Snow Hill, Maryland

Snow Hill, Maryland
—  Town  —
Location of Snow Hill, Maryland
Coordinates: 38°10′30″N 75°23′27″W
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Worcester
Government
• Mayor	Stephen Mathews
• Town Council	Member List Rebecca Bowman Eric Mullins Gerald Shockley
Area
• Total	1.3 sq mi (3.5 km2)
• Land	1.3 sq mi (3.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,409
• Density	1,806.2/sq mi (697.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	21863
Area code(s)	410, 443
FIPS code	24-73075
GNIS feature ID	0587416
Website	www.snowhillmd.com

Snow Hill is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Worcester County.

History

Snow Hill was founded in 1686 in Somerset County by English settlers who may have named it after a street and neighborhood of the City of London called "Snow Hill". The town received its first charter on the October 26, 1686, and was made a port of entry in 1694.

In 1742, Worcester County was carved out of the eastern half of old Somerset County and Snow Hill, centrally located in the new county and at the head of navigation on the Pocomoke River, was made the county seat.

Major fires in 1844 and 1893 destroyed the center of Snow Hill, including two successive Court Houses, although some eighteenth century structures survived both fires. Following the second fire, much of the commercial area was rapidly rebuilt, so the downtown today contains many historic buildings of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Snow Hill Historic District, which includes approximately 80% of the town, was created in 2002.

In December 2010 a Snow Hill businessman started a petition to remove the towns incorporation and revert the area back to county control. The reasons given were lower county taxes, better services provided to the town, and a need for revitalization. The push was abandoned in January 2011.

Geography

Snow Hill is located at 38°10′30″N 75°23′27″W (38.175024, -75.390738).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,409 people, 862 households, and 555 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,806.2 people per square mile (699.3/km²). There were 964 housing units at an average density of 722.8 per square mile (279.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 56.00% White, 42.34% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.

There were 862 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,730, and the median income for a family was $38,657. Males had a median income of $25,439 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,560. About 14.8% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Snow Hill is the location of:

• Snow Hill Elementary School
• Snow Hill Middle School
• Snow Hill High School
• Cedar Chapel Special School

Religion

A number of Protestant religious denominations have churches in Snow Hill; several are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• All Hallows Episcopal Church
• Makemie Memorial Presbyterian Church
• Bates Memorial United Methodist Church
• Whatcoat United Methodist Church
• Ebenezer United Methodist Church
• Snow Hill Christian Church
• Old School Baptist Church
• Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Notable residents and natives

• Judy Johnson, was a major player in the Negro Baseball Leagues and later a scout for the Major Baseball League. In 1975 "Judy" Johnson was inducted into the Major Baseball League's Hall of Fame. Johnson was born William Julius "Judy" Johnson in Snow Hill, Maryland on October 26, 1900.
• John Walter Smith, Congressman for Maryland 1st District, 1899–1900; 44th Governor of Maryland, 1900–1904; U.S. Senator, 1907-1919. Born in Snow Hill on Feb 5, 1845.
• R. V. Truitt, first lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland, 1919–1927.
• Ephraim King Wilson II, U.S. Senator, 1885–1891; Congressman for Maryland 1st District, 1873-1874. Born in Snow Hill on December 22, 1821.

Snow Hill in popular culture

In 1999, some scenes of the Hollywood film, Runaway Bride (starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) were shot at the Snow Hill High School. The scenes at the baseball and football games were filmed behind the school.

See also

• Julia A. Purnell Museum
• Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum
• Mt. Zion One Room School

External links

• Town of Snow Hill website