Cool East Coast Towns!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit some family on the Delaware Coast. We got very lucky with 80 degree temperatures and luxuriously warm ocean water temperatures. It was a fantastic week of swimming, playing tennis, and of course, doing homework. But besides that- I got to see some great historic towns. What else do expect of the East Coast!

First up was Ocean City, Maryland. Ok, I know that this seems far from a 'historic' town, but it does have a great history. (If you've never been there, think kitschy boardwalk, over-priced amusement park rides, water slides and LOTS of miniature golf. You can see what I mean from the picture below.


Don't let that fool you though, Ocean City has kept some of it's historic feel, just not a lot. Here is a classic example of a town investing in the tourist trade at all costs for economic gain. And sometimes, that's just what towns have to do to survive.
I'll be the fist to admit that I take full advantage of such craziness. You gotta look closely at that second picture- I just love the severed head behind Jimmy and I!


In a way this is all right in line with it's history. The town started as resort town in the mid to late 1800's and it's simply evolved with the times.

Ok, so Ocean City is fun and all, but let's move on to a real historic town. We visited Easton, Maryland one warm day and explored it's historic downtown. Colonists permanently settled in Easton in 1695 and the town was formally established in 1725. (Sure puts these Colorado towns to shame!) Here's a fantastic brick home circa 1805:

Since the late 17th and 18th century iron has been the towns industry. Later came steel, the Morse automobile, cotton and thread mills, and my personal favorite, the location of the spring supplying the oldest carbonated beverage company in the country.

The town has done a great job of restoring its older homes. Here's a few of my favorites:



The other thing about Easton homes that I absolutely loved are the big porches on most of the homes. Porches were very important in the days pre-airconditioning. Summers can get very hot and very humid in Maryland. Folks couldn't just adjust their thermostat on scorching hot days 100 years ago. Today porches are an after-thought, if they're considered at all when building new homes. We've lost the art of sitting outside on a summer evening and conversing with our friends and neighbors. I think we need to add a 'porch' movement to the increasingly popular 'slow food' movement. If only Americans could learn how to slow down and relax- we might see the beauty in these grand home additions.




Unfortunately we only had time to stop here in Easton for a little while. It was quite a tease for me really. To think of the plethora of fantastic historic towns all up and down the east coast- there's so much to see! I guess I'll just have to go back again soon and do more 'research'!