When Somerset County, named in honor of Lord Baltimore’s sister Lady Mary Somerset, was first established by the Colony of Maryland in 1666, it encompassed more than 16,000 square miles on the Eastern Shore, including what are today’s Worcester and Wicomico Counties and part of lower Delaware. By the end of the 18th century, the county, much smaller in geography by then, had become home to more than 15,000 residents. Communities such as Crisfield, Deal Island, Princess Anne, Smith Island, and others have thrived since that time, with the industries of agriculture, seafood, and tourism sustaining the hardworking and spirited residents who have made their home in this county by the Chesapeake Bay.
