WILLAIMSBURG, DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND

WILLIAMSBURG, DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND

ABOUT 1902

A small hamlet, Williamsburg, in the early 1900's sat on the Cambridge to Seaford Railroad

a few, maybe 5 miles from Hurlock, and was first known as Bunker Hill, although it is not

considered to be a colonial town, the first hone built there was in 1804 less than thirty years

following the Revolutionary War.

Henry Jones, a school teacher, land surveyor and farmer built his home, small in size and

of plain construction.

The first business is said to have been a wheelwright, John Woolen, who made spinning

wheels for spinning flax and wool and cart wheels for local farmers horse drawn carts.

The next business was a whiskey and rum shop which also sold a few groceries so as to

look decent. This business attracted many patrons, they came from “toward the bridge”,

from Puskum , east of North West Fork, also “Grubbing Neck” at the next county border.

The frequent meeting of these different groups who liked to test their abilities of superior

fighting were somewhat disturbing and caused the place to be known as Bunker Hill. It also

took up the name “slabtown' due to the fences and hog pens closed in by slab wood.

This did not suit John Woolen who went to the difficulty of going to Legislature to have the

town named Williamsburg. in about 1840.

After the railroad depot was established improvements came about, but slowly. By 1904

or so there were two general stores, a wood works for cabinets, the wheelwright, a flower

or grist mill, a canning house for vegetables and fruits, a public school , a Methodist

Church and near twenty five dwellings.

Early families were the Medfords, Nathaniel and Rebecca, William and Margaret Bonner,

William Lowe who owned land known as “Taylors Neglect” in 1758. Vacant land was known

as “Nanticoke Manor” . A tract of 1000 acres which adjoined Williamsburg was “Lockermans

Manor”.

A Corkran family, James and John among them, married into the Medfords. Descendants

of these early families were still living in Willamsburg in early 1900's, Enoch Lowe, the

Justice of the Peace the past 30 years lives in the Lowe homestead. George, John and

Joseph Corkran farm their fathers former premises and operate the milling and merchants

business'. Medfords are prosperous farmers nearby. Also descendents of Hubberts,

Paynes and Browns still live in the area.

During the War of 1812 Williamsburg raised a militia company of the Dorchester 11^th

Regiment commanded by John Rowens, Captain, Arthur Lowe, Lieutemant, and

David Andrew, Ensign.

Abstract: Elias Jones, History of Dorchester County: