welcome to the mural trail

See one or all of the murals that are part of the Chesapeake Mural Trail in Dorchester County, Maryland – including the Harriet Tubman Mural that became a viral sensation! These murals highlight bits of Dorchester’s culture and history along the Michener Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway. The eight murals described below were created by Michael Rosato, a nationally known muralist who lives here in Dorchester County. Read the interesting story of how Michael became a muralist and what drew him to Dorchester. 

AUDIO GUIDE: Enrich your experience of the Mural Trail by downloading the new audio guide, and listen as the artist talks about his inspiration behind each mural.

Download the audio app on Google Play.
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MORE MURALS: There are also a growing number of other murals throughout Dorchester County, now home to more than 20 murals. Keep scrolling for descriptions and locations!

Harriet Tubman Mural

“Take My Hand” is a powerful image of Harriet Tubman inviting the viewer to join her on her journey to freedom. The mural is on the outside of the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center in downtown Cambridge, Maryland. Tubman was born into slavery just a few miles from the mural, went on to escape in 1849, and then returned more than a dozen times over the following decade, risking her life again and again to lead others to freedom. Before it was even completed in May 2019, images of the mural went viral, attracting attention and media stories all over the world, and inspiring people to drive hours just to see it in person.  (Learn more about Tubman through the Harriet Tubman Byway, a driving tour of 45 sites in the area.) Mural created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Exterior of Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, 424 Race St, Cambridge, MD 21613

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

“When you look at this mural, I wanted  it to evoke a number of the words that would describe Harriet Tubman: power, strength love, family. There is so much to learn about Harriet Tubman. This is an incredible American icon, not just a woman, an African-American woman, but it contains all the American spirit.”

Goose on the Caboose Mural

An unused train caboose owned by Powell Real Estate became the canvas for a richly textured depiction of Canada geese seeming to break out of the caboose, with a view of the marsh behind them. Canada geese are a frequent sight in Dorchester County, especially during spring and fall migration. Mural created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Powell Real Estate, 200 Trenton St, Cambridge, MD 21613

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

“As the days of summer shortened he would tell his boys, ‘Some day now,’ and each morning he would test the wind, and he could guess within two days of when the great birds would come sailing in, their raucous voices filling the air with protest as they argued where to land, and when they finally agreed upon his marsh he would run out as if to embrace them, for they shared this sanctuary with him, and like the deer, they were safe from his gun so long as they stayed here.” (Chesapeake, page 148, The Marsh).

Big Bird Mural

J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. is the oldest continuously operating crab factory in the world, so a mural on the side of the building just had to include a crab. But what will catch your eye first is a stunning great blue heron about to chow down on his own private crab feast. Mural created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: You’ll get a good view of the mural from the drawbridge over Cambridge Creek (near Maryland Avenue and Academy Street). For a closeup view, go to J.M. Clayton at 108 Commerce St., Cambridge, MD and walk around the back of the building.

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

“’Kraannk, kraannk!’ It was one of the ugliest sounds in nature, as awkward and ungainly as the creature that uttered it, but to Pentaquod it meant the return of a friend, and he rushed to the water’s edge to welcome Fishing-long-legs as that inelegant bird landed in a crash and a clutter, throwing mud and water as it dug its feet in to stop…. Suddenly the bird looked up, saw (Pentaquod) and at the same time saw in the waters below the choicest morsel in the bay. With a swift dart of its beak the small head dived, caught its prey and raised it head exultantly, throwing the catch in the air, then snapping it in two.” (Chesapeake, page 17, The River)

“’What is crab?’ Pentaquod asked, and Scar-chin replied, ‘When Manitou, the Great Power, finished populating the river with everything our village required—pine trees for canoes, deer to feed us in summer, geese and oysters for winter—He saw that we were grateful and well disposed.  So in His grace He created one thing more, to stand as a token of His eternal concern.  He made the crab and hid him in our salty waters.’” (page 25, The River)

Native American Life Mural

The side of the Vienna Community Center was transformed into something of a timeline of local history, beginning with Native American culture and continuing through the time of colonial settlers. The mural is located in Vienna, Maryland, a town established more than 300 years ago on the banks of the Nanticoke River. The river and a waterfront park are just a few hundred feet from the mural. Captain John Smith explored waterways in this area in the early 1600s. Mural created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Murphy Community Hall, 104 Race St., Vienna, MD 21869

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

This mural is not inspired by specific passages in the Chesapeake text—it is inspired by the whole story. The vignettes in this mural span the history of Vienna from the early Indians through to the early modern period. This mirrors the historic sweep of the story of Chesapeake.

1. Native Americans:  A Nanticoke Indian aims his bow and arrow at a duck from his canoe on the river. A typical Indian village is visible on the far shore in the background.
2. Nanticoke-European Contact:  Captain John Smith approaches the Chief of the Nanticoke Indians on the shore of the river. Smith’s shallop and crew are visible in the background.
3. Colonial Period:  Two surveyors look over plans for Vienna town layout. In the middle background, boatbuilders are busy working on the hull of a boat. In the far background, boats are moored on the river.
4. Civil War Period:  Governor of Maryland Holliday Hicks is seen stumping on a platform in the center of town. Around him, horses and carts carry goods to and from the ferry, depicting the brisk trade in farm goods, fur and tobacco of that period.
5. Early Modern Period:  This scene shows a sloop moored at the dock, unloading supplies and taking on a cargo of seafood. In the middle background you see the steam engine of the period crossing the Nanticoke.  In the far background is visible the power plant that brought electricity to the area.

East New Market Murals

Historic East New Market is home to two murals across the street from each other at the small town’s main intersection. One is on the Mason building; the other is on the municipal building. Both murals capture a sense of the business and commerce of the area. One shows trading between Native Americans and settlers; the other shows a train, a nod to the important role railroading played in this area. Murals created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Main Street (Route 16) and Railroad Avenue (Route 14), East New Market, MD 21631

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

“On the Eastern Shore…there would be no town or village until the close of the century; even famous settlements like Oxford, Cambridge and Easton would not come till late, and this was understandable, for it was only at the ends of the innumerable peninsulas that pioneers settled….But wherever men accumulate, towns begin mysteriously begin to form…” (Chesapeake, page 149, The Marsh)

“…But now, with the possibility of a rail system running the length of the peninsula and connecting with the North at Philadelphia and the South via Norfolk, the Eastern Shore had a bright future…” (page 566, The Railroad)

‘Ode to Watermen’ Mural

This mural honoring local watermen graces the outside of the Dorchester County Visitor Center facing the Choptank River. The 33-foot by 11-foot mural, which shows three watermen harvesting oysters, is visible from the Malkus Bridge for people driving into Cambridge. Get a close-up view from the elevated walkway near the main entrance or by strolling from the Visitor Center parking lot down the curving boardwalk toward the water, and then turn around for a look. Be sure to stop in the Visitor Center for information about the area, exhibits, restrooms, and more. The Visitor Center is open daily, 8:30am-4:30pm, except major holidays. Mural created by Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Dorchester County Visitor Center, 2 Rose Hill Place, Cambridge, MD 21613

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

“We have observed Thy day with prayers and have sought Thy blessing upon our families. Now we ask Thee guide this boat to where the arsters sleep awaiting our coming. Lord, make the harvest a rich one. St. Peter, guardian of fishermen, protect us. St. Partick, who crossed the sea, watch over this boat. St. Andrew, who fished the Sea of Galilee, guide us to our catch.

“They needed prayers, for their work was both hard and dangerous. When Captain Jake felt that the Jessie T was properly positioned over the invisible bed, he ordered Caveny and the three Turlocks to drop the two dredges, one port, one starboard, and when these iron-pronged collectors had bounced over the bottom long enough, he tested the wires holding them, calculating whether the load was adequate, and when he was satisfied, he ordered the dredges hauled aboard. Now the muscle work began…” (Chesapeake, page 676)

Local African-American Heritage Mural

The mural highlights Cambridge’s rich African-American history, culture and heritage, particularly in the community around Pine Street, which is one of the oldest African-American communities in the country that dates back to the mid-1800s. The 11-foot-by-48-foot mural was created by artist Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: Near the corner of Maryland Avenue and Route 50 in Cambridge, MD 21613

INSPIRATION FOR THE MURAL:

Artist Michael Rosato met with community members to discuss the mural’s design and to get ideas about the people and places they thought should be included. The final product is a mix of some of Dorchester’s most well-known citizens, as well as “ordinary” people. Rosato explained that the design of the mural is very deliberate. “At the center of the mural is Harriet Tubman, who is a symbol of courage, hard work, perseverance, and loyalty to her family and community,” he said. “Everything radiates out from her, from her heart and center.” (Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, just a few miles away from the mural.)

To Tubman’s left and right are leaders, including Gloria Richardson Dandridge, a key figure in the civil rights movement in Cambridge in the 1960s, and small business owners and everyday people whose contributions may not be as well known but resonate to this day—a bricklayer, a barber, a baker, a farmer, a high school athlete, and more. Other figures in the mural represent a Tuskegee airman; Dr. J. Edwin Fassett; Nurse Maxine Magee, one of the first African-American public health nurses in the country; and Ella Fitzgerald, one of many popular African-American musicians who performed on Pine Street. “Several of the people in mural are looking out, engaging you, inviting you to learn more about them,” Rosato explained. “To me, it’s a very upbeat, positive look at this vibrant community and its accomplishments over the decades.”

Hurlock Mural

The mural celebrates Hurlock’s history as a hub for railroading during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The town began from a Dorchester/Delaware Railroad station built in 1867. Hurlock’s growth was greatly influenced by the construction of a second railroad, the Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic in 1890.  The town was incorporated in 1892. The mural was created by artist Michael Rosato.

LOCATION: 101 Poplar Street, at the corner of Poplar and Main Streets, Hurlock, MD 21643

MORE MURALS

Dorchester is home to several other spectacular murals, including:

Dorchester Women’s Mural

This vibrant mural features a dozen of Dorchester County’s remarkable women from the past and the present. Created by artist Bridget Cimino; funded by the Cambridge Community Arts Foundation; completed in 2022. The 12 women featured, from left to right: Yogananda Pittman, assistant chief and former acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police; Gloria Richardson Dandridge, civil rights activist; Anna Ella Carroll, advisor to President Lincoln; Rear Admiral Sara Joyner; Underground Railroad hero Harriet Tubman; actress Bea Arthur; and legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley. On the second mural, clockwise from the left: Lyda Meredith, first female surgeon in Dorchester County; Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley; Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbot, Chief of the Nause-Waiwash; Dakota Flowers, six-time muskrat skinning champion; and Fronie Jones, long-time employee and champion crab picker at J.M Clayton Company. Photo here by Paul Clipper.

LOCATION: 518 Poplar St., Cambridge, MD 21613

Chesapeake College Mural

Completed in 2021, this vibrant mural by Red Swan (a mural studio out of Baltimore) features a little green heron, egret, and great blue heron – three of the water birds often seen in Dorchester County. Plus some of the creatures found in local waterways as a nod to the Horn Point Lab, located in Cambridge, whose scientists study organisms and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

LOCATION: 418 Race St., Cambridge, MD 21613

Bungalow Wings Mural

Created by Hoopers Island artist Ed Krell, this mural depicts several iconic scenes on Hoopers Island – a small, authentic waterman’s community flanked by the Chesapeake Bay and the Honga River. The mural was borne out of coincidental meeting of Krell and Kelly Ellis-Neal, who had recently bought property behind the Hoopers Island post office. She had always dreamed of a large-scale mural, and soon, Krell was creating the mural on a building on her property. The mural is lit up at night (as long as there’s no heavy rains or flooding). “‘Bring light into the darkness’ – that’s our mission,” says Ellis-Neal. While the mural is on private property, it is open for viewing by the public.

LOCATION: 1123 Ballpark Road, Fishing Creek, MD 21634. Near the corner of Hoopers Island Road and Ball Park Road (behind the post office).

Believe Mural

This inspirational mural was completed in 2021 by local artist Bobbie Jo Ennels and is meant to remind everyone to believe in themselves.

LOCATION: Foxwell’s Short Stop, 911 Washington St., Cambridge, MD 21613

Pine Street Mural

Completed in fall 2021, this mural is located on Pine Street in Cambridge in a neighborhood that was known as Black Wall Street in the early and mid-1900s for the number of Black-owned businesses. The mural depicts scenes from the civil rights movement in the 1960s, including Gloria Richardson who lived in Cambridge and was one of the few women leading the national civil rights movement. It also shows what the building once was – a gas station.

LOCATION: Pine Street Deli, 700 Pine Street, Cambridge, MD 21613

Black Lives Matter Mural

Created by artist Miriam Moran and community volunteers in the 400 block of Race Street in downtown Cambridge in 2020, this Black Lives Matters mural incorporates some local history,  including the likenesses of  Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, both of whom were born on the Eastern Shore. It has been updated and added to since 2020 on each Juneteenth (June 19).

LOCATION: In front of 429 Race St., Cambridge, MD 21613

Mosaic Mural

Located on the side of a downtown Cambridge building by Cannery Way, a brick courtyard where events are occasionally held, this exterior mural was created by local artists Willy Schlossbach and Jen Wagner. A combination of mosaic and paint, the mural traces Cambridge’s history from Native American times to more recent times.

LOCATION: Near 432 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613

Honey Bee Trading Post Mural

An artwork by folk artist Danny Doughty, the mural on the inside wall depicts vibrant Eastern Shore scenery. Doughty once lived in and had a studio in Cambridge.

LOCATION: 432 Race St., Cambridge, MD 21613

American Legion Post 243 Flag Mural

This mural of the U.S. flag was painted by nationally known artist Scott LoBaido of New York. He dedicated himself to painting the flag on one veterans’ post in each state — and for Maryland, he chose an exterior wall of the American Legion Post 243 in Hurlock. He painted it as a gift to those who have served.

LOCATION: 57 Legion Dr, Hurlock, MD 21643

Wizard of Oz Mural

Located on a large exterior wall of the Cambridge Premier Cinemas, this captures the movie classic “Wizard of Oz” with Dorothy and friends on the Yellow Brick Road.

LOCATION: 2759 Dorchester Square, Cambridge, MD 21613 (In the Wal-Mart shopping center on Route 50; mural is on the wall facing Wal-Mart)

Cambridge Marketplace Mural

The entrance/exit to this shopping center features work by muralist Michael Rosato. “Marsh Song” captures the natural progression of seasons, and features wood ducks taking flight from a body of water, as well as other birds.

LOCATION: 700-726 Cambridge Marketplace Blvd., (off Route 50), Cambridge, MD 21613

Coretta Scott King Mural 

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” With this powerful quotation from the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., this mural created by Miriam Moran sends a message to the residential neighborhood where it’s located. Completed in 2021.

LOCATION: 1024 Cosby St., Cambridge, MD 21613