Down Maryland Route 20, as far south as you can go, lies a unique community that traces its history to the beginnings of the United States. Originally known as Rock Hall Crossroads, this quaint fishing town was first an important port-of-call for tobacco ships and later a primary fishing and crabbing center on the Chesapeake Bay.

The official date for the establishment of Rock Hall Crossroads is 1707, but many believe that the small collection of homes dates back much further. When water routes provided the most popular and safest mode of travel, Rock Hall was an important port for packets bringing people up the Bay from the south and Maryland’s Western Shore.The travelers came to join the overland routes headed north to Philadelphia and New York. George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson often traveled through Rock Hall.

For over 300 years, locals looked to the Chesapeake Bay and the Rock Hall waters to earn their living. The heritage of the “watermen” was passed from generation to generation, but several factors caused a sharp reduction in the commercial fishing industry by the end of the 20th century. Still, the local waters continue to lure pleasure boaters, sport fishermen, and tourists. The Rock Hall Museum and the Waterman’s Museum provide fascinating insights into the history of Rock Hall and its people.

Rock Hall offers pleasure boaters the finest cruising grounds and facilities on the Chesapeake Bay. Within easy cruising distance of Annapolis, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and points south like Oxford and St. Michaels, it is a popular home port. Boasting as many boat slips as residents, the town is second to none in fine marina facilities convenient to boaters from the Western Shore, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

There are picnic areas, playgrounds, ball fields, and tennis courts at the Civic Center and at other locations. There is an abundance and variety of accommodations in and around Rock Hall—bed & breakfasts, motels, and a campground.

New residential areas, bay-front homes, housing for the elderly, and condominiums are attracting resident newcomers to Rock Hall. It is a wonderful place for raising a family and for operating a business or professional service.