Home of J. Millard Tawes Construction of Governor J. Millard Tawes' childhood home was begun in 1887 by the Governor's father, James Tawes. James Tawes married Alice Byrd Tawes in that year and immediately began work on the home, which was located near his parents' dwelling. The house was originally a two-story center hall home which was common on the Eastern Shore at that time.
As the family grew in size and prosperity, the house was extensively modified. A columned portico on the front and a porte cochere adjacent to the sunroom were added. Total modifications were completed in 1920, over 30 years after James had started building the home. Governor Tawes lived in the home until his marriage in 1912 to Helen Avalynne Gibson, his companion of over 60 years. The J. Millard Tawes Foundation, now the Crisfield Heritage Foundation, purchased the home in 1997 and is restored to its original beauty. The Foundation now displays the Governor's artifacts and offer the public access to his library, including his correspondence, speeches and research materials.
 Governor J. Millard Tawes was the 54th governor of the State of Maryland. he was born in Crisfield in 1894 and grew up in a town riding the boom of a growing oyster industry.
He first began his political life as Clerk of the circuit Court for Somerset County. In 1938 he successfully ran for the position of State Comptroller, a position he held until elected governor in 1958. Governor Tawes led the political effort to make Assateague Island a National Seashore Park, began the Center for Public Broadcasting, converted the state teacher's colleges to four-year liberal arts Institutions and established a branch of the University of Maryland at Catonsville. The governor was in the national spotlight by being the first governor south of the Mason-Dixon Line to ban discrimination in state employment. He passed a public accommodation law which banned discrimination in establishments which served the general public. Upon completion of his two terms as Governor, Millard Tawes was appointed Chairman of the Board of Natural Resources in 1968, where he took the lead in halting water pollution and forest devastation. When Maryland's Department of Natural Resources was created, Tawes was appointed as its first secretary. He successfully brought together several state agencies under one department to protect the state's water, wetlands and environment. After another retirement in 1971, Tawes was appointed as State Treasurer. This appointment won him the distinction of being the only man in Maryland history to serve in all three offices of the Board of Public Works - Comptroller, Governor and State Treasurer. J. Millard Tawes retired for the last time to his native Crisfield in 1975 and continued to actively participate in political and civic affairs until his death on June 25, 1979. He is remembered as a man of humility, integrity and dedication. Despite his longtime political successes and innumerable honorariums, he always remained easily accessible to every Maryland citizen. |