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In 1677 an Episcopal
Parish was established on the banks of the Miles River and named
after Saint Michael the Archangel. From its early days as a
ship-building town through its twentieth century transformation
into a tourist and sailing haven, St. Michaels and its citizens
have maintained a way of life that is renowned for its beauty,
tranquility, and craftsmanship.
The town, as surveyed in 1804, was laid out in three squares.
St. Mary’s Square today is the site of a museum that is a
must-see for any visitor interested in the history of St.
Michaels. Among the many beautiful historic homes that border
St. Mary’s Square is one of the best known structures in the
area, a private home known since the War of 1812 as The
Cannonball House:
Early on the morning of August 10, 1813,
British barges sailed up the Miles River, intending to shell the
town and its harbor fort. The citizens of St. Michaels, warned
in advance of the planned attack, had evacuated most of the
women, children, livestock, and valuable possessions to “Onion
Hill” beyond the town. Brigadier General Perry Benson,
commanding officer of the Talbot County militia, ordered
lanterns placed in treetops just outside of the town and all
lights within the town extinguished. When the British marines
aimed their cannon fire at the lights, they missed the town.
Only one dwelling was hit, the brick house near the harbor now
known as “The Cannonball House.” This successful defense caused
St. Michaels to be known thereafter as the town that fooled
the British.
The charm of St. Michaels stems from the careful restoration
and preservation endeavors of citizens who are proud of their
heritage. For the romantic, or just plain tired, there are horse
drawn carriages for hire that can retrace the steps of those
long ago soldiers and townspeople. Numerous inns, restaurants,
and shops are the outward signs of the changes in the local
economy. Shipbuilding has given way to tourism. Even though it
is still a tiny village of less than fifteen hundred citizens,
St. Michaels provides world-class accommodations and services
for the estimated 90,000 people who visit each year.
Whether you go to St. Michaels for a weekend or a lifetime,
you will find a beautiful gem that will capture your heart just
as it has countless others for more than three hundred years. A
horsedrawn sleigh was the way to get around St. Michaels in the
winters of the first decade the twentieth century. These ladies
are parked front of 202 Cherry Street, which still stands today
as the Hambleton Inn.
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