Marion Station is a small
town in Somerset County that lies between Westover and
Crisfield. Originally, the town was originally designated as
"Colbourne Creek" and the center of activity lay several miles to
the west, on the banks of the creek..
Once the railroad to Crisfield was put through
in 1866, there was a need to erect a train station in
Marion. John C. Horsey donated the right of way for the
railroad and a train station and named the depot after his daughter,
Marion. Thus a thriving village grew up around "Marion
Station" and it later became the largest strawberry producing
area in the world.
Marion Station also built
the first hospital in Somerset County. Locals still remember
it as well as the movie house, blacksmith shops, grocery store and
hardware store. The Adams Hardware Store still stands and is
in remarkable condition. Anna Mae Adams-Pennewell, daughter of
J. Stanley Adams still opens the hardware store every morning
(except Sunday). She is 89 years old and can offer many
stories about the town and the people who have lived there.
Today the downtown area of Marion
Station looks much as it did 100 years ago. You can still see
the old buildings, bank and train station. Many of the
buildings are now vacant and there's not much activity in the old
downtown. The new Marion Fire Station now occupies one of the
main corners and the train station has been fully restored - serving
as the Acconhannock Indian Museum.
The remaining buildings
stand waiting for restoration and rejuvenation. Because of the
"vacant" appearance of the old town, Marion Station has
been deemed an official "ghost town" - the only one on the
Eastern Shore - by an ghosttowns.com, an internet site that monitors
ghost towns in America.
