Where to Stay in Talbot County: James Dawson

Where To Stay In Talbot Co., Md. - In 1926

by G. Arnold Shaw with notes by James Dawson

The following article, “Where To Stay in Talbot County” by G. Arnold Shaw, is from the rare periodical Little Journeys Through the Eastern Shore…” The Talbot County Number published in the July 1926 issue provides a great picture of the sights, sounds and accommodations available then. The details in brackets about the various boarding houses are taken from their advertisements in that same issue, and I have added more explanatory information at the end. Little Journeys

“Let us assume that you have made the wise choice of entering Talbot County by its Chesapeake Bay gateway ~ Claiborne….You may have taken the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis electric line to historic Annapolis ~ more probably you motored down. At Annapolis you may have visited the magnificent grounds and buildings of the Naval Academy, but have you seen them? No, not until you board the Governor Harrington or the Governor Ritchie

“As the steamer moves slowly out of its wharf, the whole story of the Naval Academy is unfolded before you ~ the training on land, on water and in the air of Uncle Sam’s midshipmen…

“You have always promised yourself a trip to the land of the terrapin and the canvas-back duck. Well, here you are at last at the village-port of Claiborne, named after that Virginian who caused Lord Baltimore so much trouble in the early days of the nation and the problem, perhaps settled perhaps not, is where you will stay.

“It all depends on what you want. There is the Hotel Bellefonte [Mrs.

Anne B. Card, Proprietor. 5 Minutes from the ferry to Your First Bathe in Chesapeake Bay. Bright, cheerful dining and bedrooms overlooking the Bay. Headquarters for Fishing and Hunting Parties.] one of those delightful small hotels where the personal attention of the management can be given to each and every guest. Its velvety lawns slope down to the Bay where you can enjoy your first bath in the Chesapeake, for a small charge, even if you are not a guest at the hotel. Many fishermen, enchanted with the wide expanse of water view from the bay-front rooms, make the Bellefonte their headquarters for fishing trips in Eastern Bay, the Miles River and even for Tilghman’s Island, 15 miles down the river.

“Perhaps it’s a first-class boarding-house you seek ~ Claiborne has that also. Its name is Maple Hall [Miss Julia Cockey, Proprietor. Golf Within Hearing of the Dinner-Gong. Open for the Fall and Winter DUCKING SEASON as well as Spring and

19 Goldsborough St. · 443.746.3095 www.curlicuethestore.com Claiborne Wharf

SHORELY BEAUTIFUL FLOORING

3109 Ocean Gateway Cambridge, MD. 21613 410-228-9022

FLOORING, RUGS, TILE, FABRICS, WALLPAPER, CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS

EXPERIENCE PROFESSIONAL HELP

PLEASE BE SAFE THIS SUMMER

Summer] and its friends are legion. Maple Hall or ‘Cockey’s’ as it is familiarly named has a reputation built up, as so many boarding houses have been through personal recommendations of the satisfied guests. There is a beach on the Miles River, tennis courts and even a miniature golf course for those who do not care to motor to the links of the Talbot County Club beyond Easton.

“There are those who prefer the wide waters of the Chesapeake Bay even to the majestic Miles River ~ for such, located a few miles from the ferry at McDaniel, there is Little Haven on the Bay [Mrs. P. Carroll Price, Manager. This old established boarding house, now in its 20th Season, is FOR SALE. It is located, with a magnificent view, near the Steamer landing. Those wishing to derive direct benefit from the Del-Mar-Va national advertising campaign would do well to look this property over. It contains 170 acres.] which has been conducted by the same management for 20 years. Little Haven has acres of shady lawn, home grown garden and dairy products ~ in short a most admirable place for a real rest for all families with children.

“Here one should mention that one of the chief joys of Talbot’s boarding houses is that, while they are all situated on clean salt-water, the bathing is perfectly safe even for tiny tots. A baby can frequently wade 50 feet

from the shore without getting out of its depth. Of course provision is made for more competent swimmers ~ a float is anchored in deep water. “We will begin again at the Ferry landing at Claiborne and ignoring the road to McDaniel we will keep on until we meet the sign reading to Bozman on the right of the concrete road leading to Easton and beyond. Bozman is famous for a boarding house run by Mrs. David Edmond and named Safety Beach. [As its name implies, this private boarding house is noted for the safety of its beach. It prefers to cater to those who can furnish references to other guests of the house. This advertisement is written by one who came with his family to stay 3 days, remained 5 weeks, and finally settled permanently in Old Talbot ~ there are others, and the reasons the table is unsurpassed on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is located on a broad expanse of water called Harris Creek which is nearly two miles wide from Mrs. Edmond’s lawn. The highest praise I can give this lady’s Eastern Shore cooking and delightful hospitality is that I went to spend a week-end and stayed five weeks.]

“The name of St. Michaels will intrigue many who see it for the first time. It is the second largest town in Talbot ~ Easton being the first and the County Seat. Turn off to the right just as you enter the town by

WEAVER, MAVITY, SHORT ASSOCIATES, LLC

Since 1982

A full range of tax and accounting services: · Individual and Business · Estates and Trusts · Non-Profits

Call us for a consultation today!

117 Bay Street, Suite F, Easton, MD • 410-820-8400 daley_weaver@verizon.net

Leonard’s Filling Station and a drive of two miles through gorgeous pine woods will bring you to Oakwood Park Inn, where a feature of the establishment provided is the free daily motor-trip to St. Michaels, which is nearer by water than by land. Oakwood Park Inn is on the San Domingo River while other sections of St. Michaels are located on the Miles River where the annual regatta of the Miles River Yacht Club is held annually in August.

“Continuing on the concrete road

Skipper John D. Higgins pilots the Governor Emerson C. Harrington on its last trip from Romancoke to Claiborne. This service was abandoned because of operating losses. With young Capt. Jack are his uncle Capt. Dan and his father Capt. Gardner. Another Higgins, Capt. Ned of Stevensville commanded the John M. Dennis. through St. Michaels we reach the historic village of Royal Oak, which according to the United States Health authorities is the healthiest place in the United States. Here a short distance from the highway is the Cedar Grove Summer Resort [E.P. Hall, Prop. Moderate Rates] with an open air dancing pavilion and a bathing beach on the Miles River.

“Sixteen miles over a concrete road from Claiborne we reach the Talbot County Seat of Easton and if, on entering, we have a ravenous appetite to satisfy there is no better place to lunch or dine than the Wishing Well Tea Room, [The Place To Eat! Washington and Goldsborough Streets ~ Luncheon and Dinner ~ Table D’Hote and Á La Carte Daily, 10 A.M. to 8 P.M.] situated in the old Colonial house also occupied by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club. Many tourists wishing to explore virgin territory naturally prefer to stay where information of every kind is at hand. The Hotel Queen Anne at Easton [located on East Dover St., off ered both rooms and apartments. A.H. Easter, Proprietor. “A Home Away From Home.” Famous for Eastern Shore Cooking] has recently been obliged to increase its accommodations by the addition of twenty new rooms ~ several with private baths. Easton may be made the headquarters for motor trips to the numerous Manor Houses mentioned in another article in this

issue. It is also possible to arrange for motorboat trips on the Tred-Avon, Choptank or Miles Rivers by calling at the office of the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce in the Court House, Easton.”

Afterword by James Dawson

Little Journeys Through the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia was edited by Walter C. Thurston and published monthly by the Eastern Shore Publishing Co. in Salisbury, Md., from 1926 to 1929. Price $1.50 a year or 15¢ per copy. It was 8 ½” x 11 ¾” and 28 pages long, counting the covers, and

C. ALBERT MATTHEWS

INC.

Where Integrity Meets Innovation CARRIER 360° ENERGY AUDIT WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS PLUMBING-HEATING-AIR CONDITIONING GEOTHERMAL-SOLAR-NEW INSTALLATION ELECTRICAL-REPAIR & MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY-SAFETY-COMFORT

WWW.CALBERTMATTHEWSINC.COM 410-822-0900

was fi lled with stories and poems boosting the Eastern Shore. Along with illustrations and ads that are great examples of Roaring Twenties boosterism at its fi nest, the articles spotlighted various enterprises and counties and cities.

Thurston, a Salisbury writer and poet, was also the author of The Eastern Shore in Song and Story in 1938. His 1944 obituary stated that he was the unoffi cial Poet Laureate of Salisbury.

G. Arnold Shaw, who wrote this article, was born in England and immigrated to the U.S. in 1905. He lived in New York City and moved to Baltimore in 1925. He managed a lecture circuit.

This article is taken from the July 1926 special issue of Little Journeys Through The Eastern Shore devoted to Easton and Talbot County, which featured other articles about the county: “By The Waters of Talbot” by William Draper Brinckloe, “Some Talbot Manor Houses” by Wilson M. Tyler, longtime editor and publisher of the Easton Gazette, and “Some Helpful Farm Suggestions” by E.P. Walls, M.S.

This issue also included a fullpage map of Talbot and several short unsigned articles: “Baseball in Easton” by A Fan, “Federated Women’s Clubs of Talbot County” and “Star-Democrat Is Large Factor In Growth Of Easton.”

In addition, numerous ads include this intriguing one: “CATHERINE

He o Summer!

C LEANING S ERVICE Relax while we do the cleaning!

Schedule a cleaning appointment today!

Reliable & Flexible • Locally Owned & Operated Background-Checked • FREE ESTIMATES Excellent Customer Service Gi Certificates Available 410.251.2838 | Tidewatercleaningservice.com

WILLSON/ Exponent of/ ARTISTIC DANCING/ Classes at the New Theater Ballroom/ EASTON, MD./ Private Lessons by Appointment/ St. Michaels, Md./ Telephone: St. Michaels, 5.” The mind boggles. I tried calling her number, but it doesn’t seem to be in service any longer.

Obviously, much has changed in the intervening 95 years since this article was written, including Talbot being called the land of the terrapin and canvasback, as canvasback ducks are nowhere near as common as they were in 1926.

The Baltimore and Annapolis Railway was formed in the 19th century to connect the two cities. It then became the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line in 1921, was later purchased by the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway and finally became the Baltimore and Annapolis Railway after it went bankrupt in 1935. And it was in operation until 1950.

The steamers made five round trips daily in summer and bragged on their seafood dinners. They didn’t miss a trick. You could even buy a color postcard of the ferry John M. Dennis with the message already printed on it in script, like you had written it yourself, that read:

Dear Friend:- What a pleasant surprise we had today. Instead of driving around the head of the Chesapeake Bay, we decided to use the ferry between Annapolis and the Eastern Shore, which saved us at least 100 miles.

Where to Stay when the new bridge over the Chesapeake Bay put it out of business.

These modern ferry boats, which The Baltimore, Chesapeake and are so comfortable and commodious, Atlantic R.R. conveniently went along with the beautiful scenery and from Claiborne to Easton and points salt air, certainly do make a fine east. The concrete road from the combination for an enjoyable trip. Claiborne ferry to Easton was con-

Allow yourself a little time in structed in 1921. Note that this road Annapolis where the U.S. Naval originally went through Royal Oak Academy is located. This quaint on that section of the road that is little city just basks in the sunlight of now Rt. 329, as Rt. 33 as we know it historical lore, and has the greatest had not been numbered yet. Rt. 33 is background of colonial buildings in America.

If you are ever in this vicinity, do not fail to make the trip. I know you will not be disappointed.

Sincerely, [space for your name here]

The ferry service ran until 1952,

much straighter than the old Eastonto-Claiborne road. What became the modern Rt. 33 was completed in stages, beginning in 1919 as Rt. 17 and then Rt. 451 and finally Rt. 33 in 1952. The Easton-Claiborne section was completed in 1924.

The Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry opened in 1919 and closed in 1952 when the first Bay Bridge was opened, although it had been a steamboat landing previously, just not an automobile-carrying Baycrossing ferry.

The hotels mentioned are all gone, except for one survivor. The Oakwood Inn, or The Oaks Waterfront Inn as it is now known, is still in business, although under different management. Maple Hall, conveniently located by the ferry and the terminus of the B.C. & A. railroad, was taking paying guests by 1892 and lasted until about when the Bay Bridge opened. It was torn down in 2013 after years of rather spectacular neglect. The Hotel Queen Anne opened in 1918 and was in business through WWII. The site is now the

Custom Homes, Renovations, Remodeling & Additions Quality Craftsmanship & Attention to Detail Prompt Personal Service Complete Residential Architectural Design Services MHIC Lic. #74140 · MHBR #8895 410-829-5171 · www.coastaldesignbuild.net

Thoroughgood Lane townhouse development.

Not mentioned was the Hotel Avon in Easton, which opened in 1891 and burned in 1944. It was replaced by the Tidewater Inn on the same site in 1949. Also not mentioned was the Railroad Hotel by the tracks on Goldsborough Street, which closed after the Tidewater Inn opened.

Also not mentioned was Wades Point Inn in McDaniel which opened as a summer resort in 1876 and continues today on the banks of Eastern Bay.

The others are long gone but have been replaced by many new places, so there is no lack of accommodations in Talbot County, Maryland, in 2022.

James Dawson is the owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe.

Wades Point Inn

Estate & Yacht Management Upper level estate and yacht care

307 S. Aurora St. Easton, MD 21601

Licensed and Insured Justin Greenberg

MHIC #05-148765

609-602-7523 Capt.justin@gmail.com