Located near the mouth of the Bay, Chesapeake City is largely a product of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, built to create a more direct route between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay, thereby linking the ports of Philadelphia and Baltimore. It originated as a small settlement known as Bohemia Village, and its growth as the transfer point for goods led to its incorporation as Chesapeake City in 1850. It became a regional marketplace, with a large portion of its population working for the canal company or related maritime trades. Many of its frame buildings were constructed from the wood rafts and arks used to transport goods, recycled at Harvey Burgett’s sawmill and lumberyard. Most of its historic buildings are located on the south side of the canal, along Bohemia, George, and Charles streets, and date from the 1840s through the 1870s.
The canal was purchased by the federal government in 1919 as part of its military defense network to provide a sheltered alternative to Atlantic travel. The Army Corps of Engineers straightened the canal and removed the lock, signaling the city’s commercial decline by allowing ships to travel through unimpeded. Chesapeake City nevertheless maintains a vibrant historic commercial area near the waterfront.
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