Calvert County was named after the family of Leonard Calvert. The large territory north of the Potomac River was granted to Sir George Calvert by King Charles I who named it after his Queen, Henrietta Maria. Rejecting the French in favor of his native English, he named it Maryland. George's son , Leonard, established the palatinate on March 25, 1634 at St. Mary's City. Anne Arundel County was named after his lovely wife, Lady Anne Arundel, and Calvert County took the family name of the Lords Baltimore.Calvert County (pronounced "Culvert" by locals) has remained fairly free of developmental encroachment since the first English colonists settled here in the mid-1600s. One small house, Preston on Patuxent ,was the provincial capital of Maryland from 1654 to 1659, and the important men of the colony gathered here after the fall of Governor Stone. All the records from St. Mary's City were brought to this brick home erected in 1650 by Richard Preston, the "Great Quaker," whose grandson became mayor of Philadelphia. The house is back near the river past winding roads not far from Solomon's Island.
Explore the majestic Calvert Cliffs with 15 million years of prehistoric fossils at Calvert Cliffs State Park. Flag Pond Nature Park offers sandy beaches, and primeval forests. Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary off Rt. 506 is one of the northernmost stands of Bald Cypress in North America. Tour this area where Saber-toothed tigers roamed.
At the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons Island, you can explore the lore of the Bay. In the fifteen tank "Estuarium" discover the amazing diversity of life that exists in the Chesapeake Bay and Patuxent River. Then walk outside and watch river otters at play. Walk along the museum's living salt marsh, home to blue crabs, fiddler crabs, herons and egrets. In the field of maritime history you can explore the story of people along the Patuxent River and how its route was used by the British to plunder the nation's capital during the War of 1812. Study 19th century watermen, cannery workers and craftspeople, who worked in the region's seafood and shipbuilding trades. Explore the undersea world of the Miocene Age, ten to twenty million years ago when shallow seas covered southern Maryland. See the fossilized remains of these ancient inhabitants.
Locust Inn
On the main street of picturesque Solomons Island is the pretty Locust Inn, a white three storey house surrounded by flowers, built sometime before 1870. The records of the original owner were lost in a fire. Robert T. Allinson and Nettie Allinson sold the building on May 24, 1865 to Catherine A. Condiff, and George Condiff established the boarding house in 1925.
The building was named for the two locust trees growing in the front yard. Geraniums bloom near a sign with the inn's name and circa 1870. A plaque commemorates it as a house on the Calvert County Historic Register. The wide front porch offers comfortable seating and a table for breakfasts. Behind the house is a lovely swimming pool amid a beautiful garden with a view of the Patuxent. Medium size boats can be docked here for guests. Memories of fishing, crabbing and relaxing are souvenirs you can carry home.
To the side of the inn is the base of the old school flag pole used by the school house once next door near the barber shop. In the back garden black-eyed Susans, Oriental lilies and French marigolds are just a few of many perennials blooming in summer. Each season brings delightfully different blossoms. The creator of the gardens, Robert Siemon is descended from Peter Alphonso Dorsey and Mary Langley. his grandparents. His aunts were charter boat captains.
Nine rooms are available year round with color TVs and air conditioning. One with a private bath is easily accessible on the main floor. All rooms have a lovely waterview. The inn was remodeled in the 1970s and rewired, when new windows were installed and antique washstands with towel racks were refinished by the owners. A print of Paris by Monet is at the base of the stairs and another scene of a city glistening in the rain, hangs over the bed in the first floor guest room.
Upstairs, to the left is a room with two double beds which have fine Victorian bedsteads and an armoire. Across from the second floor bath is a single room, paneled in oak. Two rooms at the end of the hall are nicely decorated with a double bed in each. On the third floor is a room with two double beds, decorated in lovely shades of green and rose. Another room on that floor has a double bed with a single fold out bed for a child or extra guest.
A continental breakfast with hot muffins, juice and coffee is served in the foyer downstairs and may be taken to your room or out on the spacious porch or into the beautiful gardens.
Innkeeper: Pearl English. Cash, check, VISA, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. Eight rooms with shared baths, views of the water, TV, AC. One room on first floor with private bath. Rates based on double occupancy. Continental breakfast. Fishing, swimming, crabbing, boating, shopping, dining in a restaurant next door or many others. Charter cruising. Near: Restaurants, parks and museums, shops, marinas. Drum Point Lighthouse, Lore's Oyster House.
PO Box 254, 14478 Solomons Island Rd, S, Solomons, MD 20688
410-326-9817
Cedar Hill
Cedar Hill at Mile's End is a living museum of the Maryland culture. It was formerly known as Bigger, after the current owner's ancestor, John Bigger, the first, who patented the plantation on March 12, 1670. Bigger emerged from indentured servitude to accumulate several plantations in present Prince George's, St. Mary's and Calvert Counties. The name Cedar Hill originated in the 19th century. During the tenure of Dr. Thomas Gantt, Cedar Hill was the site of the marriage of the daughter of Captain Edward Gantt to Thomas John Claggett, the first Episcopal bishop ordained in the United States.
Cedar Hill is one of the few examples of cruciform domestic architecture still standing in Maryland. Various authorities date it from 1690 to 1730. The historian who compiled the National Register thought that interior details indicate a date in the early 18th century. A red "rubbed" chimney brick with Bigger's initials may have been created earlier.
The vestibule contains an antique map, an 18th century colored engraving of Pembroke College, Oxford, where the owner was a student, and a 19th century embroidered homily. The main hall contains a portrait of Charles Calvert, seated, wearing red and blue robes, holding a globe-top dividers, a globe and cross staff . The hall hosts a rare early deed to a plantation with Lord Baltimore's seal, two rare early maps and a portrait of Queen Anne. The 18th century standing desk might have been used by a plantation owner. Bigger was the first Treasurer of the King William School, now St. John's College, the third oldest college in the United States.
On the North side of the entrance hall is a paneled parlor with a built-in corner cupboard, a Van Dyke studio portrait of Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, Maryland's namesake. In the library, is a well-preserved Chippendale desk beneath important early maps of Maryland and an eight dollar bill, printed in Annapolis just before the Revolution.
The present owners have lovingly preserved the formal rose garden and restored old, terraced herb and kitchen gardens. On or near this plantaton in 1696, the Rev. Hugh Jones, father of botany in North America, collected the sampling of native American flowers and plants that make up the oldest such collection in the British Museum. Jones, the rector of Christ Church at Port Republic, appointed Colonel Bigger as one of two executors of his last will.
Cedar Hill, more than many estates, reflects the changes in mores and manners and the diverse economic trends throughout the centuries. It is a private home.
Grey Fox Inn
The Grey Fox Inn is located on the Main Street of Solomons Island across from Solomons Pier Restaurant. The grey and white house with its wide welcoming porch and serene front lawn pond was the home of a physician in the early 1900s. Dr. Coster, for whom Coster Road near the entrance to the town is named, had his office in the room to the left of the front door. He lived in the house in the early 1900s and several townspeople remember fondly entering his office for care. Now, guests find gracious accommodations and a caring cordiality in this old home.
Upstairs are two guest rooms in Victorian motifs, one in tan tones with masculine accents, a sofa and chair, and the other in blue hues with an antique dresser and queen sized brass bed. These rooms share a pretty, rustic bath. An efficiency to the rear looks out on a lovely vista of Back Bay. One can see the island, Molly's Leg from its windows. It is a nice haven for newly weds or anyone seeking privacy. The lower rooms of the inn contain a charming gift shop of collectibles. A t-shirt press is in the room which once housed Dr. Coster's office. Shirts with artistic bay views or the pubs and restaurants of Solomons are printed here before your eyes.
The Jolly Roger Room is a collection of nautical memorabilia and beautiful sea shells arranged as mirror frames or other practical and decorative items. In the room "Seasons To Remember" discover an amazing array of teddy bears of all kinds and holiday items. Even bride and groom bears greet you in satin and lace.
Creations by Sandra displays Landmark Drawings of Solomon's Island, innovative note cards and stationery, custom orders, including wedding selections are available along with hand-made crafts. In other rooms are full lines of souvenirs. Sharks teeth, for which Calvert County is renowned, and fantastic jesters of all sizes inspire ideas for childrens' gifts, while elephants made of oyster shells adorn the fireplace in the main front room.
Take home or sample one of 52 gourmet coffee blends or gifts for the connoisseur in your life from this one stop shopping mart.
Innkeeper: Evelyn Cook. 2 rooms and efficiency suite with water views. Check, cash, credit card. Coffee in room.
Main St. PO Box 1162 Solomons Island, MD 20688. 410-326-6826.
The Former School House of Solomons Island
Evelyn M. Cook, the proprietor of the Grey Fox Inn and her husband, Roger, own a house near Old Drum Point Road, which was the town school house from 1909-1933. It is on the county Register of Historic places just as the Grey Fox Inn is listed, and an occasional apparition is connected with this old home. At one time, the parcel of land was 52 acres and extended from Old Drum Point Road to the corner stone of St. Paul's Church before a real estate tycoon acquired and subdivided it. A Mr. Humphrey, one of the oldest residents of Solomons, said that he went to school there. Edna Dare one of the most beautiful women in the county lived in the house. She also drove the mail truck and would be over one hundred now. A Mr. Gardner told Evelyn, the present owner, about a man named Alfred who would now be in his seventies who once lived there and could have been Edna's son.
One night, about eighteen years ago, Evelyn was awakened by the sound of hinges creeking, as if a drawer were being pulled open. Soon she heard her son call from the room opposite.
"Mom, there's a man in my room!" he cried.
Evelyn peered around the corner of her room out into the hall to her son, Roger's room and saw a man in dungarees opening a drawer. She couldn't see him well from the waist up. He was tall, but above the belt, his body was wraithe like. The bureau in Roger's room was an antique and had brass pulls that made hinge-like noises when opened.
Evelyn tried not to look at the apparition directly and just looked at it peripherally. She was afraid he would vanish if she looked at him too intently. He vanished anyway. He appeared to walk through a window space and later, Evelyn found, through historical research, that the window had once been a door.
Another time, trying to get a sense of how the living room might have been furnished, Evelyn selected and placed an antique rocking chair in the living room, next to the window. She thought it might have been a cozy place for an older person to sit in days gone by. A few days after the chair was placed in the living room, her daughter Melissa said that she thought she had seen her mother sitting in the chair, but Evelyn was in another room at the time.
"Mom, how could you be in two places at once?" she inquired.
Apparitions or not, Evelyn and her family enjoy this old house, where they are comfortable and at peace.
Backcreek B&B - Solomons - Calvert Co.
Back Creek Inn B&B
A perfect setting for 20 years in the heart of Solomons, Back Creek Inn welcomes you by sea or by land. Located in historic southern Maryland, the inn offers a unique blend of old traditions and modern conveniences. The seasonal gardens take on an English style flow with roses, lilies, bee balm, azaleas, tulips and the state's own black-eyed susans. A walkway lined in lirope, leads you into the commons area with two walls of windows overlooking Back Creek and a pair of Adirondack chairs on the lawn.
The main house, built in 1880, offers four rooms, featuring queen size beds and private baths. Two rooms, located on the second floor, Chamomile and Tansy have water views. The use of different herbs for naming the rooms was chosen because of the innkeepers' love of gardening. After purchase of the inn in 1987, an addition was completed to offer guests suites with porches and private exterior entrances. Peppermint (with water view) and Thyme (with a gas fireplace) feature king size beds, refrigerators, flat screen televisions with DVDs and CD players. The seventh accommodation to select is the cottage, Lavender. This option has a king size bed, gas fireplace, flat screen television with DVD, VCR, refrigerator, microwave, massage tub and separate shower.
For both the business traveler and those wanting to stay in touch through cyberspace, wireless internet is available. Government and corporate rates are offered, and meeting space is available. The inn will cater a gourmet lunch for your event or picnic basket to make your experience in Solomons successful and memorable. Bikes are available, and kayaks can be delivered for launching from the inn's pier. You never need to get into your car until you leave, since fine dining, an art gallery, shops, the maritime museum and Solomons river walk are just a stroll away. The inn is closed December 22, 2007-January 3 2008.
INNKEEPERS: LIn Gauchat and Carol Pennock. ADDRESS: 210 Alexander Lane, Solomons, MD. 20688-0520, P.O. Box 520, PHONE: 410 326-2022 ROOMS: four rooms, two suites and a cottage. MEALS: Gourmet breakfasts and treats. NEARBY: restaurants, galleries, shops, biking, kayaking, sailing, maritime museum.
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