Solomons Island

The Land of Gracious Living

Story by Kathy Warren
Photography by Jacqueline Roggenbrodt

Mention that you are from Southern Maryland when traveling and most people will assume that you live on the Eastern Shore.  But say that you are from Solomons Island or nearby and you’ll see a glimmer of recognition in their eyes, usually followed by a statement such as, “I know where that is, we’ve had dinner there.”  So how is it that such a tiny piece of land on the southernmost tip of Calvert County can be so well known?  It owes its fame and notoriety to the fact that over the years it has been home to some of the country’s best seafood, the world’s leading ship builders, a hub for fine dining, and the site of world class sailing events, all of which have put this tiny close knit community on the map.

Located along the Patuxent River where it flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Solomons Island is small at just under 40 acres of land.  The area now commonly referred to as “Solomons” comprises a much greater land area and has enveloped a number of the surrounding towns to develop into the community we know today.

As part of an original land grant, Solomons Island was known by an array of other names throughout history.  First known as Bourne’s Island, it later became Somervell’s Island in the 1700s and in the 1800s was named Sandy Island.  During these earlier years, little is known about the area other than the fact that it was a rural farming community.

Following the civil war, in 1865, a Baltimore businessman by the name of Isaac Solomon purchased the island and renamed it “Solomon’s Island.”  Solomon quickly set about establishing a seafood canning plant on the island.  Already a successful canning and oyster merchant in Baltimore, Solomon looked to the island as a place where he could harvest oysters and other seafood all while developing the rest of the island.

The development of the island began with the leasing of small lots and the building of a wooden bridge to connect the island with Avondale (also known as Johnstown), the area on the mainland just to the north of Solomons.  During this time period, the inlet, known as the narrows,  which separated the island from the rest of Calvert County was much wider and the bridge spanned the nearly 550 foot wide waterway.  Isaac Solomon’s time on Solomons was short lived and by the 1870s he had sold his operation to a Captain Thomas Moore who continued the seafood packing industry along with a ship building and repair business on the island.  Soon Solomons Island was to be one of the most prosperous towns in all of Southern Maryland.

Along with the island’s growth and development came various service industries to support the burgeoning town.  During the 1880s and into the early 1900s, a steamboat wharf was constructed, churches sprang up, a school was built, stores, and even a cigar manufacturing business could all be found on or around the island.  All of these new businesses helped to attract newcomers to the area and by the 1920s Solomons and the surrounding areas had a large fleet of fishing vessels working the surrounding waterways.  A new seawall/causeway had replaced the old wooden bridge, and the span between the island and the mainland had been significantly reduced.

Even with the improved roadway and the advent of the automobile, most residents used rowboats to get around the island.  Grocery shopping, getting to work, and even attending Sunday church services were all done by boat.   All the while, Solomons was a bustling community with several restaurants, such as the Langley Lunch Room and Files Ice Cream Parlor.  Inns and boarding houses dotted the island and the surrounding areas, one of which, the Locust Inn, is still welcoming guests today.  Shipyards, ice houses, and even a shirt factory once called the island home.  Webster Store, one of several on the island, was torn down in 1967, but had been a place where local residents could gather to exchange the latest news, purchase groceries, and buy all sorts of items necessary for living life as a waterman, including boats.  Evans Pavilion, now known as Solomons Pier Restaurant was once a dance hall, ice cream parlor, restaurant, and even a movie house which continued to show movies until the 1960s.  J.C. Lore & Sons seafood packing business began in the 1880s and operated until 1978.  The building was later purchased by the Calvert Marine Museum, restored  and turned into a fisheries exhibit.

During the first half of the 20th century, Solomons saw several major storms including the hurricane of 1933, which submerged much of the island.  Also during this time, three U.S. Navy facilities, used for training U.S. troops and testing ordnance during the Second World War, were built in the area.  As in other parts of Southern Maryland, the Navy’s presence would forever alter the landscape of Solomons Island, Avondale/Johnstown, and the surrounding areas.  The population of Solomons grew from just under 300 residents to over 2,600 from 1942 to 1945.

Also following the war, small shopping areas, marinas, hotels, and other establishments replaced the tomato canning factory, flour mill, slaughterhouse, and farmland which had comprised much of the area known as Avondale/Johnstown during the early 1900s.  Today, Avondale Center, which houses Woodburn’s Market, the Solomons Post Office, and various other enterprises, occupies the once fertile farmland.  The Calvert Marine Museum’s administrative offices now occupy the old Solomons Elementary and High School building located in Avondale/Johnstown which served the community from 1925 until 1972.  A new exhibit building was built to house the museum’s collections in 1989.

Another school which continues to serve Solomons is Our Lady Star of the Sea Parochial School, established in 1933.  The school was an extension of the already flourishing St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Church which was established in the 1890s.  The first church was located on the site of the present day church cemetery along Sedwick Avenue but was moved south in the 1920s to its present location.  The present church building replaced the original wooden structure and was opened for worship in 1928.  Today the school still serves the surrounding community, though students no longer arrive by rowboat as they once had.

During the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Solomons continued to develop though many of the old businesses gave way to new and different interests.  Sport fishing, which had begun in the ‘20s on Solomons, was fast becoming a viable business as were pleasure boating and sailing which attracted visitors from all over.  Though still removed from the rest of Southern Maryland, except by ferry service or the bridge which connected St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties west of Prince Frederick in Barstow, the area continued to grow and sustain itself.  In December of 1977, with the opening of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge, Solomons and the surrounding areas would again undergo a major transformation.

Today, Solomons is a resort community well known as a sailing and tourist destination.  Several major hotels attract visitors to the area year round but during the summer months the place really comes to life. Fine restaurants such as Digiovanni’s Dock of the Bay, Lighthouse Inn, CD Cafe, and the Dry Dock, just to name a few, beckon visitors from D.C., Baltimore, and beyond to come enjoy seafood and other specialties of the area.  Gift shops and galleries offer guests a chance to purchase paintings by local artists and browse a myriad of unique accessories and jewelry.  The annual opening of the famed Tiki Bar now draws crowds in the thousands to partake of its famous popcorn and maitai’s, a Tahitian word for good.  Country inns now occupy some of the grand homes of yesteryear including By the Bay Bed and Breakfast, Back Creek Inn, and Solomons Victorian Inn.

The Chesapeake Biological Lab, started in the 1920s by Dr. Reginald Truitt of the University of Maryland, is housed in a series of old and new buildings along Farran Avenue and Williams Street.  The research done at the lab is helping to ensure that future generations of residents, visitors, and those who make their living off of the water will enjoy the area for years to come.

Solomons, an area which now includes everything from the tip of the island north to Dowell Road, still maintains the small town feeling that attracted the first settlers so many years ago.  New homes blend with the small summer cottages and older stately homes once owned by some of the most prominent families of Calvert County.  The nostalgic atmosphere of the area attracts a variety of visitors to enjoy state of the art sailing facilities such as Zahniser’s Yachting Center and the many marinas such as Town Center Marina, Spring Cove Marina, Hospitality Harbor Marina, and Calvert Marina.  During the warmer months, you will see visitors and residents strolling the new boardwalk or stopping to listen to a band playing underneath the Riverwalk Gazebo.  Taking pride in their community, long time residents and newcomers alike continue the tradition of gracious living and warm hospitality that has been Solomons for so many years.

To Learn more about Solomons, Maryland pick up a copy of I Remember, Recollections of “Pepper” Langley Growing Up In Solomons or Solomons Island & Vicinity, An Illustrated History and Walking Tour.  Both are available at local bookstores, your public library, and the Calvert Marine Museum Gift Shop.

More photographs of Solomons Island are available on Southern Maryland Online.