Modest Victorian homes still line Talbot Street in historic St. Michaels
Before St. Michaels evolved into the quaint, little tourist town it is today, it was a deep-water port situated close to the Miles River and the Chesapeake Bay where shipbuilding was the main trade. “This town was rowdy with sailors and shipbuilders and lots of taverns in its early history,” says Beth Hanson, curator of the Historical Society of Talbot County.
Though sail making continued, by the late 1800s, most residents of the town worked in fishery either tonging oysters or working in shucking houses. It was a workers’ town with a lot of little cottages. “During 1870s to 1900s, the Victorian styles were on a very small scale. You didn’t see a lot of large homes, which is one of the charms of the town today,” says Talbot County architect Pamela Heyne, AIA of Architecture & Interiors. “The architectural structures are on a very human scale with narrow streets and a fantastic amount of carvings.”
In 1869, the introduction of the railroad had an enormous effect on the town. “The railroad was a real boon for the area and the population grew by 50 percent,” says Hanson. “Many of the Victorian homes in town were built during this time period,” she continues.
By the 1920s, the atmosphere of St. Michaels began to change–the Miles River Yacht Club and various waterfront seafood restaurants began to lure tourists to the area. “During this time period, people were buying vacation homes in St. Michaels and sailing around on pleasure boats,” says Hanson.
Although St. Michaels’ tourist industry began with steamboats bringing excursionists from Baltimore and with guest cottages opening for weeklong rentals in the 1880s, tourism wasn’t a major part of the town’s economy until the 1970s. The catalyst for the added interest in the town began with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1965 as well as tour boats and waterfront restaurants.
Some notable past and present residents of St. Michaels include former Vice President Dick Cheney, who owns a home there; former major league baseball franchise owner Bill Veeck, who retired there; and Frederick Douglass, who lived part of his life as a slave at the Mount Misery farm in St. Michaels. Today there are a little more than 1,055 people who reside in this picturesque town filled with history. Main Street is lined with unique shops, restaurants, and hotels, which make St. Michaels a great escape for vacationers and tourists alike.
Jennifer K. Dansicker is the Special Projects Editor of Chesapeake Home + Living.
Contacts:
Architecture & Interiors: pamelaheyne.com or 410-745-6166
Historical Society of Talbot County: hstc.org or 410-822-0773
PRICE COMPARISON OF ST. MICHAELS PROPERTIES
This 1825 Federal style home has five bedrooms, two full and one half baths, a total square footage of 2,256, and is situated on 71.5 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $2,250,000. Listing Agent: Tom Crouch/Benson & Mangold, LLC. (410-745-0720)*
This 1880 Colonial Revival has five bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a total square footage of 4,070, and is situated on .28 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $1,300,000. Listing Agent: Elizabeth Y. Foulds/Long and Foster (410-924-1959)*
This 2002 Colonial Revival has five bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a total square footage of 4,120 and is situated on 1.17 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $695,000. Listing Agent: Dale Hanlon/ Benson & Mangold, LLC. (410-310-1506)*
*The status of all listings was current at the time of printing.
