Small Museum Association

Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center

in historic Cape Charles on Virginia's Eastern Shore

The Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center opened in 1996 and is dedicated to preserving and presenting to the public the history of Cape Charles and surrounding areas. It is the hope of the Cape Charles Historical Society that inspiration from the richness of its past will help guide Cape Charles' renewal and growth.

The Town of Cape Charles was laid out in 1884 to be the southern terminus of the newly formed New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk (NYP&N) Railroad and the transfer point to elegant steamers traveling across the Bay to Norfolk. The town was a busy place for many years: four trains a day from NY, with automobile ferries added in 1931. But in 1950 the ferries moved to Kiptopeke Terminal seven miles south; Pennsylvania RR steamer service ceased in 1953, passenger trains in 1958. Freight passage via the link to tug and railroad barge continues to this day in one of the few such operations in the United States.

The architecture of Cape Charles houses has surprising aesthetic and historic interest thanks to a wide variety of styles and gingerbread ornamentation on the older houses. There are also fine examples of Sears Roebuck mail order houses from the 1920s. A walk or bike ride through Cape Charles is a good complement to a Museum visit.

Built by the Eastern Shore Public Service Company in 1947 to house two diesel powered electric generators and subsequently acquired by Delmarva Power, the Museum Building served as a peaking unit facility into the 1980s. One of the engines, a 16 1/2" bore Busch-Sulzer diesel fuel injection model, remains in the building as a permanent exhibit. It has been re-engineered to run as a demonstration unit, and the motion of the pistons and crankshaft can be viewed through Plexiglas windows.

The diesel which fueled the engines was delivered by rail from the line which runs behind the Museum. Freight trains still pass by to be loaded on barges at the railroad dock in Cape Charles Harbor and drawn by tug across the Bay to Little Creek in Norfolk, as implemented by Alexander Cassatt and William Scott, the town's 19th century founders. Scott, a wealthy Pennsylvania rail and coal magnate and close associate of Grover Cleveland, created a large and successful truck farm beside the new town. This farm is now the Bay Creek development and golf course.

Alexander Cassatt was the brother of Mary Cassatt, the noted American Impressionist painter who spent most of her life in France. Following his stint on the Eastern Shore, Cassatt rejoined the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1899 as president and introduced a number of technical innovations including the introduction of the air brake. His crowning achievement was the construction of the Pennsylvania Terminal in Manhattan, which required tunneling under the Hudson River. Unfortunately he did not live to see its completion, and the terminal was razed in the 1960s replaced by the Madison Square Garden complex.

The Society's caboose and baggage car are now located on the Museum siding, following the 2002 construction of a connecting switch to the Eastern Shore Railroad line. The former Bloxom passenger station, dating from the early 1900s and donated to the Society in 1999, has been reconstructed just east of the Museum building.

Exhibits and Collections:

The Historical Society is fortunate in having been given several rich collections of early postcards, photographs, timetables, documents, and objects from which exhibits are created. Subjects include the creation of Cape Charles in the 1880s, its houses, churches, schools, harbor and beachfront, commercial enterprises, railroad, ships, and the 1947 construction of the power plant building itself. Contributions continue to come in.

The huge Busch-Sulzer engine and Westinghouse generator remain the centerpiece of the exhibits, and can be run in demo mode for visitors on request.

Large models of the sailing vessels, steamships, barges, and ferries are always on display. A 10 foot long photograph of the ferry Pocahontas is a recent addition.

Academic and sports paraphernalia, including a 3 foot megaphone used at football games from the fondly remembered Cape Charles High School, are an ever popular exhibit.

As part of our mission, we have begun recording memories of some of our older residents, which are available on video at the Museum. Also on video (and for sale) is the last film made by Nell Shipman, a notable Canadian silent film actress and producer of the early 1900s, entitled "The Story of Mr. Hobbs," which was shot in Cape Charles in 1947.

The Museum has a small shop, and brochures are available on many nearby sites of interest. The long awaited book, "Cape Charles: A Railroad Town" by Jim Lewis can be purchased there as well as other local travel and history books.

To explore a large and growing collection of online Eastern Shore archival photographs, go to: http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/eshore/index.php. The site can also be reached from the website of the Eastern Shore Public Libr

The Historical Society holds two fundraising evening events annually: a Low Country Shrimp Boil on the Saturday of Garden Week, the last weekend in April, and an Oyster Roast on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Tickets available over the Internet. Call the Museum for current information.

Special Exhibitions in 2007

The Museum will join the statewide celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown with several special exhibits.

"Uncovering Home: A Visual Essay on Jamestown Archaeology" created by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will be at the Museum from May 1 through June 21. The exhibition consists of 12 large panels which use text and images to tell the story of Jamestown based on archeological evidence drawn from written records and artifacts.

Throughout the season there will be an exhibit of Indian projectile points found on the Eastern Shore and also a 2 ft model of Smith's Shallop with accompanying information about the voyage itself.

The Museum Shop includes special Jamestown memorabilia in addition to Eastern Shore books, postcards, children's toys, tee shirts, etc.

A lecture and powerpoint presentation on Life in 17th Century Chesapeake Region will be presented at the Museum on the evening of June 19th. Call the Museum 757-331-1008 for m ore information.

The Museum is open:

weekdays from 10 am to 2 pm;
Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm,
and Sundays from 1 - 5 pm
from the end of April through November.

Its facilities are available for programs, meetings, concerts, and social events.

For information on exhibits, research materials, and special events, or to request openings by appointment, call 757-331-1008 or write to:
The Cape Charles Historical Society,
P.O. Box 11, Cape Charles, VA 23310

Cape Charles is readily accessible from the Norfolk - Virginia Beach area and from Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Take U.S. 13 and follow signs to Cape Charles, about 10 miles north of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Go west on State Route 184. The Museum is 1.8 miles from the intersection of Rt. 13 and Rt. 184, a tall brick building on the south (left) side of the road as you enter the town, just past the water tower.

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