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St. Michaels is a collage of handsome churches, manicured colonial,
federal and Victorian homes, historic heritage, diverse artistic
talents and pleasant southern culture. It is also the proud cradle
and repository of the Chesapeake's maritime history.
 It is a peaceful place which wakes each morning to glorious views
and closes each night in candlelit elegance. It's a town in constant
contrast, from horse-and-buggy, steamboats, watermen's deadrises,
century-old log canoes and ancient buggies to ATM's, the Internet,
luxury Town Cars and fancy cabin cruisers.
It's a shopping mecca with an incredible array of fashionable
clothing, antique and artisan shops to suit any ardent collector.
It's a galaxy of specialty food shops (including candy and ice
cream) and superb nationally-renowned restaurants destined to
delight even the most demanding gourmet. Of course, succulent
Chesapeake seafood, fresh from our harbors, is the specialty.
The Town That Fooled The British
In the dark morning hours of August 10, 1813, a number of British
barges had planned an attack on the town and a fort on the harbor
side. The residents of tiny St. Michaels, forewarned, hoisted
lanterns to the masts of ships and in the tops of the trees,
tricking the British by causing the cannons to overshoot the town.
This first "blackout" was effective and only one house was struck.
Now known as "The Cannonball House" a cannon ball penetrated the
roof and rolled down the staircase as Mrs. Merchant carried her
infant daughter downstairs. The house still exists as a private
residence.
St. Michaels derived its name from the Episcopal Parish established
here in 1677. The church attracted settlers who engaged in tobacco
growing and ship building.
In 1805, an area was set aside for a public market known as "St.
Mary's Square". Here stands a bell cast in 1841 which rang at 7a.m.,
noon and 5p.m. to measure the workday for the ship's carpenters in
the nearby harbor and the remains of a cannon used in the defense of
the town during the War of 1812. |
