The Chesapeake City Museum, an idea around 40 years in the making, finally opened to the public Saturday. The museum, at 98 Bohemia Avenue is dedicated to showing the history of the town, with over 1,000 items in its archives.
Many of the items were first collected by longtime resident Harriett Davis, who first came up with the idea of creating a museum to showcase the townâs history. Davis, a member of the Chesapeake City District Civic Association who passed away in 2020, had boxes of items stored in the room that now is the home of the museum.
Davis started Canal Day in 1985 as a fundraiser for the museum, despite the event lasting for over two decades, the concept of the museum was never able to draw enough volunteers.
By Carl Hamilton
cahamilton@cecilwhig.com Apr 29, 2021
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA MALLOY
A neighbor captured this photo of a Cherry Lane house on fire,
just moments after the blaze was intentionally set Thursday
afternoon.
CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY CARL HAMILTON
Firefighters battle a blaze in the unit block of Cherry Lane,
northeast of Elkton, on Thursday afternoon.
CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY CARL HAMILTON
Averee Hammond, 24, and Travis Sellers, 25, were doing work
across the street when they watched a woman set fire to a house on
Cherry Lane. Sellers rescued another woman who was trapped in the
basement.
CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY CARL HAMILTON
CHESAPEAKE CITY â Even if they are still setting up displays, volunteers are determined that that Chesapeake City Museum will open Saturday.
âWeâve spent the last year getting this ready to go,â said Rowan Cloud, curator of the museum at 98 Bohemia Avenue. âThere have been plans for a Chesapeake City Museum since the 1980s.â
Those plans included Harriet Davis, who died in June 2020. Davis was known in town for her civic passion, which included leading the Historic Commission.
âSo we said âLetâs go ahead and do this in her honor,ââ Cloud said.
Cloud worked with Ava Zechiel and Holly Roddy to design and organize the space in Suite B. All are volunteers.