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Easton, Maryland

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Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat[3] of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,101 at the 2020 census,[4] with an estimated population of 17,342 in 2022.[5] The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary is 21606. The primary phone exchange is 822, the auxiliary exchanges are 820, 763, and 770, and the area code is 410.

Easton, Maryland
Town
Flag of Easton, Maryland
Flag
Official seal of Easton, Maryland
Seal
Easton is located in Maryland
Easton
Easton
Location within the U.S. state of Maryland
Easton is located in the United States
Easton
Easton
Easton (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°46′18″N 76°4′14″W / 38.77167°N 76.07056°W / 38.77167; -76.07056
Country United States
State Maryland
CountyTalbot
Incorporated1790[1]
Government
 • MayorMegan Cook
Area
[2]
 • Total
11.52 sq mi (29.84 km2)
 • Land11.46 sq mi (29.68 km2)
 • Water0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
17,101
 • Density1,492.23/sq mi (576.15/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
21601, 21606
Area code410
FIPS code24-24475
GNIS feature ID0584235
Websiteeastonmd.gov

History

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Courthouse in Downtown Easton

18th century

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The town of Easton received its official beginning from an Act of the Assembly of the Province of Maryland dated November 4, 1710. The act was entitled, "An Act for the Building of a Court House for Talbot County, at Armstrong's Old Field near Pitt's Bridge". Pitt's Bridge crossed a stream forming the headwaters of the Tred Avon or Third Haven River. It was located at a point where North Washington Street crosses this stream, now enclosed in culverts, north of the Talbottown Shopping Center, and passes under the Electric Plant property. Prior to this date, the court had met at York, near the mouth of Skipton Creek. The court decided that this location was not convenient to all sections of the county and, in order to change the location, the above act of the Assembly was passed. As a result of this act, two acres of land were purchased from Philemon Armstrong, at a cost of 15,000 pounds of tobacco. Upon this tract, the same plot upon which the present Talbot County Courthouse now stands, the court house, a brick building 20 x 30 feet, was erected at a cost of 115,000 pounds of tobacco. The courts of the county were held in this building from 1712 until 1794. A tavern to accommodate those who attended court was one of the first buildings erected; stores and dwellings followed. The village was then known as "Talbot Court House". These were not the first buildings in the area. The frame meeting house of the Society of Friends was built between 1682 and 1684. The Wye plantation was settled in the 1650s by Welsh Puritan and wealthy planter Edward Lloyd and is owned and occupied by the 11th generation of that family.[6]

Easton may be named because of its location east of Saint Michaels; however, it is more likely that it was named after Easton in Somerset, England.[7]

20th century

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In 1916, the town erected the "Talbot Boys" statue in honor of Confederate soldiers from Talbot County.[8][9] It stood for 107 years before being removed in 2022 after years of controversy.[10]

In 1919, Isaiah Fountain, a black farmer from Trappe, was the last person to be legally executed on the Eastern Shore.[11] The case made national headlines and sparked outrage about racial injustice. After the first day of his trial, a mob of 2,000 assembled on courthouse grounds and attempted to grab and lynch Fountain.[12] This is the largest incident of mob violence in Talbot County history to date.

21st century

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In 2008, a lost painting of a Paris street scene by Édouard Cortès was discovered amongst donated items at a Goodwill Industries store in Easton. After an alert store manager noticed that it was a signed original, the painting was auctioned for $40,600 at Sotheby's.[13]

In 2011, local officials erected a statue of Frederick Douglass, the noted abolitionist, who was born a slave in 1818 at the Wye River plantation in northern Talbot County.[14]

In 2015, and again in August 2020, the Talbot County Council voted against removing the Talbot Boys statue,[9][15] but in September 2021, the council voted to remove the statue.[16] On March 14, 2022, the statue was removed.[10]

In 2018, Easton was named one of America's top 5 coolest places to buy a vacation home by Forbes.[17]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.67 square miles (27.64 km2), of which 10.56 square miles (27.35 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[18]

Climate

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The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Easton has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).[19]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18501,413—
18601,358−3.9%
18702,11055.4%
18803,00542.4%
18902,939−2.2%
19003,0744.6%
19103,0830.3%
19203,44311.7%
19302,092−39.2%
19404,528116.4%
19504,8366.8%
19606,33731.0%
19706,8097.4%
19807,53610.7%
19909,37224.4%
200011,70824.9%
201015,94536.2%
202017,1017.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]

As of the census[21] of 2020, there were 17,101 people, 7,195 households, and 4,079 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,509.9 inhabitants per square mile (583.0/km2). There were 7,405 housing units at an average density of 701.2 per square mile (270.7/km2). The racial make-up of the town was 73.1% White, 17.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.1% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race constituted 9.8% of the population.

There were 6,711 households, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.2% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the town was 41.2 years. Of residents 22.3% were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender make-up of the town was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

The median income for a household in the town was $94,991. 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods

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Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church in The Hill
  • Ashby Commons
  • Ashby Park
  • Beechwood
  • Bretridge
  • Calvert Terrace
  • Chapel East
  • Cookes Hope
  • Crofton
  • Easton Club
  • Easton Village
  • Golton
  • The Hill (America's oldest free Black community c.1790)
  • Lakelands
  • Mulberry Station
  • St. Aubins Heights
  • South Beechwood
  • South Clifton
  • Stoney Ridge (Corbin Parkway)
  • Matthewstown Run
  • The Waylands

Infrastructure

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Transportation

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US 50 westbound in Easton

U.S. Route 50 runs north–south through the eastern part of the town along Ocean Gateway, heading northwest toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and southeast toward Cambridge, Salisbury, and Ocean City. Maryland Route 322 bypasses Easton to the west along the Easton Parkway. Washington Street serves as the main street of Easton, running north–south, with the southernmost section connecting to MD 322 a part of Maryland Route 565. Maryland Route 33 heads west from Washington Street on Bay Street, leading to St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. Maryland Route 333 heads southwest from Washington Street on Peachblossom Rd, heading west to Oxford. Maryland Route 334 runs along Port Street between MD 322 and Washington Street. Goldsborough Street heads east from downtown Easton and becomes Maryland Route 328 upon crossing US 50, heading northeast to Denton. Dover Street heads east from downtown Easton and becomes Maryland Route 331 upon crossing US 50, heading southeast to Preston and Vienna. Maryland Route 309 begins at US 50 north of Easton and heads northeast toward Queen Anne. Maryland Route 662 heads north from Easton, paralleling US 50.[22]

Easton Airport, a general aviation airport, is located to the north of Easton.[23] The nearest airports to Easton with commercial air service are the Salisbury–Ocean City–Wicomico Regional Airport near Salisbury and the Baltimore–Washington International Airport near Baltimore.

Delmarva Community Transit provides bus service to Easton, operating multiple routes to towns in Talbot, Queen Anne's, Kent, Caroline, and Dorchester counties along with a shuttle to Chesapeake College and the local Route C and Route D buses serving points in Easton.[24]

 
Easton's train station

The Pennsylvania Railroad operated trains from New York and Philadelphia to Easton until the late 1940s.[25][26]

Utilities

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Easton Utilities, which is owned by the town of Easton, provides electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater service, cable, internet, and telephone service to the town. The utility commission was founded in 1914 and had control of all utility services in 1923, making Easton the first community in the state to own all its utility services.[27] Easton Utilities provides electricity to over 10,000 customers, with most electricity purchased and some also generated by the town during times of high prices.[28] The town owns 18 diesel-powered electric generators with a total capacity of 69 megawatts at two sites, one at a plant built in 1923 located in the center of town on Washington Street and the other located near the Easton Airport.[28][29] Easton Utilities provides natural gas to over 4,500 customers, with natural gas purchased from the Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company. The town's natural gas supply is piped from the Gulf of Mexico via an interstate pipeline to Federalsburg, where 100 miles (160 km) of steel and plastic mains then deliver it to customers in Easton. The town, which has owned the natural gas utility since 1923, formerly delivered gas to customers by burning coal at a plant on West Street, but converted to natural gas in 1966. Easton Utilities is the only municipal natural gas utility in Maryland.[30] Easton Utilities provides water to 6,800 customers, with 84 miles (135 km) of water mains and over 550 fire hydrants. The town gets its water from six wells that draw from underground aquifers, with the water then treated and stored. Easton Utilities provides wasterwater service to about 6,800 customers, operating more than 90 miles (140 km) of wastewater mains, six pumping stations, and a wastewater treatment plant.[31] Easton Utilities' cable service, branded as Easton Velocity, is one of a few municipal cable systems in the United States. The cable system in Easton was first built in 1984 and upgraded to a hybrid fiber/coax design in 2001.[32] Internet service through Easton Utilities is provided under the Easton Velocity brand, utilizing a fiber-optic network.[33] Easton Utilities' telephone service operates under the Easton Velocity DigitalVoice brand.[34] The town's Public Works department provides trash and recycling collection to Easton, with trash collection utilizing automated tipper cans.[35][36]

Health care

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University of Maryland Shore Regional Health operates the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton in Easton, a hospital with 112 beds, 20 acute care inpatient beds, and an emergency room.[37] In 1906, Judge William R. Martin commissioned Mary Bartlett Dixon to serve as the treasurer and help establish a hospital in Easton Maryland.[38] She began the hospital in a rented building, which later burned to the ground. Dixon and Elizabeth Wright Dixon received $43, 000 to construct the Memorial Hospital. Together, the woman began a nursing school in 1907.[39] The school was run by volunteers.[40]

Sports

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Easton was home to minor league baseball, as the Easton Yankees and other Easton teams played as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League between 1924 and 1949. Baseball Hall of Fame members Home Run Baker and Jimmie Foxx both played for Easton.[41][42]

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Octavia E. Butler's novel Kindred is set in part at a fictional plantation near Easton.[43]

Much of the 2005 film Wedding Crashers was filmed at the Ellenborough Estate in Easton.[44]

Notable people

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Notable landmarks

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See also: Easton Historic District (Easton, Maryland) and National Register of Historic Places listings in Talbot County, Maryland
 
Tidewater Inn
 
Trinity Cathedral

References

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  1. ^ "Easton, Talbot County, Maryland". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. May 26, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Talbot County, MD". County Explorer. National Association of Counties. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Population Estimates: Easton town, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Population Estimates: Easton town, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Hubbard, Sherwood M. "History of Easton" (PDF). EastonMD.gov. Town of Easton, Maryland. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1984). The Placenames of Maryland : their origin and meaning. Baltimore, Md.: Maryland Historical Society. p. 83. ISBN 0-938420-28-3.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Joseph Rocco; Stebenne, David L. (March 31, 2007). New City Upon a Hill, A History of Columbia, Maryland. p. 26. ISBN 9781614230991.
  9. ^ a b Campbell, Colin (May 16, 2016). "As Confederate symbols come down, 'Talbot Boys' endures". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Confederate 'Talbot Boys' Statue Removed From Courthouse For Relocation". WJZ-TV. March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Koper, Joe (July 23, 2023). "Notorious case ended in Easton Jail Hanging". The Star Democrat. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "100 years later: Sensationalized Fountain case appears to have faded from memory". Kent County News. July 23, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "Easton Team Scores Big!". Goodwill Connection (II): 8. 2008.
  14. ^ "Home of the Brave". Smithsonian. No. 48. 2017. p. 67.
  15. ^ Spector, Candice (August 12, 2020). "Vote keeps Talbot Boys in place". The Star Democrat. Easton, Maryland. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Oxenden, McKenna (September 15, 2021). "Talbot Boys Confederate monument to be removed on courthouse grounds on Maryland's Eastern Shore". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Taylor, Peter Lane. "America's Top 5 Coolest Towns To Buy A Vacation Home". Forbes. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Easton town, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 14, 2016.[dead link‍]
  19. ^ "Easton, Maryland Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  20. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  22. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (2013). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (2013–2014 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  23. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for ESN PDF, effective April 10, 2008
  24. ^ "Schedule" (PDF). Maryland Upper Shore Transit. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  25. ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Oxford Division: Table 83". Official Guide of the Railways. 78 (12). National Railway Publication Company. May 1946.
  26. ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Oxford Division: Table 83 [freight only]". Official Guide of the Railways. 82 (3). National Railway Publication Company. August 1949.
  27. ^ "History". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Electric". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  29. ^ Rein, Lisa (September 25, 2008). "Small Town Finds Its Little Utility Quite Empowering". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  30. ^ "Natural Gas". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  31. ^ "Water & Wastewater". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  32. ^ "Cable". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  33. ^ "Internet". Easton Utilities. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  34. ^ "Phone". Easton Utilities. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  35. ^ "Automated Tipper Cans". The Town of Easton, Maryland. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  36. ^ "Recycling". The Town of Easton, Maryland. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  37. ^ "Our Facilities". University of Maryland Shore Regional Health. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  38. ^ "Message from Charles Capute". ummhfoundation.org. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  39. ^ Claggett, Laurence (1999). Easton. Arcadia Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 9780738501710. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  40. ^ "Women". The Star Democrat. April 5, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Eastern Shore League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  42. ^ "Federal Park: Easton Maryland's hidden diamond". MiLB.com.
  43. ^ Snider, John C. (June 2004). "Interview: Octavia E. Butler". SciFiDimensions. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  44. ^ "The Story of the Ellenborough Estate". HouseHistree.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  45. ^ From a report by Amanda Barker "The Search for Frederick Douglass's Birthplace". Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010. as to the true location of Douglass's birthplace, and the difficulty of finding it.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  47. ^ a b c d e "Historic American Buildings Survey...Easton, Maryland". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
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