Just to the south are several isolated watermen’s communities. On the west side of the Honga River are Honga, Fishing Creek, and Hoopersville. Across the river to the east are Wingate, Bishops Head, Toddville, Crocheron, and Crapo. The villages have modest homes — sometimes with a workboat docked in front and deceased family forebears buried in the side yard.

Near these isolated towns you’ll find the vast Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, 32,000 acres and 45 square miles of water, marsh, and loblolly pines stretching to the horizon. From November through March, refuge visitors can spot thousands of Canada geese, Tundra swans, and several species of ducks. Bald eagles also abound in winter; you cannot miss them! A lucky visitor might happen on a rare Delmarva Fox squirrel (large body, small ears).

Dorchester County is where Harriet Tubman was born circa 1820 and from where she escaped enslavement in 1849. It was mostly from Dorchester County that Tubman guided 73 of her family members and friends to freedom in 13 daring rescue missions in the decade before the Civil War.



And adjacent to the Blackwater Refuge is the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and Visitor Center. After you finish here, you can begin a driving tour of the Tubman Byway, which includes 45 historically significant sites along the Underground Railroad in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. (This writer’s favorite site is the nearby Bucktown Store a few miles east of Blackwater, the very spot where Tubman was grievously injured as a teenager. It has been restored.)



Cambridge’s Gloria Richardson is another notable historic figure in Dorchester County. Richardson was the tenacious leader of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee through two years of unrelenting racial strife and violence in 1962-63. Militant to her core, Richardson said, “A first-class citizen does not beg for freedom. A first-class citizen does not plead to the white power structure to give him something that the whites have no power to give or take away. Human rights are human rights, not white rights.” A self-guided Pine Street Walking Tour is available to learn about Cambridge’s civil rights struggle.

Striking murals by local artist Michael Rosato can be found in Cambridge as well as in Hurlock, East New Market, and Vienna. They depict Tubman and Richardson, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, lesser-known locals, historic scenes, and depictions of nature. Especially dramatic is Rosato’s painting of a Great Blue heron at the J.M. Clayton Co.’s cannery in Cambridge. There is a new-in-2022 statue of Tubman in front of the county courthouse in Cambridge.

You can explore Cambridge’s lively harbor, its rebuilt riverfront and city marina with sweeping views of the lower Choptank River, and the repurposed Phillips Packing Company with its historic brick smokestacks. 

Although Cambridge is Dorchester County’s only city, the county is dotted with smaller towns, each with their own attractions. Take a stroll and meet locals in Church Creek, East New Market, Hurlock, Secretary, and Vienna.

Here are two interesting drives:

• From the Bucktown store just west of the Blackwater Refuge, drive four miles south on Bestpitch Ferry Road to arrive at — ta-da! — the one-lane, arched Bestpitch Bridge over the Transquaking River. Because you’re elevated above the river, you have long-distance views across the marshes in three directions. The Fishing Bay Water Trail for kayaks and canoes is nearby if you’re so inclined.

• From Vienna, drive 20 miles south across the marshes to Elliott Island, certainly the most remote community in Dorchester County. The mesmerizing drive across the marshes seems almost endless, with vast skyscapes in every direction. Bring your binoculars, make sure you have enough gas, and pack a meal. This is an unforgettable drive. Back Vienna, find the Mandala Pie Shop for a tasty home-made treat.



There is much more to discover in Dorchester County, but these suggestions will give you a good start for exploring this venerable and significant corner of Maryland.

For more information:

Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center:

https://visitdorchester.org/harriet-tubman-museum-educational-center/

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and Visitor Center

https://www.nps.gov/hatu/planyourvisit/index.htm

For more on Tubman’s birthplace:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/04/20/harriet-tubman-maryland-home-found/

For more on Rosato’s murals:

https://visitdorchester.org/wp-content/uploads/MuralTrali_ForWebPDF.pdf

For more on Cambridge civil rights history:

https://visitdorchester.org/wp-content/uploads/PineStWalkingTour.pdf

For more on Taylors Island:

http://www.gracefound.net/

For more on Fishing Bay Water Trail:

https://dnr.maryland.gov/boating/Documents/FB_Watertrails_2.pdf

Mandala Pies in Vienna:

https://mandalapies.com/

Dorchester County Historical Society:

https://www.dorchesterhistory.com/

Phillips Packing Company:

https://www.thepackinghousecambridge.com/

DeLorme Atlas &B Gazetteer Maryland/Delaware:

Available at independent booksellers as well as Amazon.com

As a community organizer, journalist, administrator, project planner/manager, and consultant, Gren Whitman has led neighborhood, umbrella, public interest, and political committees and groups, and worked for civil rights and anti-war organizations.