Whether you come from the western shore of Maryland or the Eastern Shore of Virginia, or anywhere else in the United States of America, you will not find another place on earth like Somerset County, Maryland. Spend one day on Deal Island and you may never want to leave. Sample the sunset; it's yours, take the memory home with you. Or, better yet, settle down here and enjoy for always. Some properties on or near the water come on the market occasionally.

When you cross the Deal Island Bridge, you enter a different way of life. Deal Island is the home of the Labor Day Skipjack Races and Land Festival, and also home to some of the men who make their living from the bountiful waters of the Chesapeake Bay -- this is watermen's country.

At the foot of the bridge you can see local watermen unload their day's catch observe a soft crab shedding operation, see how an oyster hatchery works, watch crab pickers' fingers fly, or take pictures of a skipjack. All of this can be done at Deal Island Harbor. Park the car and enjoy. Catch crab from the bulk-head. Fish, swim, and sunbathe at the beach. Go fly a kite, the breeze almost always allows it. Enjoy all that Tangier Sound has to offer. Put your boat over at the public ramp and catch your own wonders of the Bay!

Drive down the Island (it's only 3 miles long) and stop at some of our historic sites. The Bank building was opened in 1912 and closed after the crash of '29.

The "Parson of the Islands", Rev. Joshua Thomas, conducted much of his ministry from the site of his Chapel located behind St. John's M.E. Church. This was the site of many camp meetings, followers from Smith and Tangier Islands would arrive by boat to gain inspiration from Rev. Thomas.

Stop and tour the cemetery; family tragedies are recorded here along with many interesting epitaphs. Each church you pass will have its own cemetery with concrete slabs covering the graves. Because of the high water table on the Island, graves cannot be dug to the standard depth. The small, white church standing alone -- like a beacon -- has served the Island's Black community since 1877.

In Wenona, you will find a small, very snug harbor with several skipjacks, the last of the 19th century oyster fleet. These single-masted vessels still dredge for oysters each winter. State law allows them to use their "yawl boats" for power only on Monday and Tuesday. From 1,000 skipjacks at the turn of the century just over 20 remain and fewer than that still work today. The rest are at the bottom of the Bay, in guts somewhere, or just plain gone. Can the remaining ones survive the present to preserve part of the past for the future?

Stop and chat with locals at the family-owned and run soft crab operations. Soft crabs from Deal Island and Wenona are shipped (fresh and frozen) all over the world.

We're glad we could take you on this tour of Deal Island. Please feel free to stop again (in person) and at any place you choose! We're friendly here and we value your company. Please come back!

On your way to Deal Island, don't overlook these other historic towns: Champ, Oriole, Monie and St. Stephen.

From the brochures: Deal Island and Tourist's Guide to Deal Island, published by Island Seafood Deli, Inc., Deal Island, MD