Old Stevensville Depot, Stevensville, Maryland

Where is Stevensville, Maryland?  You have probably passed by this town many times that is if you are a regular traveler across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as Stevensville is located on the east end on the bridge.  The historic district is located just north of U.S. Route 50 / 301 on Maryland Route 18.  A walk through the historic district gives you a feel of life in the old days of the town.

Now some of you are saying, “I love visiting these old towns.  The problem is that there are no railroads in Stevensville.  Therefore, there is no reason for me to visit this town.”

You are right.  There are no railroads in Stevensville, but that was not always the case.

Before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was built, the only way to cross the Chesapeake Bay was by ferry.  A ferry terminal was located at Love Point on the north side of Kent Island of which the town of Stevensville is located.  From this terminal, the ferry transported passengers and goods to points across the bay saving travel from having to travel around the north end of the bay which would today add three hours of travel.  (In the old days, it would take at least a day.)  How did people and goods get to and from Love Point?  One of the ways was the Queen Anne’s Railroad Company.  The railroad ran from Love Point to the coastal town of Lewes, Delaware.  One of the stops on the line was the town of Stevensville.  Sadly, the rail line was discontinued, and the tracks were taken up.  The Stevensville depot was spared demolition and was moved to a location behind the Rustico Restaurant and Wine Bar on Cockey Lane.  The island portion of the rail line is now the Cross Island Trail, and you can walk along the route when trains once ran.  The depot can be seen twenty-fours hours a day and features the depot, and old caboose (with no wheels), and a short stretch of track plus a railroad crossing sign.  The depot is part of the Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne’s County.  (The depot itself is not open except on certain occasions.)  Parking is available right next to the depot, but the grounds are not suitable for wheelchairs.  You can read more at https://www.historicqac.org/historic-site/stevensville-train-depot/

They next time, you go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, take a short detour into the Stevensville Historic District, a district with a history of a railroad.