Local Westside Historic Places to Visit

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Barren Creek Springs Church is available for group tours throughout the year on a prearranged basis. Please contact Wicomico Historical Society to make arrangements.

Schedule a Tour 

410-726-8047

Call to Schedule as a Wedding Venue 

• 3 Day Rental Available
•  Reasonable prince for Wedding Venue
• Seats 165 comfortably
• Outdoor space for tent 
• Backyard is Barren Creek 

Built in 1842 and now maintained as an historic site by Westside Historical Society. In 1834 Joshua Brattan, prominent farmer and landowner of Barren Creek Springs gave an acre of land, for "the love of literature and religion," to a board of ten Presbyterian trustees to establish a school, cemetery, and church "on the county road between Barren Creek Mills and the Springs." In 1842 the congregation built a church building which also housed the town's only school.

By ca.1860 Presbyterian membership in Barren Creek Springs Church had dropped to ten and in 1887 the congregation dissolved. Although, built by Presbyterians in 1842, since then it has been used also by Episcopalians, Methodists, and Baptists. Over the next six decades various groups and congregations - even the boy scouts - used the building. The Presbytery sold the building to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gunby, who in 1988 donated the church building to the Westside Historical Society. The next year the task of restoration was begun. Through the hard work of its members and the generosity of friends and supporters the work largely was completed in 1997.  

Today, most of the windows and all of the pews are original, as is the plain wood flooring, hanging oil lamp chandeliers and tall pulpit lamps. A pump organ, antique chairs, tables, and liturgical accessories also have been donated to take their place along side the original furnishings. In 1985 the American Presbyterian Church named the building,"Site #248" on the American Presbyterian Reformed Historic Sites Registry. It continues to remind all who visit, of the history of this special place. In 2005 a local preservationist donated an original "Mason-Dixon" marker stone to be placed on the grounds of the church. The stone is marked with an M on one side and a P on the other, for Maryland and Pennsylvania, which in 1765 included the three lower counties of Delaware.

413 Main St, Mardela Springs, MD 21837 

Schedule a Visit 410-726-8047 

Wicomico County's Nanticoke River watershed area's history, traditions, and cultural heritage, special focus on town's history as a mineral water spa attraction and more than 25 exhibits.

• ADA Accessible
• Admission/Tickets Required
• Family-Friendly
• Free Parking
• Group Tour Rates Offered
• Group-Friendly
• Guided Tours/Guide Available
• On-site Motorcoach Parking
• Student Group-Friendly

http://adkinsmuseum.com/

106 Bratten St. Mardela Springs, Maryland

410-677-4740 

Also in Mardela Springs, Maryland is a collection of nine buildings owned and operated by the non-profit corporation, of the same name. Several buildings have been moved on to the site, including an early 19th century farm house, a one-room school, and a general store, which originally was in the town. Also on the site is the town's early 20th century Lodge Hall, a livery stable, two sheds now converted to exhibit space, and a building which served as a cannery at one time and now housses exhibits about the town's early commercial life. An early 1900's Victorian style home has recently been renovated and also is open to visitors. The complex is open by appointment. For more information regarding tours visit www.adkinsmuseum.com/tours

Pemberton Hall Foundation has the Pemberton Hall Building open for vistors during events at Pemberton Park hosted by Wicomico County and for scheduled visits. Learn more at http://www.pembertonhall.org/

5561 Plantation Ln, Salisbury, MD 21801

(410) 548-4900 ext. 114

Pemberton Historical Park

Wicomico County 

5561 Plantation Lane, Salisbury, Maryland 21801
410-548-4900 ext. 114

Check out Local Events at the Park at

http://www.pembertonpark.org/pemberton-park/index.htm

Pemberton Park is located on Pemberton Drive on the west side of Salisbury, Maryland, just a short distance from Route 50. The park's 262 acres offers the opportunity to hike 4.5 miles of Maryland nature trails, appreciate the beauty of nature and participate in environmental education, historical interpretation or special event activities. Informational brochures are available in the contact building near the parking lot. Brochures include trail guides illustrating various environmental features, bird and plant brochures and special event listings. Information is also available regarding "Friends of Pemberton" membership.While hiking the trails, you will encounter ecosystems and their natural complement of plants and animals that are specific to many different regions of the Eastern Shore. It is rare to find any other place on the Eastern Shore where tidal and fresh water wetlands, fresh water ponds, upland pines, hardwood forests and meadows can all be studied within the same site. This unique feature, when coupled with the historical aspects of Pemberton Park, makes it especially attractive for school studies or a casual hike.

Sharptown is located on the Nanticoke River that is the line between Wicomico and Dorchester County, Maryland. This quaint town was once a major shipbuilding community, and a busy shipping center on the Nanticoke River, sending sailing vessels up and down the Atlantic Coast, into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico ports.

Outside of Sharptown, Maryland is San Domingo, a community formed by free black families in the first decades of the 1800s..  In the early 20th century a “Rosenwald School” was built by residents, working with philanthropist  Julius Rosenwald, an effort to improve education for African Americans in the early 20th Century.