Solomons, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Solomons is a community and census-designated place
(CDP) in Calvert County
, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,536 at the 2000 census. Solomons is considered a popular weekend destination spot amongst many living in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (15.96%) is water.
Solomons Island is on the north side of the mouth of Patuxent River
, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay
. It is just across from the U.S. Patuxent River Naval Air Station (on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River).
businessman Isaac Solomon, who established a cannery there shortly after the Civil War
. Solomons' home still stands on the front of the island.
The area has, however, been inhabited since colonial times.
, Commodore
Joshua Barney
's flotilla sailed from here to attack British vessels on the Chesapeake Bay
. The deep, protected harbor has been a busy marine center ever since.
, and in numerous other military operations. Three naval bases were established at the mouth of the nearby Patuxent River
. These three facilities made a major contribution to the war effort and brought new jobs to local residents. Between 1942 and 1945, the population of Solomons increased from 263 to more than 2,600. Over 60,000 troops trained at Solomons during the war.
Ironically, many of the servicemen who trained at the Solomons Maryland base, were sent to fight at the Solomon Islands
in the Pacific Ocean.
Solomons was the site of the following U.S. Navy activities during the war:
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
, until 1977 when the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge was built. The bridge leads from just off Solomons Island proper to Saint Mary's County, Maryland
and the Patuxent Naval Air Station.
where visitors can climb atop a former lighthouse, harbor cruises, and occasional famous performer concerts outdoors. Solomons also has three major hotels, a U.S. Navy family recreation center, and a church retirement home. St. Peter's Chapel
is an historic 1889 Carpenter Gothic
-style church that is still in use today.
The Annmarie Garden in Solomons is a Smithsonian
-affiliated forested sculpture park where creations of Kenneth Snelson
, George Rickey
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
and other major sculptors are on exhibit. Most sculptures are on loan from the National Gallery
or the Hirshhorn Museum
. The site is both a family-friendly place with educational activities for children and also a host of world class professional artwork including art by Picasso, Matisse, and Miró
---the three were highlights of the 2008 opening exhibit of the new gallery space, the Arts Building. In a traffic circle
outside the Arts Building stands a landmark bronze
fountain-sculpture made for Annmarie Garden which depicts a Chesapeake Bay
waterman standing in a boat while holding oyster-harvesting tongs. During the warm season, water pumped through concealed ductwork emerges and cascades out of the tongs' jaws and also over a shellfish-sorting riprap on the Tongers boat. The fallen water pools around the boat in a map-shaped decorative basin where sometimes visiting children splash their feet. Since 1993, Annmarie Garden has hosted an outdoor national juried arts festival at which typically around 100 traveling artists encamp in display tents for a weekend to sell their wares.
Solomons is also home to the infamous Tiki Bar of Solomons Island. The weekend of the annual opening of the Tiki Bar brings tens of thousands of visitors to the Tiki Bar and other Solomons Island establishments.
, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.
There were 689 households out of which 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 13.1% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 41.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,532, and the median income for a family was $74,318. Males had a median income of $64,833 versus $34,313 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,049. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Calvert County
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,536 at the 2000 census. Solomons is considered a popular weekend destination spot amongst many living in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area is a combined statistical area consisting of the overlapping labor market region of the cities of Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Jefferson County in the Eastern Panhandle of West...
.
Geography
Solomons is located at 38°20′11"N 76°27′51"W (38.336431, −76.464102).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (15.96%) is water.
Solomons Island is on the north side of the mouth of Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. It is just across from the U.S. Patuxent River Naval Air Station (on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River).
Early settlers
Originally called Bourne's Island (1680), then Somervell's Island (1740), Solomons, also known as Solomons Island, takes its name from 19th century BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
businessman Isaac Solomon, who established a cannery there shortly after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Solomons' home still stands on the front of the island.
The area has, however, been inhabited since colonial times.
Building ships for the fishing fleet
In the 19th century, shipyards developed to support the island's fishing fleet. The Marsh Shipyard built schooners and sloops, but became famous for its bugeyes, the forerunner of the skipjack. In the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney was a commodore in the United States Navy, born in Baltimore, Maryland, who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Revolutionary War:...
's flotilla sailed from here to attack British vessels on the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The deep, protected harbor has been a busy marine center ever since.
Supporting the U.S. Navy during World War II
During World War II, the island was chosen by the Allied command as the site for training amphibious invasion forces. The lessons learned at Solomons proved invaluable on D-Day, at Tarawa, GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, and in numerous other military operations. Three naval bases were established at the mouth of the nearby Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
. These three facilities made a major contribution to the war effort and brought new jobs to local residents. Between 1942 and 1945, the population of Solomons increased from 263 to more than 2,600. Over 60,000 troops trained at Solomons during the war.
Ironically, many of the servicemen who trained at the Solomons Maryland base, were sent to fight at the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
in the Pacific Ocean.
Solomons was the site of the following U.S. Navy activities during the war:
- Naval Mine Warfare Test Station.
- Naval Amphibious Training Base.
- Mine Warfare Experimental Station.
- Naval Dispensary, Naval Amphibious Training Base
Construction of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge
Solomons was a rather isolated boat-building town housing the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
With 1925 origins as a research station on Solomons Island, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is one the University System of Maryland's two scientific research centers...
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is a marine science laboratory on the Chesapeake Bay in Solomons, Maryland, and it is the oldest state-supported marine laboratory on the East Coast of the U.S. It was founded in 1925 in a small waterman's shack by Dr. Reginald V. Truitt and is part of...
, until 1977 when the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge was built. The bridge leads from just off Solomons Island proper to Saint Mary's County, Maryland
Saint Mary's County, Maryland
Saint Mary's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 105,151. Its county seat is Leonardtown...
and the Patuxent Naval Air Station.
Present-day attraction to tourists
The town now welcomes tourists with numerous marinas, seafood restaurants, gift shops, a boardwalk, an upscale gourmet grocery, a sculpture garden, The Calvert Marine MuseumCalvert Marine Museum
The Calvert Marine Museum is a maritime museum, founded in 1970, located in Solomons, Maryland. Among its exhibits are the Drum Point Light and the bugeye Wm. B. Tennison, the latter a National Historic Landmark. It also houses artifacts from the old Cedar Point Light, and maintains the Drum...
where visitors can climb atop a former lighthouse, harbor cruises, and occasional famous performer concerts outdoors. Solomons also has three major hotels, a U.S. Navy family recreation center, and a church retirement home. St. Peter's Chapel
St. Peter's Chapel
St. Peter's Chapel is an historic Carpenter Gothic-style Episcopal church building located at 14590 Solomon's Island Road, South, in Solomons, Calvert County, Maryland. Built in 1889, it features the steep roof, lancet windows and board and batten siding typical of Carpenter Gothic churches. In...
is an historic 1889 Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
-style church that is still in use today.
The Annmarie Garden in Solomons is a Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
-affiliated forested sculpture park where creations of Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson is a contemporary sculptor and photographer. His sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of 'tensegrity', although Snelson does not use the term....
, George Rickey
George Rickey
George Rickey was an American kinetic sculptor.Rickey was born on June 6, 1907 in South Bend, Indiana.-Life and work:...
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor. He was born on 23 June 1926, in Morciano, Romagna, Italy. He currently lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro was also a sculptor....
and other major sculptors are on exhibit. Most sculptures are on loan from the National Gallery
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
or the Hirshhorn Museum
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
. The site is both a family-friendly place with educational activities for children and also a host of world class professional artwork including art by Picasso, Matisse, and Miró
Miro
Miro may refer to:* Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, a reformist Iranian political organization* Prumnopitys ferruginea, an evergreen coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand.* Miro Technologies, an MRO supplier from California...
---the three were highlights of the 2008 opening exhibit of the new gallery space, the Arts Building. In a traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
outside the Arts Building stands a landmark bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
fountain-sculpture made for Annmarie Garden which depicts a Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
waterman standing in a boat while holding oyster-harvesting tongs. During the warm season, water pumped through concealed ductwork emerges and cascades out of the tongs' jaws and also over a shellfish-sorting riprap on the Tongers boat. The fallen water pools around the boat in a map-shaped decorative basin where sometimes visiting children splash their feet. Since 1993, Annmarie Garden has hosted an outdoor national juried arts festival at which typically around 100 traveling artists encamp in display tents for a weekend to sell their wares.
Solomons is also home to the infamous Tiki Bar of Solomons Island. The weekend of the annual opening of the Tiki Bar brings tens of thousands of visitors to the Tiki Bar and other Solomons Island establishments.
2006 Solomons Island Fire
On March 15, 2006, a large fire destroyed Bowen's Inn (established in the 1800s), The Lighthouse Inn restaurant (established in 1984), and a condominium building. The fire caused 5 million dollars in damages and was determined to be caused by a cigarette butt which was thrown into an adjacent dumpster that was located next to Bowen's Inn. High winds fueled the fire and distributed smaller fires all over the island as far as the Research Lab. No one was injured in the blaze. The smoke from the fires could be seen from miles away.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,536 people, 689 households, and 378 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 856.1 people per square mile (331.3/km²). There were 881 housing units at an average density of 491.0/sq mi (190.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.69% White, 6.64% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.33% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.
There were 689 households out of which 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 13.1% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 41.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,532, and the median income for a family was $74,318. Males had a median income of $64,833 versus $34,313 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,049. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.