Wetipquin Ferry

Throughout Wicomico County, hundreds of small streams, creeks, ponds, and lakes weave through the countryside, eventually draining into the Wicomico, Nanticoke, and Pocomoke Rivers. While most of these waterways are now crossed by well-constructed roads and bridges, there were once ferries still carrying vehicles across in a few lesser-traveled areas.

One such ferry operated at Wetipquin Creek in the western part of the county. Known as the Redden Ferry, it was a rope ferry guided by hand-pulled cables. A ferryman, using a wooden wrench, would walk the length of the barge, pulling the boat across the narrow stream using only the strength of his arms and back. The flat-bottomed boat, approximately forty-five feet long, could carry two cars at a time, with each trip taking only a few minutes. The ferry was maintained by the State Roads Commission.

The need for a bridge over Wetipquin Creek was a longstanding issue. On September 26, 1876, I. J. Cooper of Wetipquin wrote to the Salisbury Advertiser, appealing to the Wicomico County Commissioners. He stated:

"I would here say to the people of this county that we are under many disadvantages on account of having no bridges across Wetipquin Creek. Our voting place in Tyaskin District is nearly equally divided by said creek, with no public ferry and our voting place is at Nanticoke Point. Therefore, we are put to great inconvenience for the want of a bridge. I call the attention of the Commissioners and all other interested parties that we need a bridge over Wetipquin Creek."

Despite this appeal, the ferry continued to operate for decades. According to the Minutes of the Wicomico County Commissioners Meeting on October 22, 1878, the first person officially bonded to operate the Wetipquin Ferry was Mr. Hurley, who earned $150 for the year. On August 14, 1899, the Salisbury Advertiser published the Wicomico County Expense Account for the budget year of 1896–1897, listing George Moore and Robert C. Mitchell as ferry operators.

The 1900 U.S. Census of Wicomico County recorded the first known family living in the ferry house. James Brown his wife was Leavenia Hackett Brown, their six children, and a nephew, Thomas Hackett (a farm laborer), resided there. Over the years, many other individuals operated the ferry, continuing the service for nearly a century.

It wasn't until December 1958 that a new push for a bridge gained momentum. A Salisbury Times article reported that Wicomico County Commissioners had authorized County Public Works engineers to draft plans for a bridge to replace the aging ferry. The preliminary sketches proposed a 17-foot-span timber bridge with six feet of clearance. County road supervisors estimated the total cost to be around $35,000, with an additional $3,000 for approach work. The plan required approval from both the State Roads Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Finally, in 1961, the long-awaited bridge was constructed, marking the end of the Wetipquin Ferry and closing a significant chapter in Wicomico County’s transportation history.