On the broad Miles River, with its picturesque tree-lined streets and beautiful harbor, St. Michaels has been a haven for boats plying the Chesapeake and its inlets since the earliest days. Here, some of the handsomest models of the Bay craft, such as canoes, bugeyes, pungys and some famous Baltimore Clippers, were designed and built. The Church, named “St. Michael’s,” was the first building erected (about 1677) and around it clustered the town that took its name.
1. WADES POINT INN – Located on a point of land overlooking majestic Chesapeake Bay, this historic inn has been welcoming guests for over 100 years. Thomas Kemp, builder of the original “Pride of Baltimore,” built the main house in 1819. For more info. visit http://www.wadespoint.com.
2. LODGE AT PERRY CABIN – Located on the scenic Miles River with an 18 hole golf course – Links at Perry Cabin. For more info. visit http://www.belmond.com/inn-at-perry-cabin-st-michaels/. (Now under renovation)
3. MILES RIVER YACHT CLUB – Organized in 1920, the Miles River Yacht Club continues its dedication to boating on our waters and the protection of the heritage of log canoes, the oldest class of boat still sailing U. S. waters. The MRYC has been instrumental in preserving the log canoe and its rich history on the Chesapeake Bay. For more info. visit http://www.milesriveryc.org.
4. THE INN AT PERRY CABIN BY BELMOND – The original building was constructed in the early 19th century by Samuel Hambleton, a purser in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. It was named for his friend, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Perry Cabin has served as a riding academy and was restored in 1980 as an inn and restaurant. For more info. visit http://www.belmond.com/inn-at-perry-cabin-st-michaels/.
5. THE PARSONAGE INN – A bed and breakfast inn at 210 N. Talbot St., was built by Henry Clay Dodson, a prominent St. Michaels businessman and state legislator around 1883 as his private residence. In 1877, Dodson, along with Joseph White, established the St. Michaels Brick Company, which later provided the brick for the house. For more info. visit http://www.parsonage-inn.com.
6. FREDERICK DOUGLASS HISTORIC MARKER – Born at Tuckahoe Creek, Talbot County, Douglass lived as a slave in the St. Michaels area from 1833 to 1836. He taught himself to read and taught in clandestine schools for blacks here. He escaped to the north and became a noted abolitionist, orator and editor. He returned in 1877 as a U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia and also served as the D.C. Recorder of Deeds and the U.S. Minister to Haiti.
7. CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM – Founded in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of the hemisphere’s largest and most productive estuary – the Chesapeake Bay. Located on 18 waterfront acres, its nine exhibit buildings and floating fleet bring to life the story of the Bay and its inhabitants, from the fully restored 1879 Hooper Strait lighthouse and working boatyard to the impressive collection of working decoys and a recreated waterman’s shanty. Home to the world’s largest collection of Bay boats, the Museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, special events, festivals, and education programs. Docking and pump-out facilities available. Exhibitions and Museum Store open year-round. Up-to-date information and hours can be found on the Museum’s website at http://www.cbmm.org or by calling 410-745-2916.
8. THE CRAB CLAW – Restaurant adjoining the Maritime Museum and overlooking St. Michaels harbor. Open March-November. 410-745-2900 or http://www.thecrabclaw.com.
9. PATRIOT – During the season (April-November) the 65’ cruise boat can carry 150 persons, runs daily historic narrated cruises along the Miles River. For daily cruise times, visit http://www.patriotcruises.com or call 410-745-3100.
10. THE FOOTBRIDGE – Built on the site of many earlier bridges, today’s bridge joins Navy Point to Cherry Street. It has been variously known as “Honeymoon Bridge” and “Sweetheart Bridge.” It is the only remaining bridge of three that at one time connected the town with outlying areas around the harbor.
11. VICTORIANA INN – The Victoriana Inn is located in the Historic District of St. Michaels. The home was built in 1873 by Dr. Clay Dodson, a druggist, and occupied as his private residence and office. In 1910 the property, then known as “Willow Cottage,” underwent alterations when acquired by the Shannahan family who continued it as a private residence for over 75 years. As a bed and breakfast, circa 1988, major renovations took place, preserving the historic character of the gracious Victorian era. For more info. visit http://www.victorianainn.com.
12. HAMBLETON INN – On the harbor. Historic waterfront home built in 1860 and restored as a bed and breakfast in 1985 with a turn-of-the-century atmosphere. For more info. visit http://www.hambletoninn.com.
13. SNUGGERY B&B – Oldest residence in St. Michaels, c. 1665. The structure incorporates the remains of a log home that was originally built on the beach and later moved to its present location. http://www.snuggery1665.com.
14. LOCUST STREET – A stroll down Locust Street is a look into the past of St. Michaels. The Haddaway House at 103 Locust St. was built by Thomas L. Haddaway in the late 1700s. Haddaway owned and operated the shipyard at the foot of the street. Wickersham, at 203 Locust Street, was built in 1750 and was moved to its present location in 2004. It is known for its glazed brickwork. Hell’s Crossing is the intersection of Locust and Carpenter streets and is so-named because in the late 1700’s, the town was described as a rowdy one, in keeping with a port town where sailors would come for a little excitement. They found it in town, where there were saloons and working-class townsfolk ready to do business with them. Fights were common especially in an area of town called Hells Crossing. At the end of Locust Street is Muskrat Park. It provides a grassy spot on the harbor for free summer concerts and is home to the two cannons that are replicas of the ones given to the town by Jacob Gibson in 1813 and confiscated by Federal troops at the beginning of the Civil War.
15. FREEDOMS FRIEND LODGE – Chartered in 1867 and constructed in 1883, the Freedoms Friend Lodge is the oldest lodge existing in Maryland and is a prominent historic site for our Black community. It is now the site of Blue Crab Coffee Company.
16. TALBOT COUNTY FREE LIBRARY – St. Michaels Branch is located at 106 S. Fremont Street. For more info. tel: 410-745-5877 or visit http://www.tcfl.org.
17. CARPENTER STREET SALOON – Life in the Colonial community revolved around the tavern. The traveler could, of course, obtain food, drink, lodging or even a fresh horse to speed his journey. This tavern was built in 1874 and has served the community as a bank, a newspaper office, post office and telephone company. For more info. visit http://www.carpenterstreetsaloon.com.
18. TWO SWAN INN – The Two Swan Inn on the harbor served as the former site of the Miles River Yacht Club, was built in the 1800s and was renovated in 1984. It is located at the foot of Carpenter Street. For more info. visit http://www.twoswaninn.com.
19. TARR HOUSE – Built by Edward Elliott as his plantation home about 1661. It was Elliott and an indentured servant, Darby Coghorn, who built the first church in St. Michaels. This was about 1677, on the site of the present Episcopal Church (6 Willow Street, near Locust).
20. CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH – 301 S. Talbot St. Built of Port Deposit stone, the present church was erected in 1878. The first is believed to have been built in 1677 by Edward Elliott. For more info. tel: 410-745-9076.
21. THE OLD BRICK INN – Built in 1817 by Wrightson Jones, who opened and operated the shipyard at Beverly on Broad Creek. (Talbot St. at Mulberry). For more info. visit http://www.oldbrickinn.com.
22. THE CANNONBALL HOUSE – When St. Michaels was shelled by the British in a night attack in 1813, the town was “blacked out” and lanterns were hung in the trees to lead the attackers to believe the town was on a high bluff. The houses were overshot. The story is that a cannonball hit the chimney of “Cannonball House” and rolled down the stairway. This “blackout” was believed to be the first such “blackout” in the history of warfare.
23. AMELIA WELBY HOUSE – Amelia Coppuck, who became Amelia Welby, was born in this house and wrote poems that won her fame and the praise of Edgar Allan Poe.
24. ST. MICHAELS MUSEUM at ST. MARY’S SQUARE – Located in the heart of the historic district, offers a unique view of 19th century life in St. Michaels. The exhibits are housed in three period buildings and contain local furniture and artifacts donated by residents. The museum is supported entirely through community efforts. For more info. tel: 410-745-9561 or www.stmichaelsmuseum.org.
25. GRANITE LODGE #177 – Located on St. Mary’s Square, Granite Lodge was built in 1839. The building stands on the site of the first Methodist Church in St. Michaels on land donated to the Methodists by James Braddock in 1781. Between then and now, the building has served variously as a church, schoolhouse and as a storehouse for muskrat skins.
26. KEMP HOUSE – Now a country inn. A Georgian style house, constructed in 1805 by Colonel Joseph Kemp, a revolutionary soldier and hero of the War of 1812. For more info. visit http://www.oldbrickinn.com.
27. THE OLD MILL COMPLEX – The Old Mill was a functioning flour mill from the late 1800s until the 1970s, producing flour used primarily for Maryland beaten biscuits. Today it is home to a brewery, distillery, artists, furniture makers, and other unique shops and businesses.
28. CLASSIC MOTOR MUSEUM – Located at 102 E. Marengo Street, the Classic Motor Museum is a living museum of classic automobiles, motorcycles, and other forms of transportation, and providing educational resources to classic car enthusiasts. For more info. visit classicmotormuseum.org.
29. ST. MICHAELS HARBOUR INN, MARINA & SPA – Constructed in 1986 and recently renovated. For more info. visit http://www.harbourinn.com.
30. ST. MICHAELS NATURE TRAIL – The St. Michaels Nature Trail is a 1.3 mile paved walkway that winds around the western side of St. Michaels starting at a dedicated parking lot on S. Talbot St. across from the Bay Hundred swimming pool. The path cuts through the woods, San Domingo Park, over a covered bridge and past a historic cemetery before ending in Bradley Park. The trail is open all year from dawn to dusk.