|
The 14-mile, hand-dug
Chesapeake & Delaware Canal was opened to traffic on October 17,
1829. At that time there were three buildings on the south bank
at the western end of the canal. As the ship traffic through the
canal increased, the little cluster of buildings grew into a
busy commercial community providing goods and services to
passengers and shippers. In 1839, the place was named Chesapeake
City. By 1849 the town, now extending over to the north bank,
was well established and at its population peak. For the next 75
years, Chesapeake City prospered.
In 1927, the C&D Canal was dredged to a sea-level waterway,
eliminating the need for ships to stop for the locks at
Chesapeake City. The town’s economic base quickly declined.
Commerce was further complicated in 1942 when a ship destroyed
the bridge that connected the two sides of the town, leaving
residents and travelers for seven years with only a ferry as a
means to cross the canal. The opening of a new high-level bridge
in 1949 did nothing to restore the town’s economy—travelers
swept by high above the town. Another blow struck the town in
the 1960s when an entire street of 39 homes was razed to make
way for a widening of the canal, which by then was the third
busiest in the world.
Today, Chesapeake City is the only town in Maryland that is
situated on a working commercial canal. Most of its interesting
19th-century architecture remains intact, and the area that
encompasses it on the south bank has been placed on the National
Register of Historic Places. At the city dock, pleasure boaters
find a tranquil harbor off the busy Inter-Coastal Waterway, of
which the canal is a major element. From the basin, visitors can
walk easily into town or tour the Canal Museum, where the story
of the canal is told and the massive waterwheel and steam
engines that filled the locks stand in mute testimony. Outside
is a replica of the lighthouses that lined the canal in days
gone by.
Chesapeake City now is a destination widely known for its
unique inland view of ocean-going vessels, for the proudly
preserved and displayed reminders of its history, and for its
friendly hospitality. Travelers discover fine dining,
picturesque stores, outdoor concerts, seasonal events, and
outstanding bed & breakfasts. From its origin as a rough and
rowdy boom town, through an era of dispiriting depression,
Chesapeake City has emerged as a charming and interesting place
with a warm welcome for its visitors.
|
