JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003

Canal Town

Federal-era buildings meet contemporary living in historic Chesapeake City.

By Kathy H. Ely
Photography By Scott Suchman

Chesapeake City historian and author Robert Hazel joins me on a bench by the side of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. He’s brought his books on the town and binders of photos. As he flips each page, he enthusiastically paints a picture of Chesapeake City. It’s a history of a bustling town on a busy canal, of a drawbridge collapsing with a little help from a large tanker in the early ‘40s, of a ferry named Gotham bringing children to school and anxious workers to jobs. “The captain was my friend’s dad,” he notes proudly.

But then Hazel describes a more unsettling scene: The building of the new high-rise bridge tolled a death knell for the town when it opened in ‘49 and bypassed most of the businesses. By the ‘60s, a falling-down Chesapeake City was not a pretty sight. Some even say that the Pagans, the notorious outlaw biker gang, ruled the place.

But our view from the park bench here in the public green known as Pell Gardens is serene, with the picturesque silvery arc of the bridge looming over our shoulders. The highway bridge now carries an ever-increasing load of traffic down Maryland’s Rt. 213 from mostly residential North Chesapeake City to its sister town center, South Chesapeake City.

The C&D Canal gave birth to Chesapeake City, formerly known as Bohemia. Dutch mapmaker Augustine Hermann had proposed a link between the Delaware and Chesapeake bays way back in the 1600s. Philadelphian Ben Franklin got into the act more than a century-and-a-half later, promoting the building of a canal that would shave more than 300 miles off the shipping route from Philadelphia to Baltimore. It took three states and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make the “Big Ditch” a reality. Opened in 1829, the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal operated back then with a series of locks. (The rebuilt, oft-widened canal is now sea level, not requiring the use of the massive waterwheel and steam engines constructed to raise and lower the water levels in the locks. The locks are now the main attraction at the C&D Canal Museum.) Today, the modern 450-foot-wide, 14-mile-long link stands as the world’s third-busiest commercial canal, carrying 40 percent of all ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

The celebration of the past, the greening of the harbor: Both are signs that the town’s rough edges have been smoothed. The thanks go to a hard-working core of locals who refused to give up on their waterside gem. “It was not a nice place in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” says Jayne Foard, owner of the circa-1861 Back Creek General Store. “We set out to beautify the town, not just clean it up. To enhance the natural beauty and keep the heritage for the kids.”

Foard joined a group of activists to form a civic association in 1970, primarily to save buildings as the canal was being widened yet again. It had already taken an entire street away from the north side: One long-time resident had to be physically carried off as she held tight to her home. So the preservationists went to work on the town’s nineteenth-century buildings. They saved the three-story brick Franklin Hall, built in 1870, now a cultural center for the town, and lobbied to place more than 110 of these Federal-era homes and buildings--and the bulk of South Chesapeake City--on the National Register of Historic Places. Renovations continue as more old houses are being reclaimed. A local historic board still approves building changes, noise ordinances are enforced, and you won’t see the golden arches here any time soon. The village character is intact.

And village is the right word. This is a walking town, with gardens well-tended, Victorian bric-a-brac abounding, and a slow pace (except for festival weekends). The quiet days are interrupted only by the whir of a boat engine on the canal. Front porches, many with dated name plaques ("The Riley House, c. 1831"), welcome you to sit and chat.

Chesapeake City Harriett Davis chuckles at the visitors who take that welcome to heart. Her antiques store (and home), called Canal Lock Antiques, boasts a sign out front “A Shop.” It’s her inside joke referring to tourists who assume that the plaques on private homes render them public spaces. Her door, though, is almost literally always open. Stroll through her collection of glassware and pictures and household goods, most for sale ("except for my grandmother’s canisters and the rare pieces of Delft,” she notes). With twenty-three years here, she carries great stories and even better perspective on the place. “This is the Eastern Shore,” she points out. “These people want scrapple on a Sunday morning. And most don’t want their town turned into an artificial tourist trap.”

Davis was on those early preservation committees and still sees the need to, as she puts it, “invest yourself in the place.” “Meet your neighbors,” she says, “offer your porch” for the good of the town. She carries out this philosophy via generous hospitality, tending the public gardens, and lending free bikes to visitors. “Just sign the book,” she’ll say, “and bring it back by 5.”

The Bayard House restaurant, right next to the canal, has been a cornerstone of the town’s growth. As the oldest building in town--it first opened in 1780 and grew up as a hostelry when waves of Irish came to build the canal in 1835--it combines rich history and modern cuisine (and the “state’s best” crab soup) with the perfect view of the bridge and canal. When the days were darkest in town, an angel came in the form of Allaire (Mrs. Richard) du Pont (owner of famous racehorse Kelso and member of Delaware’s famous clan), who bought the business from the Battersbys, a long-standing Chesapeake City family. Though the iconoclastic doyenne (don’t ask her age) now likes to remain in the background, many in town credit her with kick-starting the town’s rebirth. She still drives in from her horse farm nearby for meals here several times a week, with one of her pet Labs in tow.

Swiss-born general manager Franz Portmann has added a couple of innovations to the old standby in his two years at the helm. He drove the renovation of the Lilliputian tailor shop across the way, now known as the “Old Wharf Cottage,” a mini-B&B with one room upstairs with a tiny balcony and a sitting room and kitchen and bath downstairs. Birdy Battersby, son of the former owner and one of the genuine characters in town, remains with the Bayard House--"he came with the inventory,” quips Portmann. Battersby regularly holds court behind the Hole in the Wall bar, entertaining locals and visitors alike with stories only a sixth-generation CC’er can spin. “And half of what I say is true,” he says with a laugh.

Chesapeake City Most everyone brags about the wealth of great eating here, attracting out-of-town regulars from Baltimore or Philly or Wilmington. There are the larger spaces that cater to the boating set, from the legendary Schaefer’s on the north shore (now under new ownership), with its big buffets and the deep-water dock, to the Chesapeake Inn, which opened in ‘96 with its white-tablecloth dining room and casual deck. Here you’ll find the best pizza in town--from a wood-burning stove--and music every night of the week from May until September.

The Tap Room is the same rough-and-tumble, paper-on-the-tables crab house it has been for most of its twenty-one years in business (though the shuffleboard matches are a little less contentious these days). Italian items have been added to the menu, but the all-you-can-eat crabs are still a big draw.

New entries on the scene now add a little diversity. Wernie Wiesnegger, long-time chef and manager at Schaefer’s, set out on his own in 2001 to open the Bohemia Cafe. Wiesnegger maintains the friendly, cafŽ-like atmosphere of this breakfast and lunch spot (with the requisite homemade pastries), but he inserts a bit of his Austrian heritage into the menu. Vegetable strudel and the pork-loin Schnitzel burger take their places next to the Salisbury steak and creamed chipped beef mainstays.

The Yacht Club, opened just over three years ago, unabashedly offers the most innovative cuisine in town (blocks from the water, it’s nautical only in decor). Owners Gary Klunk and Cheri Wilson transformed an abandoned hardware store into a casual yet elegant bistro. I had trouble selecting from the diverse menu, with rotating items that include baby New Zealand “lollipop” lamb chops; filet mignon Chesapeake, top-grade steak with a dollop of lump crabmeat; and fresh fish selected that morning from the Philadelphia docks.

You gotta eat, but the sleeping ain’t bad either. Three B&Bs right in town welcome you, each with their own special draws. Mary and Al Loppolo’s Inn at the Canal is right in the heart of town, and it’s hard to move off the cozy front porch, especially when you feel as though you’re staying with old friends. (Al’s Mom even comes to visit each morning.) The Victorian surroundings are a lovely combination of modern trappings and antique pieces--oil lamps, vintage toys, stereoscopes, and a striking collection of antique kitchen implements--all adding up to a friendly family atmosphere. You can even buy some of these rare finds in their “Inntiques” shop through the backyard garden.

Chesapeake City Mary and Al’s friends Wendy and Wayne Mercer run the elegant Blue Max up the street. Eight spacious, airy rooms--each decorated down to the last color-coordinated detail--backyard gazebo and grand piano in the sitting room make it worth the extra block’s walk uptown. Or head to the Ship Watch Inn (the one with the carved wooden sailor on the porch) for Victoriana plus the best canal views from several balconies: “The only thing we overlook is the water.” Here is a unique view of the passing boats--from the hot tub on the canal-side deck.

The range of shops matches as many tastes as the restaurants. Jayne Foard’s Back Creek General Store continues its long retail history with a rich collection of original miniature houses and assorted gift items. Paula Landry’s Vintage Traveler features beautiful vintage fabrics and upholstered pieces, with her custom services available; Vulcan’s Rest Fibers is a rainbow of handmade gifts, looms and spinning wheels, and specialty yarns, artfully shorn from the sheep, llamas, and angora goats of owner Margaret’s nearby farm.

But antiques lead the way: After the jumble of unpolished treasures at Canal Lock, find nautical wonders--old carved wooden skipjacks and brass binnacles--at the Black Swan; farm and construction toys, old and new, at Toys From the Attic; and custom primitive wood furniture, accessories, and unique Christmas decorations from Almost History.

Local artists celebrate their town in watercolors and oils with a personal touch. You’ll probably find watercolorist Neil Snodgrass working in his home studio, favorite pet cats at his feet, when you stop by Neil’s Artwork on George Street. Renowned watercolorist Jon de Vos recently passed away, but his wife Mary continues to sell his works at her home, the Canal Artworks shop, on weekends.

Chesapeake City The youthful mayor, Rob Bernstine, shows me plans to make the town even more hospitable to visitors and residents alike: a new Town Hall backed by Beck’s Landing, a new community park, and a new sidewalk around the town dock basin. Plus, a water taxi to link the north and south parts of town, with a new north dock.

But for now, Chesapeake City is nurturing its image as a place with “nice people,” as Birdy reaffirms, and great eating. A place tucked away, not far from Interstate 95, closer than you think, with undiscovered charms right there on the world’s third busiest canal. “When it quickly gets dark out,” reports fellow inn guest Mark at breakfast one morning, “you know a big boat is coming. The shadow falls over the town as the wall of steel goes by. It’s awesome.”

Kathy H. Ely is a long-time Maryland resident and freelance writer.

Locals’ Guide to Chesapeake City

Most unusual eating: The Tap Room’s garlic crab--steamed hardshells, lungs et. al. removed, swimming in garlic, sherry, and a white cream sauce. 201 Bohemia Ave., 410-885-9873

Come on and take a free ride: Bikes at Franklin Hall--ask Harriett at Canal Lock Antiques; horse carriage rides from the free parking lot under the bridge (summer weekends). 410-885-2415

Literary Lions: Jack Hunter, author of famous novel The Blue Max, owned the home--now a B&B-- of the same name. Nineteenth-century resident James Adams owned “The Original Floating Theater,” Edna Ferber’s inspiration for the well-known play (also movie) Showboat.

The Water View: Capt. Ralph Hazel gives tours of the town on Miss Clare, his deadrise working boat. One regular notes that Capt. Hazel, descendant of a nineteenth-century steamboat captain and physiology professor, “is as much of an attraction as the view.” 410-885-5088

Best canal-side treats: The apple-pie sundae from Canal Creamery, enjoyed at the picnic tables right on the water. 9 Bohemia Ave., 410-885-3314

Celebrity sightings: Sausage king Jimmy Dean, coming yearly in his yacht, The Big Bad John; inveterate sailor Walter Cronkite, who left a signed photo in Schaefer’s lobby.

Untouted architectural gem: Look straight across the canal to see the modern, brown one-story home--rumor has it that it’s a Frank Lloyd Wright, but actually it’s his Philadelphia student, Armand Carroll. On the North side, it’s at No. 316 Biddle Street; the distinctive chevron on the wood/glass entranceway means you’ve found the “Wright” house.

Nickname finally explained: “Ticktown,” long thought to refer to the seedy parts of South Chesapeake City in its downtrodden times, actually references the days when the poorer residents of the North side relied on the generosity of South side business owners, who gave “tickets” of credit for goods.