This Week in Local History: Ferries & Steamboats

June 20, 2025

On June 19, 1919– One hundred and six years ago this week, the 106 ft. long steamboat Emerson C. Harrington began offering regular ferry service across the Chesapeake Bay for vehicles. “Old Harrington” as she came to be known, would depart from the Annapolis- Claiborne Ferry Wharf at the foot of King George Street  twice a day, and run across the Bay to the village of Claiborne, just north of St Michaels, a trip that took about an hour and 20 minutes.  While small ferries for people, horses, and cargo had been part of the maritime commerce on the Chesapeake and its rivers since the colonial era, the growth in car ownership and an expanding national highway system in the early 20th century created a new demand for crossing the Bay with vehicles. The ferry not only connected the people of the western and eastern shores, but also connected their markets, goods, families, institutions, and ideas. The Eastern Shore’s early growing season meant that it could offer ripe produce weeks before the truck farms on the western shore, allowing rural Eastern Shore farmers and watermen to access larger markets in Annapolis,  Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

Today, more than 90,000 cars cross the Bay Bridge spans on a single DAY in the height of summer travel.  In its first three YEARS, the Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry transported 18,000 cars. In 1930, the Matapeake Ferry Terminal opened on Kent Island, reducing the travel time for ferry passengers to and from Annapolis. A new landing just south of Sandy Point State Park became the Annapolis terminal in 1943, shortening the trip even more.  Serious discussions about building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay had been ongoing since at least 1907, but gained traction only in the 1930s.  Perhaps public sentiment to finally build the bridge was in part because of the wait to board the ferry during the summer days in the 1940s, when cars, produce trucks, and tractor trailers queued up for six or seven miles–An all too familiar view to most of us today when we wait to cross the bridge on our way to the shore. In 1941, the Maryland State Roads Commission acquired the ferry company, renaming it the Chesapeake Bay Ferry System. Ferry service was discontinued on July 30, 1952, the same day the new Chesapeake Bay Bridge was opened.

Looking for a fun way to get the family out and exploring this summer?  Here are five places you can get up close and personal with the Bay and learn more about the Chesapeake Crossroads ferry and steamboat history! 

We invite you to take part in our 2025 Historic Summer Bucket List Challenge, a fresh take on summer fun that combines learning, adventure, and memory-making.  

  • Visit Sandy Point State Park.  : While reservations are now required on weekends in the summer, visit on a weekday and beat the crowds. Gaze out across the Bay and imagine ferry vessels running 24 hours a day, taking people back and forth to Matapeake on Kent Island. The Park also has boat rentals if you want to get out on the Bay!
  • Visit the United States Naval Academy.  : Here you can stand on the original location of the Annapolis-Claiborne Ferry Wharf. It’s now inside the USNA grounds, right between Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center and the waterfront. While the Ferry Wharf does not survive, the view one would have seen in 1919 looking out across the Severn River hasn’t changed all that much!
  • Visit the Annapolis Maritime Museum: With two campuses in Annapolis, the Museum in Eastport and its waterfront campus on Back Creek, you can learn more about watermen and their vessels that plied the Bay over the centuries. You can also experience the Bay through AMM’s kayak rentals, a sail on the historic skipjack Wilma Lee, or by visiting the nearby Elktonia Beach Heritage Park- a Bay front park historically known as Carr’s and Sparrows Beach.
  • Visit Historic London Town And Gardens: The site of the earliest commercial ferry the Chesapeake Crossroads, where good old George Washington himself would have crossed the South River on his way to Annapolis, this 17th century seaport has great views of the water, an archaeology museum, a reconstructed colonial village, and tons of fun activities for families and kids.
  • Visit the Galesville Heritage Museum  and download the Field Guide to Galesville : Start your visit at the Heritage Museum on Main Street and take a walk as you explore this quaint village in South County, where steamboats once frequented its wharves, and a ferry bringing summer vacationers from across the Bay. With great restaurants, playgrounds, County parks, several marinas, and sailboat races easily seen from shore on Wednesday and Friday evenings throughout the summer, plan to spend the day!

The Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area is a Maryland Certified Heritage Area that celebrates the history, culture, and natural beauty of Annapolis and across Anne Arundel County.  A 20-plus year collaboration between Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, and the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, we connect visitors and residents to over 60 incredible destinations, from world-class museums and historic homes to scenic parks, trails, nature preserves, and vibrant arts centers.