Located in Somerset County, Maryland, Deal Island is a census-designated place within the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, featuring several historic attractions listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The three-mile-long Deal Island, surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Tangier Sound, was originally discovered by European explorers in the early 1600s, when a hurricane caused a shipwreck on the island’s shores of a ship connected to the explorations of Captain John Smith. Shipwreck survivors referred to the island as the “land of the Devil” due to its rough, marsh-filled environment. For the following century, the island was referred to as Devil’s Island and was used as a popular pirate hideout within the Chesapeake Bay region. Eventually, the island’s name was shortened to Deil Island, which was changed to Deal Island over time. The island’s local economy was historically centered around the shipbuilding and fishing industry, though the arrival of steamboats to the Chesapeake Bay in 1878 drastically altered the island’s industrial and social landscape. A major hurricane in 1933 caused substantial damage on the island, including the destruction of most major oystering and crab houses and the region’s steamboat wharf. Following the storm, the island was rebuilt as a small insular island community.

Attractions

Today, Deal Island is one of the last regions in the Chesapeake Bay to retain its historic character without experiencing the effects of modernism. The island is accessible from the mainland via a bridge on Maryland Route 363 and is home to three island communities, including Deal Island Village, Chance, and Wenona. The island is a census-designated place and spans a total land area of 3.2 miles.

Maryland Route 363, commonly known as Deal Island Road, spans the entire length of the community and is home to a number of public businesses and industrial facilities. Wholesale seafood is still produced within the community, including a full-scale oyster hatchery and crab pickers along the Deal Island Harbor. The harbor in Wenona is also home to several of the last few dozen remaining oyster-dredging skipjacks in the Chesapeake Bay region. The island’s Sea Gull skipjack is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the island’s Deal Island Historic District, St. John’s Methodist Episcopal Church, and Joshua Thomas Chapel, which preserves the body of Joshua Thomas, who famously predicted the defeat of British forces in the War of 1812.

Two local markets are offered in the town, including Lucky’s, which offers a deli and sit-down restaurant and sells groceries and alcoholic beverages. The family-owned Arby’s General Store has also been operated in Wenona Harbor since 1984, offering marine supplies, boating fuel, bait and tackle, and sundries and snacks. The adjoining Arby’s Bar and Grill offers American fare and draft beer offerings. Natural areas within the island and its surrounding region include the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area, which preserves a variety of duck and waterfowl species. A public beach is also offered along the island’s shore near the exit of the Deal Island Bridge. Kayaking opportunities are offered along the Monie Bay Water Trails, a network of three trails operated by the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine

Other outdoor activities for visitors include biking, fishing, kayaking, sailing, and wildlife watching and photography.

Deal Island has hosted an annual Skipjack Race on Labor Day weekend every year since 1959, which features traditional two-sail bateaux entrants. The Deal Island Yard Sale is also held Saturday through Monday of Labor Day weekend, featuring participants from a number of nearby communities. A Skipjack Bike Tour is held on the second Saturday in September, sponsored by the Chance Volunteer Fire Company and offering 15, 30, and 64-mile rides throughout the region. An annual Skipjack Run across the Deal Island Bridge is offered in conjunction with the Bike Tour. Monthly community talks are offered at a variety of locations throughout the island as part of the University of Maryland’s Deal Island Peninsula Project.

Deal Island-Chance Volunteer Fire Department, 10090 Deal Island Road, Deal Island, Maryland, 21821, Phone: 410-784-2612

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