Local History, Special Collections, and Genealogy

A carefully restored early nineteenth century house, located in Berlin’s National Register Historic District, the main block of the house has been furnished as a house museum and the west wing as a gallery displaying local memorabilia.

Located on the banks of the beautiful Pocomoke River, the Delmarva Discovery Museum is housed in a historic Art Deco brick building, originally built in 1922 as a garage. The museum was conceived as a place where visitors could explore the rich history and natural world of Delmarva, the peninsula consisting of Delaware and the Eastern Shores of Maryland and Virginia. Today the museum offers a variety of exhibits, public events, and educational programs for visitors of all ages.

The Furnace Town Foundation provides community and educational programming, sharing the lore of those who worked in service of the Nassawango Iron Furnace, and lived in the Pocomoke Forest. We steward and interpret the Village of historic buildings, and their collections, to provide connections to the past, and the natural world.

A 2 room school was erected on the property by the Rosenwald Foundation in 1923. Grades 1, 2 and 3 in one room and Grades 4, 5, 6 & 7 in the other room. Pot belly stoves were used to heat room. When the Board of Education of Worcester County no longer needed such a school, on December 11, 1962, for the sum of $1, the Board of Education of Worcester County turned over the deed and property to the County Highway Association who ripped out the floor and windows and used it as truck and storage garage.

The Girdletree Barnes Bank is one of only two small banks remaining in Worcester County. It serves today as a museum, exhibiting items and memorabilia from this rural community's past.

Ramble and roam along this historically rich coast and countryside, replete with beautiful scenery that was shaped by both its coastal waters and indigenous horses.

St. Martin’s Church is a valuable resource in promoting the county’s historical and cultural heritage through educational programs and tourism. Therefore, the museum will open during many county historical open houses and museum days to promote our mission of preservation and education. It is a not for profit community educational center for the purpose of preserving the heritage of the site.

Costen House was built by Dr. Costen shortly after the Civil War and was lived in by members of his family for over a century. It is sponsored by the Spirit of Newtown Committee, founded in 1974, Myrtle A. Polk and a group of public-spirited citizens, when the home was threatened by demolition.

Today, the Julia A. Purnell Museum offers exhibits interpreting many aspects of Worcester County’s history. A time-line parallels the history of the County with that of the nation as a whole. The People of the Pocomoke exhibit informs visitors about the history of regional Native Americans. A “general merchandise” store exhibit welcomes guests back to a time when the community was built around the local general store. The Victorian Era is also represented, complete with displays of clothing, jewelry, toys, and household items. Machines illustrate the many “modern” improvements that took place during Julia Purnell’s lifetime. With such a wide variety of exhibits, the Julia A. Purnell Museum offers something for everyone.

Take some time to reminisce with our Ocean City Memories or let yourself travel back through time to join the heroic Surfmen of the US Life-Saving Service on a rescue mission.

In 1991 a local group, Queponco Railway Station, Inc., formed with the purpose of repairing and preserving the old railway station. The mission of this group is to save the station and to preserve the heritage of the village of Newark, as well as the railroad.

Rackliffe House Trust, a private non-profit foundation, has entered into a long-term lease with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of restoring the notable 18th century plantation house overlooking Sinepuxent Bay... and upon completion of reconstruction to open the property to the public as the Coastal Heritage Center, focusing on the life and times of the early seaside "merchant-planters."

Sturgis One Room School Museum, Inc. is an organization that actively works to preserve, promote, and protect the rich cultural heritage of Sturgis One Room School and educate our youth to value the school's cultural and historical richness.