Jun 16, 2017

Photos and text by Algerina Perna

: A tugboat pushes an empty barge along the C&D Canal just after sunrise. Chesapeake City’s unique place in history is being an integral part of the C&D canal which eliminates an extra 300 miles of travel around Cape Charles and saving an estimated 40 million gallons of fuel oil annually by commercial vessels. After several transformations, what was originally a “ditch” 66 feet across until 1829 is now a waterway 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep. With more than 15,000 vessels a year, the C&D Canal is one of the busiest canals in the world. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The current Chesapeake City bridge, a suspension arch bridge that spans the C&D canal, was completed in 1949. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Debbie Allen and Dr. Walter Roemer, both from Chesterton, watch a boat go by on the C&D Canal from the Bayard House Restaurant. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: A cupola on one of the Schaefer’s Canal House restaurant buildings is juxtaposed against Chesapeake City bridge. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The Bayard House Restaurant on Bohemia Avenue at far right is an 18th-century home. The south Chesapeake City Historic District, pictured, is in the National Register of Historic Places. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Street signs depict the C&D Canal and the suspension arch bridge built in 1949. Chesapeake City is home to a section of the C&D canal, first completed in 1829. The waterway eliminates an extra 300 miles of travel around Cape Charles and saves an estimated 40 million gallons of fuel oil annually by commercial vessels. After several transformations, what was originally a “ditch” 66 feet across until 1829 is now a waterway 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The home on George Street at Second Street offers one of many picturesque views on the south side of Chesapeake City. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Shortly after sunrise, Carey Maloumian, foreground takes her two small dogs for a walk alongside the C&D Canal at the Chesapeake City Bridge. In the background are fellow residents Suzanne Ludwig, left, and Cat Morrison, right. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Pell Gardens Park, owned by the Chesapeake City Civic Association is a picturesque setting by the water for weddings and other events. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The Chesapeake City bridge is seen beyond the porch of the Metz house, built circa 1854. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: At Vulcan’s Rest Fibers, Lorraine Lehmicke, left, from Earleville, MD, and Linda Carman from Bowie, MD, are two of several ladies learning to make an infinity twisted rim from pine needles with porcelain beads on a gourd. The class is taught by Vickie Echols from Texas. Vulcan’s Rest Fibers holds many classes and sells spinning, weaving, and knitting supplies as well as basketry materials. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: This corner structure was originally the National Bank of Chesapeake City, built in 1903 with Port Deposit granite. In 1986, the bank donated the building which was then used as the Town Hall for 20 years. The former bank is now home to My Jewelry Place. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The “Schuman,” one of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ surveying vessels, docks in the Back Creek Basin. The canal is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Coprs of Engineers. The picture was taken from the Chesapeake City Ferry piloted by D. J. Fasick.(Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The original cypress waterwheel which has a 38 foot-diameter and a 10-foot width is now on display at the C&D Canal Museum. Museum records state, “The function of the huge cypress waterwheel, was to raise the water level 14 feet to the summit level of the canal. Water from Back Creek was channeled into a 22-foot deep well under the lift wheel….Although the lift wheel rotated at a speed of only 1-1/2 times a minute, it raised 1, 200, 000 gallons of water per hour.” Two coal-operated engines powered the wheel. The mechanisms were in use from 1851-1927. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: A drawing of the lift wheel pumping plant of the C&D Canal hangs in the C&D Canal museum. When locks were used on the 14-mile canal when it first opened in 1829 until 1927, water was pumped from the Back Creek Basin into the Chesapeake City lock. The C&D canal eliminates an extra 300 miles of travel around Cape Charles and saves an estimated 40 million gallons of fuel oil annually by commercial vessels. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Gerard Buckley, a delivery captain for the “Sandpiper” sailboat, sits on the dock by Pell Gardens as he waits for the tide to rise so he can depart. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The current Chesapeake City bridge was completed in 1949. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Chesapeake Hair Studio provides an attractive seating area on Bohemia Avenue. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The east engine of the wheel pumping plant of the C&D canal used from 1854-1927 is now on display at the C&D Canal Museum. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The J.M. Reed, Jr. General Merchandise building established in 1861 now houses the Back Creek General Store which sells gifts and is open year-round. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Katie McDonough Hutton is pictured in Back Creek General Store in the J.M. Reed, Jr. building established in 1861. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: “Kirby,” a tug and barge which transports fuel, travels on the C&D canal in Chesapeake City. The picture was taken from the Chesapeake City Ferry piloted by D. J. Fasick.(Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Private homes on the north side of Chesapeake City are seen from the Back Creek Basin on the south side. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Schaefer’s Canal house restaurant on the north side is a short ferry ride from the south side. The picture was taken from the Chesapeake City Ferry piloted by D. J. Fasick.(Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The north side of Chesapeake City is seen at sunrise from the Chesapeake City bridge. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: A tug boat pushes a coal barge on the C&D Canal shortly after sunrise. Chesapeake City is home to a section of the C&D canal, first completed in 1829. The waterway eliminates an extra 300 miles of travel around Cape Charles and saves an estimated 40 million gallons of fuel oil annually by commercial vessels. After several transformations, what was originally a “ditch” 66 feet across until 1829 is now a waterway 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Daylilies bloom along the north side of the C&D Cana in Chesapeake City. The C&D Canal separates the north and south sides of Chesapeake City. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Pell Gardens Park, owned by the Chesapeake City Civic Association, is a picturesque setting by the water for weddings and other events. According to the plaque in the foreground, part of the fence pictured was a railing on both sides of the Long Bridge. The bridge connected the City Dock -now Pell Gardens- to the current Corps of Engineers’ property alongside the Back Creek Basin. The bridge was built in 1829 and removed in 1931. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Judy Potter, left, and Jane Michael, both from Forest Hill, enjoy breakfast at the Bohemia Cafe & Bakery. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The south side of Chesapeake City is seen from the Chesapeake City bridge. The yellow building with a white awning is the Bayard House, built in the 18th century. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Pell Gardens Park, owned by the Chesapeake City Civic Association is a picturesque setting by the water for weddings and other events. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The north side of Chesapeake City, seen from the Chesapeake City bridge, is covered in mist as the sun rises. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

Two imposing fixtures define the landscape of Chesapeake City, a small town in the northeastern corner of Maryland: the C&D Canal and the Chesapeake City bridge which spans it.

After several transformations, what was originally a small creek 66 feet across and 10 feet deep in 1828, the C&D Canal is now a waterway 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep. The canal eliminates an extra 300 miles of travel around Cape Charles and saves an estimated 40 million gallons of fuel oil annually by commercial vessels. The C&D Canal Museum located inside the original pump house records its extensive history.

Despite the area’s present-day commercial importance, this town of roughly 700 residents retains its 19th century charm in the homes, shops, restaurants and inns in South Chesapeake City which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

North Chesapeake City claims more modern homes and the popular Schaefer’s Canal House restaurant accessible by a short ferry ride across the canal. The Chesapeake City vehicular bridge connects the North and South sides of the city. Built in 1949, this suspension arch bridge is the most recent in a succession of earlier bridges. Also on the North side is the Ben Cardin C&D Canal Trail.

Newcomers or lifelong residents, the town is filled with friendly people walking their dogs along the canal or taking classes at Vulcan’s Rest Fibers. Chesapeake City provides the unique experience of enjoying time in a quaint historic town while watching a ship pass by.

Exploring historic Chesapeake City

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