Cecil County once had many thriving villages, each with a cluster of homes, a few shopkeepers and tradesmen, a schoolhouse, a physician, and almost everything one needed for daily life. While most of these places continued into the 21st century as residential communities, they no longer hummed with enterprising commercial activity the way they did in the past.
We recently visited one of those places, Bay View, once a bustling village in the center of the county. It was ideally situated in an area of fine farms, abundant harvests, access to the two major railroads, and nearby mills.
The village was initially called Shelemiah, a scriptural reference in the Old Testament. The first Methodist Church, the Shelemiah Methodist Church, was built there around 1830. The present church was built in 1879 1
Later generations were not entirely satisfied with the ancient name of the place so they sought a new one. They finally agreed upon the name Bay View, as from elevated points in the village there was a magnificent view of the head of the Chesapeake Bay and the North East River.
A post office opened in Shelemiah on Aug. 7, 1851, and the postmaster was Elihu B. Hall. On Aug. 25, 1856, the name was changed to Bay View. The office closed in Bay View on March 31, 1903. 2.
There were a number of enterprises in the village. Joseph T. Reed & Son were merchants in the community in 1893, according to the Star, They had been doing business in Bay View for 35 years. The Providence Woolen Mill owned by John F. Johnson produced a fine grade of bed blankets, horse blankets, cassimere’s, flannels, jeans, and yards. It had been erected in 1841 and had always been in the Johnson Family.3
Gilpin Falls flouring and grist mill was built in 1844 by John Patridge. He was succeeded by Coopers, who still owned the place. The mill excelled at brands of flour and feed.
Gilpin’s Rock, one of the most beautiful spots in the county, was a favorite picnic and resort spot during the summer months. A. T. Tyson was the village blacksmith and wheelwright. William Gamble’s cider mill was another attraction, especially for the thirsty types. The capacity of the mill was about 2,000 gallons per day. The gravel pit was owned by Matthew Russell
Sixty people lived in Bay View in 1882 (Peninsula Directory). The businesses included a stonemason, cooper, shoemaker, carpenters, auctioneer, millers, a music teacher, tobacconist, general store, a hotel and a blacksmith 4.
During January 1961, a Cecil Whig photographer visited the village and noted that the State Roads Commission has spelled the time’s name two ways. When entering the town from the south it was Bayview, while on approaching from Zion to the north it was Bay View.5
For Additional Photos see the Bay View Album on Facebook.
