Up the Bay to Cambridge, MD

Cruising up the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday was beautiful.  The sky was blue with barely a cloud and the winds were calm.  We saw many crab boats out working and two of the unique old lights along the “Bay”. 

Crabbers crabbing

One of several Chesapeake Lights

There were also several large ships we passed along the way to Cambridge.  Here is one I caught in front of the Calvert Cliffs near Solomon’s, MD.  The cliffs are well known for their fossils that can be found, especially after a storm that erodes them from the soil of the cliffs.  Very large megalodon teeth (ancient shark teeth) are often found here.

Ship with Calvert Cliffs in backround

 

Closer view of Calvert Cliffs

One of several large ships we passed during our cruise on Wednesday

Could this be the Scot Mackey Line?

We arrived in Cambridge around 1:00 PM.  Cambridge is one of the oldest cities in Maryland.  It was laid out in 1684 and throughout the years has been a sea port, major packing and canning center, and vacation destination.  At the height of its industrial boom around 1900, Cambridge was the largest community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with more than 5,700 residents.  Although a bit quieter now, it still has much to offer a visiting cruiser.

After giving Southern Style a much-needed wash and shammy, Captain Keith and I headed to J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. to purchase some crab.  This is the world’s oldest crab factory and has been run by the same family since 1890.  Right after WW II Clayton’s was operating at full capacity with 125 crab pickers, 95 oyster shuckers, and a support crew of an additional 30.  Today the crab is still picked by hand.  We snagged 2 pounds of their JUMBO Lump crab.  I hope to make crab cakes and crab cocktail.  (OMG).

J.M. Clayton Seafood-follow the arrow to crab

Pengi with our crab tubs

After returning with our crab, we went into the Choptank River Lighthouse.  The Choptank River Light Station was established in 1871, but an ice flow in 1912 destroyed the first structure.  Over the years, the lighthouse was reconfigured 3 times.  Eventually it was replaced with a small automated flashing light at the river’s entrance.  The Choptank River Lighthouse in the Cambridge Marina is a replica of the first Lighthouse, utilizing the original plans made available by the National Archives.  It is a six-sided, screw-pile lighthouse.  It stands on piles that are screwed into the muddy river bottom.

Choptank River Lighthouse

Choptank River Lighthouse at dusk

To end the day, we went to Rock Lobstah for dinner.  Lobster rolls and a shrimp, mussel, and clam steam-pot.  Although the deserts sounded wonderful, we showed a little restraint and passed.  There has been and will be plenty of splurging during this year.

Lobster rolls (with a side of potato salad) and steam pot

Thursday morning Captain Keith left Southern Style early to play golf at the River Marsh Golf Club located nearby at the Hyatt Resort.  I went walking through town.  Cambridge has a very nicely done self-guided walking tour with a pamphlet to help you enjoy the history of the town.  Below are some of the highlights.  Skip ahead if this stuff bores you, I am all into this type of thing.

Josiah Bayly Law Office

Built in 1800, this law office was built on Josiah Bayly’s property but separate from the family home.  It was a requirement back then that the law office was not part of the main home.  Esq. Bayly dealt with several high-profile cases during his practice in the early and mid-1800s.  One such case was the marriage annulment of Betty Patterson from the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, Jerome.

Christ Church and Cemetery

Graveyard of Christ Church

The Episcopal parish in Cambridge dates back to 1692 and the area around the current church was used since then for burials.  Some of those early graves were unmarked and the current building is likely to have several bodies interred under the foundation.  The building you see today was completed in 1883 and has a Tiffany alter window.  Five Governors of Maryland have been members of the church and 4 are buried in its cemetery. 

Dorchester County Courthouse

The building dates back to 1854, replacing a previous building reportedly destroyed by arson.  Harriet Tubman’s niece and her two children made a daring escape to freedom from the auction block here in 1850, reaching freedom in Philadelphia.  This is also where Samuel Green, a free black preacher, was tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison for owning a copy of the anti-slavery booklet Uncle Tom’s Cabin.   The bell on the courthouse front lawn was cast in 1772 and hung in a Mexican monastery.  It was brought to the US in 1846 during the Mexican War.  It served as the fire alarm in Cambridge for years.

Dorchester National Bank Building

This building was originally built as a single-story structure in 1889 for the Dorchester National Bank.  The bank’s first president was former Governor Henry Lloyd.  A second story was added in 1908.  The building is said to be haunted by the ghost of George Woolford, a prominent Cambridge oyster packer of the early 1900s.  He died in October 1929, the same time as the Wall Street Crash.  They say he hanged himself from the rafters in the bank’s attic.  Unexplained noises and movements have been reported in the building to this day. (cue spooky music)

I also found this cool mural on the side of a building in downtown Cambridge

After all my exploring, I headed to Simmon's Center Market for some supplies (most notably Saltines) for our home-made crab cakes with the crab we purchased yesterday.  Also lucked out and they had fresh local strawberries (desert).  I had my trusty boat bike with basket and saddlebags and no flat like Captain Keith.  So transport of my goodies was easy.

Before loading up groceries

Jimmy and Elizabeth Simmons opened Simmon’s Center Market in 1937.  They brought self-service shopping to the Eastern Shore.  The store is still owned and run by family members and is a great spot for produce and meats.  They have also expanded to have a garden center attached to the original building.

Cambridge is also the birthplace of Harriet Tubman.  Born into slavery on a farm near Cambridge in 1822, she escaped to freedom in 1849.  She then returned to the area 13 times to lead friends and family through a network of secret houses, sites, and people she organized, the Underground Railroad.  Harriet later served as a civil war spy and nurse, a suffragist, and humanitarian.  There is a small museum in downtown devoted to Harriet Tubman and her story.  Recently a new and much larger center opened about 20 minutes from town with more exhibits etc.