Downtown Cambridge Walking Tour
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Downtown Cambridge PHOTO BY JILL JASUTA Walking Tour The interesting stories and people behind the buildings COURTESYCOURTESY HUBERT HUBERT H. H. WRIGHT WRIGHT IV IV Downtown Cambridge’s Race Street in 1934. COURTESY HUBERT H. WRIGHT IV Welcome to Cambridge Cambridge is among the oldest cities in Maryland, downtown Cambridge was the place to be—both laid out in 1684. Throughout the years, it’s served as on Race Street and Pine Street and surrounding streets. a seaport, a major packing and canning center, and Especially on a Saturday night, when the sidewalks a vacation destination. At the height of its industrial were thronged with shoppers eager to find a new boom around 1900, it was the largest community dress or suit at one of the department stores, pick up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with more than 5,700 farming supplies, enjoy bowling or dancing, or indulge residents. Through the first half of the 20th century, in a milkshake. While much has changed, a good number of downtown buildings remain from the late 1800s and early 1900s—and the people and stories of the past live on. This small downtown makes for a THANK YOU: Resources used in the creation of this pleasant stroll, so use this brochure to walk through brochure include the Maryland Historical Trust and the books Images of America: Cambridge (by Gloria Johnson-Mansfield history, then sample the thriving dining scene, browse and A.M. Foley) and Cambridge Past & Present (by Donald L. the art galleries and shops, and explore the museums. Reid, Roger Guy Webster, and Hubert H. Wright IV.) COVER PHOTO: JILL JASUTA; INSET PHOTO: HUBERT WRIGHT IV PAGE 3 At Great Marsh Park GLENBURN AVE yz OAKLEY ST BELVEDERE AVE WILLIS ST Walking WESTTour END AVE Map CHOPTANK AVE WATER ST SCHOOL ST Choptank River Long Lighthouse Wharf TRAVERS ST Park P CHOPTANK RIVER WILLIAMS ST COMMERCE ST CAMBRIDGE CREEK Sen. Frederick C. Malkus Jr. Memorial Bridge LOCUST ST Waterfront Walk GLASGO CHUR BAY MILL ST 1 28 CH ST BRIDGE 3 HIGH2 ST W ST 4 7 Bill Burton Fishing Pier 8 5 State Park BYRN ST P 9 6 14 10 P TO ROUTE 50 HAYWARD ST GAY ST MUSE ST 11 12 MARKET ST 13 26 27 TRENTON ST FRANKLIN ST POPLAR ST POPLAR MARYLAND AVE 15 16 P AURORA ST 25 17 18 P P HENRY ST 19 DORCHESTER AVE ROSE HILL PL 20 P CADEMY ST A HIGH ST RAMBLER RD 21 22 MUIR ST KILLARNEY RD CE ST P LECOMPTE ST HIAWATHA RD ABACCO LN RA GREENWAY DR = PARKING P LAGRANGE AVE 23 CEMETERY AVE 24 PAGE 5 z PINE ST ROSLYN AVE TALISMAN LN CEDAR ST 341 CRUSADER RD CEDAR ST KEY CE ST Visitor Information P Free Parking RA METEOR AVE WASHINGTON ST To Cambridge hotels Lodging Historic District and resorts Restaurant y Public Boat Ramp Shopping z Kayak Launch ROBBINS ST Art Gallery/Studio Nature Area WASHINGTON ST AVE DORCHESTER BOUNDARY AVE BLACKWATER REFUGE OCEAN GTWY (ROUTE 50) PINE ST and ROUTE 16 Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden WOODS RD OCEAN STONE BOUNDARY RD CITY GOODWILL AVE 341 CHESAPEAKE DR SIDELIGHT 1 Josiah Bayly’s Law Office Up in arms over the end of a jail 211 High Street It’s not uncommon for a What looks like a tiny cottage community to protest the is actually Cambridge’s earliest construction of a jail. But in surviving office building, built the 1990s, the Cambridge in 1800. Back then, lawyers community was against the weren’t allowed to practice law demolition of a jail. The Old from their homes, so Josiah Bayly built this structure County Jail was a Victorian on his property. He dealt with some high-profile cases: stone structure designed by In the 1820s, he was defense attorney for the infamous Baltimore architect Charles L. Patty Cannon, who was involved in stealing and Carson and built in 1882. When it opened, some selling slaves and charged with several murders. criticized the local government for providing too He represented Betty Patterson in the annulment comfortable a spot for lawbreakers. The building of her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother was listed on the National Register of Historic Places Jerome. Bayly also served as attorney general for in 1982. After a long and unsuccessful fight by the State of Maryland. preservationists, the “stone castle” was demolished in 1994 to make way for an expansion of Dorchester’s 2 Dorchester County County Circuit Courthouse at 206 High Street. Courthouse 206 High Street This place of justice has seen its share of 3 Christ Church & Cemetery action. The building 601 Church Street dates to 1854, replacing an earlier This Episcopal parish dates courthouse thought back to 1692; the structure to be destroyed by itself was completed in arson. Harriet 1883. The altar window is a Tubman’s niece Tiffany window. In the early Kessiah and her days, services were held two children made a daring escape from the slavery in the courthouse before a auction block here in 1850 and ended up reaching church was built in freedom in Philadelphia. This courthouse is also where Cambridge. The area Samuel Green, a free black preacher from East New around the church had Market, was tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison been used for burials in for owning a copy of the anti-slavery booklet Uncle unmarked graves, so there Tom’s Cabin. A century later, the building was are likely bodies interred damaged by a bomb during the trial of H. Rap Brown, under the existing building. who had been indicted on arson and inciting to riot Five governors of Maryland were communicants of the charges during racial violence in Cambridge in the church; four of them are buried in the cemetery and 1960s. The bell on the courthouse’s front lawn was a monument stands to the fifth; the graves of Revo- cast in 1772 and hung in a Mexican monastery. lutionary War patriots are here as well. The graves It was brought to the United States during the with the earliest dates, Magdalen Stevens (1678) and Mexican War in 1846. In Cambridge, it served as a William Stevens (1684) were moved here from a farm fire alarm for years, hanging at the former jail building in 1940 and have since been moved into the south on Locust Street. transept of the church for safekeeping. PAGE 6 PAGE 7 4 Dixon Block 6 Fletcher Mansion 303-309 High Street 308 High Street Colonel W. Lee Dixon Completed in 1888 owned this two-story as a private home, brick structure built in this building is said to the late 1800s. A be one of the finest contractor and Queen Anne-style entrepreneur, Dixon houses in Cambridge. was the namesake of Now a funeral home, the Dixon Hotel, which it was built by William once stood across the Fletcher, who was street. He was also well known as a responsible for the construction of several other watchmaker, jewelry, buildings in town. In the early 1900s, this building land speculator, and housed a bicycle shop, undertaker, cigar store and developer. The construction of an expensive brick pool room. In more recent times, it’s been home to the home at that time attracted attention in the local High Spot, a popular restaurant. After the restaurant papers, with stories highlighting its architectural was closed for decades, another version of the High details. Although the building was scorched in the Spot, this time a gastropub, opened its doors. devastating July 1892 fire, it survived thanks to its masonry walls and slate roof. 5 Dixon Hotel/1880 Bank 7 304 High Street Democrat & News Building The corner of High and 313 High Street Spring Streets was once This was the first the site of the Dixon structure to be Hotel, one of the city’s completed on High largest buildings with Street after the 1892 five stories, wide por- fire. It was designed ticos, and a large two- and built by local story porch. The hotel architect J. Benja- was completed in min Brown in record 1902 at a time when time—the fire Cambridge was happened on July reaching the pinnacle of 31, and the building its industrial success. It was known as the finest was complete in hotel on Delmarva. Maryland Governor Emerson C. October. Owned by Harrington had an office in the hotel in the early the Democrat and 1900s, while legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley News until 1965, and her husband ate their meals here during the it was especially construction of their house a few miles away. The main designed for the character in John Barth’s novel The Floating Opera newspaper printing COURTESY HUBERT H. WRIGHT IV lived in the hotel. The hotel later fell on hard times business. The building and was eventually demolished to make way for a was later owned by the Orem family for more parking lot and drive-through for the bank next door. than 50 years. That bank, formerly known as the National Bank of Cambridge and now 1880 Bank, was built after the fire of 1892. The bank was the only one on the Eastern Shore to do business as usual throughout the Great Depression. PAGE 8 PAGE 9 8 9 Nathan’s Furniture Dorchester National 317-321 High Street Bank Building Meyer Nathan started 401 High Street out as an itinerant This building was peddler in the late originally built as a 1800s, going door to single-story structure door selling little in 1889 for the necessities from his Dorchester National backpack.