I grew up in Calvert County, Maryland, a small peninsula of land in the southeastern part of the State; the Patuxent River flanking one side and the Chesapeake Bay flanking the other. Surrounded by water, there is no shortage of fishing boats and crab pots. You haven’t lived a true Calvert County summer if you haven’t had two dozen or so freshly caught steamed crabs strewn about on a picnic table covered in last week’s newspaper. The taste of Old Bay and vinegar always takes me back to a summer day at home.
Calvert County was also once known for it’s abundance in tobacco farms. In fact, the County Flag has a tobacco leaf on it. My Mom’s family was one of the many owners of a tobacco farm. However, in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, many of the farmers took the tobacco buyout, opting to pull out of the tobacco industry. While many of the tobacco farms are long gone, the spirit in which the County prospered lives on through the tobacco barns that still stand today.
My Mom’s side of the family spans generations in Calvert County. Both of my Grandparents grew up in the County, just as their parents did. Despite the influx of “transplants” over the years, and those who have moved away, I’d like to say there are still many native Calvert Countians who have strong roots in the small peninsula town. It was a great place to grow up, and since I’ve been gone for over ten years now, I always have a wave of nostalgia every time I come home; a reminder of where I came from and the world that shaped me.
When I went home this past week for Thanksgiving, my parents and I took a ride through the southern part of the County after visiting my Grandad who is in assisted living in Solomons – the southern most tip of the peninsula. My Mom wanted to show me Brown’s United Methodist Church – a historic one room African-American church who’s Owners are currently working to restore.
Historic structures like these are always interesting to photograph and make for great subjects. I took a few shots of the outside, and then slowly walked up to the windows to take a peek inside. I snapped the shot below before I hurried back to the car. It was a little erie to see – the old piano, chairs, vandalized walls, and leaves rustling inside from the wind.
An article was recently written about the Church and efforts to save it. Pictured in the article are members and family members of those who once attended the church. I hope that they are able to restore it back to what it once was – surely a place of joy, peace, and hope for those who worshipped there.
Further up the County, just down the road from where I grew up, is a one-room school house. I’m not sure why I didn’t know this, but my Mom pointed out that it’s where my Great Grandmother went to school. I passed by this house as I rode the bus to my own school every day. I love learning about history like this, especially when you have a special connection to those who lived it. Hopefully this little piece of history will be saved as well!
[…] book, I was often picturing in my mind American Tobacco and the surrounding area of Durham. I also grew up in a town that was widely known for its tobacco farming – another reason this book caught my eye. I […]