The Saint Michaels Historic District encompasses the historic center of Saint Michaels, Maryland. The town, which has about 1,000 permanent residents, is on a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. After over 100 years as a center for trade and shipbuilding, the community was incorporated as a town in 1805. Shipbuilding peaked in 1820, and the town's economy became focused more on oyster and seafood collection and packing. In the 1970s, the town transitioned to tourism. In the original 1986 nomination form, the Saint Michaels Historic District consisted of 362 buildings, sites, and structures. Sixty of the buildings were noncontributing. Many of the structures were originally constructed in the 19th century, and used the Federal, Gothic Revival, or Italianate architectural styles. The entire town has a 19th-century appearance, and much of the Historic District can be observed by walking. The homes that contribute to the Historic District are privately owned, but many have been converted into bed and breakfasts. The Chesapeake Maritime Museum is located along the Miles River and St. Michaels Harbor, in the northeast corner of the Historic District and further north. It features Chesapeake Bay exhibits such as ship building and oystering. The small Saint Michaels Museum is located within the Historic District at Saint Mary's Square. It focuses on 19th century Saint Michaels, and conducts walking tours of the Historic District. Talbot Street (Maryland Route 33) is the major street in Saint Michaels, and runs north–south through the Historic District. The street is lined with shops and restaurants housed in 19th century buildings.

Background

Saint Michaels is a small nautical-themed town on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It is situated along the Miles River, which leads to Chesapeake Bay. Boaters can get to the town's St. Michaels Harbor from nearby rivers or the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling by automobile from major cities such as Annapolis or Baltimore, the most direct route to the Eastern Shore involves crossing the bay using the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Saint Michaels is part of Talbot County, and accessible by automobile via Maryland Route 33. In town, the road is known as Talbot Street and is the only road that passes through town. The town's Historic District is lined with shops and restaurants usually housed in well-preserved 19th century architecture. The Saint Michaels Historic District is located in the center of town, and was added to the National Register on September 11, 1986.

Beginning

The community that became Saint Michaels began in the mid-1600s as a trading post for tobacco farmers and trappers who took advantage of the deep–water port's access to the Chesapeake Bay. The Christ Episcopal Church of St Michael Archangel parish was founded during the 1600s, and built a church near the Saint Michaels River (later named Miles River) and Broad Creek. This was the first building erected in the area. The church's location meant that it could easily be reached by boat, which was convenient for the early settlers who typically lived along the banks of area creeks and coves. The exact date the first church building was constructed is unknown. There is evidence it was built by at least 1672, and the structure had decayed enough that it was replaced in 1736. A list of baptisms dating from 1672 to 1704 includes family names such as Arnett, Auld, Banning, Benson, Blades, Dawson, Harrison, Kemp, Merchant, and others. A small village grew near the church and harbor, inhabited mostly by craftsman involved in building or refitting ships plus shopkeepers who catered to the needs of the craftsman and sailors. The village of about 100 people had no government other than the general laws of the province. As the place where people congregated, the church took on the additional role of a place to meet for business. The community's name, Saint Michaels, came from the church name. The harbor of Saint Michaels became a place large English vessels brought goods for trade.

Town of Saint Michaels

In 1778, British land agent James Braddock, working for Gildart and Gawith and Company of Liverpool (James Gildart and John Gawith), acquired much of the land near what became the town of Saint Michaels. He had a surveyor measure a portion of his land into lots that were sold, including what became the town's public square. After his death in 1783, John Thompson gained control of Braddock's land and more plots were sold. Another prominent member of the community was Thomas Harrison, who was involved with importing goods from England and exporting tobacco and other goods from the area. Upon his death in 1802, his son Samuel continued the business. Between 1804 and 1806 the village was re-surveyed and platted as three squares (or wards) plus the public square: Harrison's square at the north end, Thompson's square to the southwest, Braddock's square to the southeast end, and the public square known as Saint Mary's square. In 1804, community members petitioned the General Assembly of the state for a charter for a corporate town named Saint Michaels. The petition was ratified on January 19, 1805, and became law. Robert Dodson, John Dorgan, James Boid, and Thomas S. Haddaway were the town's original commissioners. The new town's commissioners did not begin to execute their duties until 1807, and William Merchant replaced James Boid. Jason Dodson was added to the group of commissioners. Town boundaries were marked and streets were named. Among the names used were Cherry, Chestnut, Locust, Mill, Mulberry, Talbot, Water, and Willow.

Clippers and war

The Chesapeake Bay, with its access to Baltimore and Washington (via the Potomac River), was a major commercial waterway in the early 1800s—making it an obvious target for the British in their fight against the United States in the War of 1812. Clipper ships, which were fast but could not carry large amounts of cargo, were used for fighting and evading the British. It is thought that the design for Baltimore clippers had its beginning in Saint Michaels. Master builder Thomas Kemp left Saint Michaels in 1803 to start his own shipbuilding business in Baltimore. He purchased property at Baltimore's Fells Point two years later, and worked in shipbuilding and repair. His most famous clipper was the Chasseur, which was launched in December 1812 and one of the fastest ships of its time. When an economic recession happened after the war, Kemp moved back to his Wade's Point farm near Saint Michaels. The town of Easton, county seat of Talbot County, was the largest town on Maryland's Eastern Shore and contained one of Maryland's four armories, making it a target for the British during the war. Boats and small vessels could use the Saint Michaels River to get within 3 mi of Easton. Saint Michaels, located on the mouth of the same river, was also a target because it was an outport for Easton and because of its shipbuilding. The British conducted raids on St. Michaels twice in 1813. Local militia successfully defended the town in both cases.

Ship building

Ship building has been conducted in what became the town of St. Michaels since about 1670. Shipbuilding in Saint Michaels prospered from 1780 to 1820, peaking around 1810. The Harrisons, Haddaways, and Spencers, are all known to have had shipyards at or near St. Michaels in 1792. At the 1810 shipbuilding peak, John Davis, Impey Dawson, Thomas L. Haddaway, Skinner Harris, Joseph Kemp, and John Wrightson all had shipyards within St. Michaels. Colonel Perry Spencer, his brother Richard Spencer, William Harrison, and Thomas Hambleton had shipyards near the town with access to the St. Michaels River or Broad Creek (south of St. Michaels). Prosperity declined sharply after 1820, and some of the shipbuilding moved to Baltimore. The end of the war with Great Britain and the depletion of lumber were the major reasons for the decline. Shipbuilding by that time was mostly for smaller craft, and was no longer the leading industry of Talbot County. Shipbuilding enjoyed a revival around 1840, and typically there were two shipyards in St. Michaels. At that time, steamships began to provide regular service between St. Michaels and Baltimore. Some of those packet boats were captained by members of the Dodson and Dawson families. By 1882, St. Michaels had three active shipyards, which were run by Robert Lambdin and Sons, Thomas H. Kirby and Company, and Thomas L. Dawson. These shipyards constructed smaller crafts such as coasting schooners, pungies, and bugeyes.

Seafood

After the 1820 decline of shipbuilding, the town's economy became more dependent on fishing and oystering. The construction of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay opened new markets for oysters and seafood, causing a new prosperity for Saint Michaels starting around 1830. The town's population increased from 499 in 1840 to 1,471 by 1880. During that time, the oyster business grew beyond simply harvesting oysters. Businesses were now shucking (removing the oyster from its shell), packing and canning oysters. In 1901, the town had the J.E. Watkins Oyster House that conducted shucking, packing, and canning of oysters at Navy Point Pier. It also had George Caulk's Oyster House on the St. Michaels River. Near the river and Mulberry Street was C.W. Willey's Oyster House. In 1902, African Americans William Coulbourne and Frederick Jewett began a seafood packing house on Navy Point that operated until 1962. Originally, the company processed fish, but eventually it focused on crab and crab meat. Jewett's method of grading crab meat is still used in the industry today. In 1955, St. Michaels had three seafood companies: Bivalve Oyster Company, Coulborne and Jewett, and Harrison and Jarboe. All three produced shucked oysters, and two produced fresh-cooked crab meat.

Today

Beginning in the 1970s, the community transformed itself to a focus on tourism. Its Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has approximately 95,000 visitors each year. The town is walkable and has numerous restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and shops. It has about 1,000 permanent residents. The Historic District has no traffic lights, no malls, and no major restaurant chains. The small Saint Michaels Museum at St. Mary's Square is located within the Historic District at Saint Mary's Square. Open on weekends, it focuses on 19th century Saint Michaels, and conducts walking tours of the Historic District every Saturday.

List of structures

In the original 1986 nomination form, the St. Michaels Historic District consisted of 362 buildings, sites, and structures. Sixty of the buildings were noncontributing. The district is described as "a cohesive group of residential, commercial, and ecclesiastical buildings dating from the late 18th through early 20th centuries located within St. Michaels, a small town fronting the Miles River in western Talbot County, Maryland." The sortable table of the structures that are part of the historic district follows. If the year built is a range of years, the middle of the range is used. Since there are over 300 contributing structures, the list is incomplete. However, any structure mentioned in the original application to the National Register is in the list. Some additional structures, mentioned in walking tours, have been added. Three of the structures, by themselves, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Old Inn was listed in 1980, the St. Michaels Mill in 1982, and the Cannonball House in 1983.

People

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