Strolling Historic Easton MD

Like many Marylanders, I’ve driven past Easton for many years. Easton is an historic town, established in 1710, on the Chesapeake Bay.

Last year, the quintessential festival of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Waterfowl Festival, brought me to Easton — and I fell completely for the town’s old timey charm and historic downtown.

There are a number of cute little boutiques to browse.

And antique stores galore.

I paused by the courthouse, noting the statue of Frederick Douglass, which was erected in 2011; Frederick Douglass, American hero and noted abolitionist, was enslaved from the time of his birth in 1818 at Wye House plantation near Easton until 1838.

Near the Douglass statue was a problematic statue celebrating the Talbot Boys — local men who fought against the United States during the Civil War. The county voted twice against removing the statue — the first time in 2015, and again in 2020 — but finally in September 2021, the council voted to remove the statue. I wonder if they recognized the opposition the two statues have to each other. EDIT: Shortly after this article was published, the Talbot Boys statue was removed to a private park in Virginia.

During my stay, the Tidewater Inn, located right in the middle of downtown Easton, served as my base of operations; this comfortable, elegant hotel was convenient to everything: the Waterfowl Festival itself, numerous restaurants, as well as pleasant morning walks around the streets.

Easton offers a variety of excellent restaurants such as Banning’s Tavern, Doc’s Downtown Grill and Hunter’s Tavern. Pro tip: for breakfast, be sure to check out Breakfast in Easton!