Land Along the Nanticoke
For more than 300 years, from the early 1600s through the mid-1900s, this part of the Chesapeake basin changed slowly and clung stubbornly to the way of life shaped largely by the character of the land and the water. Even today, the Nanticoke River has been described – proudly by those who live here – as largely untouched from the time when it was explored by John Smith in 1608, and properly is part of the National John Smith Water Trail.
This website is an introduction to some of the rich heritage of this area – especially the eastern bank of the Nanticoke River.  Most of that is now the western part of Wicomico County, though the upper reaches of the River stretch far up into Delaware.  In the Wicomico County portion visitors can explore a number of beautiful villages towns --  Mardela Springs, Athol, Riverton, San Domingo, Sharptown, Hebron, Quantico, Bivalve, Wetipquin, and Nanticoke. Here we present some of those  sites, towns, buildings, and traditions that will help you discover that heritage.

 Barren Creek Country
We start with the northwestern corner of Wicomico County known for more than 200 years as Barren Creek District.  Named for the long meandering stream feeding into the Nanticoke, on its banks sits Mardela Springs, the western “gateway” to the lower Delmarva peninsula. And, since Westside Historical Society is based here, we begin in this town which began in the latter 1700s as Barren Creek Springs, sometimes spelled “Barron”  Creek.  The first few settlers in the mid-1600s became the ancestors of many current residents.  In the 17th century English, Welsh, Irish, and Scot newcomers often came as traders, dealing with the local Indians for furs. Small farmers soon followed, growing tobacco for export and grains, vegetables, and fruits for home consumption. In the early 1700s the town was named an official export site and a warehouse was built on the banks of the Creek; local “planters” [of tobacco] brought their crop there to await ocean-going sailing ships.
The Puckamees, were part of the larger Native-American Nanticoke “empire.” Their villages along the River and Creek continue to yield evidence of their presence. When John Smith sailed up the River in 1608 it was almost surely a band of Puckamees who attacked him from the mouth of Barren Creek. For the most part they were peaceful neighbors of the European families who continued to come and settle land with access to the waterways. They were hunters, fishermen, and trappers chiefly, living in “long houses” and making arrow shafts from the reeds of the marshes. For a brief period in the late 1600s the colonial Maryland Assembly attempted to confine them to a reservation stretching roughly from the mouth of Barren Creek north to the present village of Riverton, but by that time their numbers were decreasing as many chose to move into Delaware or north. Many eventually reached Canada and some even joined the mid-West Plains tribes. By the mid-1700s very few were left, but their names and even some of their skills live on.
The village that started as Barren Creek Springs was so named because of the many mineral-rich springs in the area. Reportedly valued by the Indians for its health-giving properties, the white settlers quickly began drinking from them as well.
There were other reasons for a village to grow there.  The tobacco warehouse became a center of some commerce; a ferry across the creek near the high ground on which the warehouse sat encouraged early trade. The Creek itself, like so many other creeks emptying into the River was a source of commerce. When dammed, the potential power created for grist mills and saw mills was impressive. At one time, as many as twelve such water-powered mills worked on the banks of Barren Creek, and more on other creeks. As local farmers turned more to grain – corn, rye, wheat, some buckwheat and oats – from the unstable tobacco market, the miller became more and more important in the local economy. The dams themselves became another factor in the town’s growth.  Colonial laws required dams be wide enough to serve as roadways, and as highways became more important as post roads and other land links, a crude highway system evolved. The village at Barren Creek Springs had the good fortune to be at the spot where the main road from the north turned south and southeast to lead to the Somerset County seat of Princess Anne, and at the point where fresh horses and an inn were needed for the weary traveler. Hence, a Hotel was built in the village about the time of the Revolutionary War, and only yards away from one of the biggest springs.

From the 1682 gift to William Penn of the land on the west bank of the Delaware River (along with Pennsylvania) an ongoing dispute between Penn and the Calverts, proprietors of Maryland, had simmered. Finally, in the 1750s an attempt was made to survey the boundary line between Penn’s southern Delaware land and Maryland. This Trans-Peninsular Line failed to satisfy all parties and in 1765 another survey team sent by the Crown, Mason and Dixon, came to settle the issue. The physical evidence of the work of both surveys is still visible; the Cornerstone [southwest corner of Delaware] and many line markers remain.
In 1893 the village of Barren Creek Springs changed its name to Mardela Springs. The change was mostly economically motivated.  The railroad had arrived in town in 1890 and several businessmen saw the chance to expand the market for the town’s bottled mineral water. But fearing city consumers would shy away from “Creek Water” they suggested changing the town’s name to the new combination of Maryland and Delaware – Mardela – Springs.  Many residents objected but were outvoted and the town has been Mardela Springs ever since.

Visitors to the town today will find several sites that are part of the town’s heritage. One of these is

Barren Creek Springs Presbyterian Church,

built in 1842 and now maintained as an historic site by Westside Historical Society.
In 1834 Joshua Brattan, prominent farmer and landowner of Barren Creek Springs gave an acre of land, for "the love of literature and Religion," to a board of ten Presbyterian trustees to establish a school, cemetery, and church "on the county road between Barren Creek Mills and the Springs." In 1842 the congregation built a church building which also housed the town's only school.
 Although built by Presbyterians in 1842, since then it has been used also by Episcopalians, Methodists, and Baptists. By ca. 1860 Presbyterian  membership in Barren Creek Springs Church had dropped to ten and in 1887 the congregation dissolved. Over the next six decades various groups and congregations - even the Boy Scouts -- used the building. The Presbytery sold the building to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gunby, who in 1988  donated the church building to the Westside Historical Society Inc. The next year the task of restoration was begun. Through the hard work of its members and the generosity of friends and supporters the work largely was completed in 1997.
Today, most of the windows and all of the pews are original, as is the plain wood flooring, hanging oil lamp chandeliers and tall pulpit lamps.  A pump organ, antique chairs, tables, and liturgical accessories also have been donated to take their place alongside the original furnishings. In 1985 the American Presbyterian Church named the building Site #4248 on the American Presbyterian Reformed Historic Sites Registry. It continues to remind all who visit of the history of this special place.
In 2005 a local preservationist donated an original "Mason - Dixon" marker stone to be placed on the grounds of the Church. The stone is marked with an M on one side and a P on the other, for Maryland and Pennsylvania, which in 1765 included the three lower counties of Delaware.

The Barren Creek Springhouse…
Near the entrance to the restored Barren Creek Springs Presbyterian Church is the historic Spring House, donated to Westside Historical Society, Inc. in 2002. The springhouse was on the property of the original Barren Creek Springs Hotel, a haven for travelers from the 1770s until it burned in 1913.
From the 1830s through the early 1900s the spring was an especially popular feature among hotel patrons who came from the upper Eastern Shore, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk to take the health-giving waters. About 1860 a wooden octagonal structure, twelve feet across, ornamented with "Victorian gingerbread" at the eaves and around the base, was built.  It had a brick floor and benches around the inside low walls. An artesian well was dug in the center of the springhouse to tap into the spring, and a runoff pipe fed a small cistern. Visitors could sit in the Victorian structure and soak their feet and drink from the constantly-running spring.
Edward Austin, an enterprising citizen, in the 1890s built a small structure beside the Springhouse in which they bottled the water and then shipped cases of it by rail throughout the mid-Atlantic region. After the old hotel burned in 1913 Austin's son built a new building on the site, operated it as a bed-and-breakfast, and continued to ship the water. But the Great Depression hit hard and tourism, as well as the bottled water business, soon came to an end. In 1946 the entire property was sold and the new owner made extensive repairs to the house and spring house. Most visible was the application of a brick veneer to both buildings, so that today the spring house has no vestige of its original Victorian appearance. He also created a separate deed for the spring house and property on which it sat, and tore down the remains of the bottling plant. Later, the properties passed to his relative who wished that the Springhouse be preserved as an important piece of the history of this area. Accordingly, they made the donation to Westside Historical Society in spring 2002, and it was dedicated on July 15, 2002. Today, the spring still runs, but the water is not potable. A brief rest in the coolness of the Springhouse harkens back to a quieter, less hectic lifestyle.

Barren Creek Heritage Center and Museum...

where more than thirty permanent exhibits tell the story of the Barren Creek area & the town of Mardela Springs from 1660s to ca. 1950, highlighting specific aspects of life in the local area.
Visitors will see exhibits honoring the Indians, white planters, indentures servants and slaves who were the area’s founders, brave and daring ancestors who created a life along the banks of the Nanticoke River and the creeks feeding into it. Their story unfolds in pictures, maps, and bits and pieces of our tangible past.
One gallery focuses on economic history and transformation, while others reflect on the culture and social change. Another is devoted to remembering the area’s veterans of wars from the Revolution through the present Mid-Eastern wars. The art and craft of local women seamstresses is coupled with local artifacts recalling the hard work and skill of producing household textiles and clothing.

In other rooms in the Museum are exhibits reflecting other facets of life in this lower Eastern Shore. Granny's Kitchen of the early 1900s is portrayed, complete with cook stove, hand pump, and kitchen accessories.  The Evans Parlor includes a Civil War era grand box piano, an old phonograph, stereoscope, and kerosene lights. The area's love of baseball is depicted in a room dedicated to Sports and Leisure from the early 1900s; the early settlers' spirituality is highlighted; as is the development and growth of the town's Banking business.

Also in Barren Creek Country

Double Mills Grist Mill  owned by Double Mills Inc., a group of local residents intent on restoring this last surviving water-powered, turbine driven mill.  The first mill on the site, on the north bank of Barren Creek, was built in the 1700s. Through various stages of restoration, improvement, and additions it operated continuously until a major storm in 1979 tore out the dam and much of the race way. Today efforts are underway to restore it to an educational heritage site, recalling the importance of milling – the first industry in the area – and the social hub of a rural community.  The mill and general store, a part of the site from the late 1800s, are open to visitors by contacting Double Mills Inc.

Adkins Historical Complex and Museum also in Mardela Springs is a collection of nine buildings owned and operated by the non-profit incorporation of the same name. Several buildings have been moved on to the site, including an early 19th century farm house, a one-room school, and a general store which originally was in the town. Also on the site is the town’s early 20th century Lodge Hall, a livery stable, two sheds now converted to exhibit space, and a building which served as a cannery at one time and now houses exhibits about the town’s early commercial life. An early 1900s Victorian style home has recently been renovated and also is open to visitors. The  Complex is open by appointment. 

The Rosenwald School and the village of San Domingo is significant in many ways. The village was settled by free blacks in the very early years of the 1800s and at one time was home to more than 300 residents. While slavery existed in this area from the 17th century, it was never as extensive as in the more southern parts of Somerset County.  Here, free black families lived amid white farmers, both slaverowners and not, worked and traded with them, and lived without any hostility. After the Civil War, these families continued to live here and prosper.
In the early 1900s a new school was built in the community through the efforts of the Rosenwald Foundation, established by Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck Co. in order to increase the number of schools in the more disadvantaged parts of the nation. This school in San Domingo [also called Santo Domingo] is being restored as an important part of the community’s history, led by the John Quinton Foundation.

One result of the new state Constitution adopted for Maryland after the Civil War was a redistricting of several parts of the Eastern Shore and the creation of a new county. The Nanticoke watershed area always had been part of Somerset County, but in 1867 the northern part of both Somerset and Worcester Counties was formed into Wicomico County, and the northern part of Barren Creek District was carved out to become Sharptown District. The Sharptown Historical Museum is in the town of Sharptown, a community that grew from a river crossing settlement in the late 1700s, centered around what was then Twiford’s Wharf.  In the early 1800s it had become a small farming/commercial village and was the site of the first ferry crossing across the Nanticoke River north of Vienna. The river was for much of its history the key to its development.  Shipbuilding began there by the time of the Civil War and continued until World War II. Fishing, canneries, and basket factories producing for the many farms around the town, led to a thriving town by the late 19th century.  While its bustling economic heyday has passed its past is recalled in the exhibits in its Museum.  On the riverbank is a beautiful small park and boat slip, Cherry Beach, that visitors will find most appealing.

Just east of Mardela Springs is the growing community of Hebron, a town created by the coming of the railroad in 1890.  Its name was chosen by the President of the railroad company, and around the station a thriving town grew through the early 1900s. A cannery, basket factories, flour mill, sewing factories, stores, and bank attracted scores of families. Churches and a school were built and a volunteer fire company. Today the fire fighting history is told in the Hebron Fire Saving Museum, open by appointment. In 1928 local businessmen were successful in bringing the first airport to the Delmarva peninsula.  Hebron has one of the last two remaining annual Carnivals on the Eastern Shore,  both chief fundraisers for the Hebron and Sharptown Volunteer Fire Companies. The town is attempting to restore the original train station as a small town museum.

Moving south along the Nanticoke one crosses Rewastico Creek into Quantico district
and the town of Quantico.  . Today’s Methodist Church , built in the 1800s, harkens to its 18th century beginning ad a center of the grown of Methodism locally.  A Post Office was first established in the town in 1808. This village, like so many others in the watershed, once were busy commercial centers for the surrounding farm country. Quantico also was the site of a grist and saw mill, was home to the area’s only tannery and, in the Civil War era, boasted the  world’s “largest annual goose auction.”  The Quantico Hotel was, for decades, home to the County’s political party caucuses and terrapin dinners. The Southern sentiment around the town merited the U. S. government stationing Union troops there during the Civil War. Wetipquin  on the southern edge of Quantico Districty was home to two of the oldest homes in the County – Long Green built by James Dashiell and New Nithsdale built by Capt. Levin Gale, both in the 1600s.

Tyaskin, Nanticoke, and Bivalve all are in the southernmost district in the watershed – Nanticoke District. All grew largely because of their close association with the river and creeks. During the Revolutionary War many of the residents were loyalists, in opposition to pro-revolutionary neighbors. During the War of 1812 the Salisbury Battalion of the U.S. forces was stationed at Nanticoke Point to protect the locals from the invading British fleet.  From the 1840s steamboats from Baltimore put in to both Nanticoke and Tyaskin, the last stopping in the 1920s. The lovely Episcopal St. Mary’s Chapel at Tyaskin was built by local shipbuilders, as the ceiling – looking like an inverted keel – reveals. All these “river communities” were home to oystermen, crabbers, fishermen, and boatbuilders. Early on in the 1800s Nanticoke also was the site of seafood processors, lasting until the late 1900s. For several years the beach at Nanticoke was a popular local resort, but its popularity waned by the early 20th century. Bivalve began as Waltersville, but in 1887 local residents decided to honor the oysters so vital to the town’s prosperity and renamed the town for the mollusk.

Whitehaven is actually on the banks of the Wicomico River but only a few miles from Nanticoke Point, and is on the County’s west side, even though it is not in the Nanticoke watershed. This is one of the older settlements in the County, known today as having the oldest continuously running ferries in the nation – since 1688. Originally hand-pulled, today a motor powers the cable-guided raft type ferry across the river to Somerset County. The Hotel on the river shore was built in the 1800s when the town was a busy port, ferry crossing, and commercial center. Now restored as a B&B, Whitehaven Hotel offers visitors a serene glimpse into the Shore’s past.

Major changes came to the Westside in the mid-1900s. World War One and World War Two  carried its young men to far away places in this country and overseas, where they were introduced to a new world in more ways than one. The introduction of the automobile meant country folk could quickly and easily travel to the growing town of Salisbury, becoming the commercial hub of the peninsula, and the construction of a major highway, U.S. Route 50, along with a bridge over Chesapeake Bay, made it easy for other travelers bound for the ocean resorts to bypass Westside towns and sites. Many local stores went out of business. The railroad ceased to run locally. Farmers carried their crops to metropolitan markets by trucks.  By the 1960s the area suddenly had regressed, to become once again a small quiet place.  But for today’s visitor, wishing to re-discover the slower pace, the quaint traditions, the friendly people, and the true experience of our area’s past – come to the Westside!

Be sure to check out the two important heritage “bookends” for the Westside – the town of Vienna on the Nanticoke’s western shore and Pemberton Hall Foundation to the east, just a few miles outside of Salisbury.