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.
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