Federalsburg
Federalsburg Train Station
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Vast hardwood forests, together with the ability to dam
Marshyhope Creek, led in the eighteenth century to the
development of Federalsburg around a host of water-powered
industries, including iron furnaces, flour mills, sawmills,
shipyards, and wool-carding mills. The nearby Douglass
iron furnace (circa 1772) supplied important materials for
George Washington's embattled army. Local sawmills provided
the wood products needed to rebuild the U.S. Capital and
White House after they were burned in the War of 1812.
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Threshermans Show, near Federalsburg
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In the early 1800s the Federalsburg area had four water-powered
flour mills, the largest being Exeter Mills (circa 1791).
Vessels built in Federalsburg included the Clipper, Eceleston
Brown, Mary Havilow, Pearl, and Annabelle. By the late
nineteenth century Federalsburg was a center for canning
fruits.
Channel dredging tamed the river by 1970. Nonetheless, the
town has built the largest economy of any small town on the
Eastern Shore. Households across America enjoy over three
billion items manufactured by Federalsburg-based companies.
Copyright © 2002 J.O.K. Walsh, All rights reserved.
To learn more about Federalsburg, visit the town's web site at
www.federalsburg.org.
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