Saint Michaels, Maryland

Saint Michaels, Maryland
Town
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Location of Saint Michaels, Maryland
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Talbot
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
• Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,193
• Density	1,442.1/sq mi (556.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	24-69825
GNIS feature ID	0591218

Christ Church Episcopal Church in Saint Michaels main road

Saint Michaels is a town in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2000 census. Saint Michaels derives its name from the Episcopal Parish established here in 1677. The church attracted settlers who engaged in tobacco growing and ship building.

Geography

Saint Michaels is located at 38°47′1″N 76°13′20″W (38.783748, -76.222214)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²), of which, 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (9.89%) is water.

It is located in a long, narrow neck of land along the Miles River. The village is a tourist attraction, and there are high quality hotels, inns, seafood restaurants, and gift shops in town. Tourboat cruises connect the town with Annapolis across the Chesapeake Bay. A for-pay public ferryboat service nearby also takes people across the river to Oxford.

History

The town played a role in the War of 1812 when, in 1813, a fleet under the command of Admiral George Cockburn moved up the Chesapeake Bay, where the shipyards of Saint Michaels presented an inviting target. In the nighttime Battle of St. Michaels the British bombarded the town, but failed to destroy the shipyards. As a result of the town's ruse of dimming the lights and hanging lanterns in the trees beyond the town, Saint Michaels became known as "the town that fooled the British". The Cannonball House which was struck by one of the shots is on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the Saint Michaels Historic District.

One of the town's chief attractions is the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, located on land that was formerly part of the historic shipyards, and home to a number of historic bay vessels, including the bugeye Edna E. Lockwood, a National Historic Landmark, and several skipjacks.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,193 people, 548 households, and 340 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,442.1 people per square mile (555.0/km²). There were 671 housing units at an average density of 811.1/sq mi (312.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.24% White, 29.25% African American, 0.17% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 548 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,578, and the median income for a family was $39,821. Males had a median income of $30,438 versus $23,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,131. About 11.1% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people from Saint Michaels

• Former baseball player Harold Baines grew up and still lives in Saint Michaels.
• Vice President Dick Cheney owns a home in Saint Michaels.
• Frederick Douglass lived part of his life as a slave at the Mount Misery farm (working for the poor farmer and notorious "slave-breaker" Edward Covey) and later returned as a county marshal during Reconstruction.
• Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld purchased the Mount Misery property.

Notes

Saint Michaels harbor, looking toward Cherry Street.

• In 1805, an area was set aside for a public market known as "St. Mary's Square." Here stands a bell cast in 1841 which rang at 7 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. to measure the workday for the ship's carpenters in the nearby harbor and the remains of a cannon used in the defense of the town during the War of 1812.
• Saint Michaels is known as "The Town that Fooled the British" because of a clever defense strategy during the War of 1812.
• An attraction in town is the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
• The movie Wedding Crashers starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn was filmed in Saint Michaels in 2004.
• In 2007 the town was named #8 of the Top Ten Romantic Escapes in the USA by Coastal Living Magazine.
• The town was once host to the largest regatta on the East Coast.