Snow Hill is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Worcester County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States. The population was 2,156 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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 The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

called " Snow Hill" despite the location's elevation of just above sea level and the infrequency of snowfall. The town received its first charter on 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 The Pocomoke River stretches approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 from southern Delaware through southeastern Maryland in the United States. At i ...

, was made the

. Major fires in 1844 and 1893 destroyed the center of Snow Hill, including two successive court houses, but some 18th-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 19th and early 20th centuries. The Snow Hill

Historic District A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

, which includes approximately 80% of the town, was created in 2002. In December 2010, a Snow Hill businessman started a petition to remove the town's incorporation and revert the area 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. The All Hallows Episcopal Church, Chanceford, Old Friendship United Methodist Church, Samuel Gunn House, Makemie Memorial Presbyterian Church, James Martin House, Nassawango Iron Furnace Site, Nun's Green, George Washington Purnell House, and Gov. John Walter Smith House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Snow Hill is located at (38.175024, -75.390738). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,103 people, 871 households, and 557 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,005 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 57.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 39.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 871 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the town was 44.7 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.3% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,409 people, 862 households, and 555 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 964 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 56.00%

, 42.34%

, 0.08% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.37% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races.

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,560. About 14.8% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, 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 Snow Hill High School (SHHS) is a four-year public high school in Snow Hill, Maryland, United States. It is one of four public high schools in Worcester County along with Pocomoke High School, Stephen Decatur High School, and the Worcester Tec ...

* Cedar Chapel Special School

Religion

A number of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

religious denominations have churches in Snow Hill; several are listed on the

: * 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 * Liberty Church on the Rock Ministries * Old School Baptist Church * Mt. Zion Baptist Church * Hutt's Memorial United Methodist Church

Notable people

* Fannie Birckhead (1935–2022), interim mayor of Snow Hill in 1998 * Janeen L. Birckhead, military official serving as the adjutant general of Maryland since 2023 *

Arch Johnson Archibald Winchester "Arch" Johnson (March 14, 1922 – October 9, 1997) was an American actor who appeared on Broadway and in more than 100 television programs. Early years Archibald Winchester Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1922. He serve ...

, stage, film, and television actor died in Snow Hill in 1997. *

Judy Johnson William Julius "Judy" Johnson (October 26, 1899 – June 15, 1989) was an American professional baseball third baseman, shortstop, Manager (baseball), manager and Scout (baseball), scout whose career in Negro league baseball spanned 17 season ...

, was a player in the Negro Baseball Leagues and later a scout in the major leagues. In 1975, Johnson was inducted into the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

. He was born William Julius "Judy" Johnson in Snow Hill on October 26, 1900. * Sherron Mills, professional basketball player, 1971-2016 * 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 February 5, 1845. * Ben Tate, NFL running back, who attended Snow Hill HS during his senior year in 2006; led team to the Maryland state championship game. * R. V. Truitt, first lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland, 1919–1927. Founder of the

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) is a marine science laboratory on the Chesapeake Bay in Solomons, Maryland, and it is the oldest state-supported marine laboratory on the East Coast of the U.S. It was founded in 1925 in a small waterma ...

in Solomons, Maryland (1925), now part of the

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is a multi-university scientific Research institute, research center within the University System of Maryland dedicated to environmental science, estuarine studies, and Oceanog ...

. World renowned marine ecologist who studied blue crab and oyster. * Ephraim King Wilson II, U.S. Senator, 1885–1891; Congressman for Maryland 1st District, 1873-1874. Born in Snow Hill on December 22, 1821.

In popular culture

In 1999, some scenes of the film '' Runaway Bride'' (starring

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

and

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

) were shot at the

. The scenes at the baseball and football games were filmed behind the school. At the end of each episode of Adult Swim's ''Children Hospital'' is an old advertisement for The Corddry Co Snow Hill, MD. The lead actor, writer, and producer is comedian Rob Corddry, whose father is from Snow Hill. He uses the advertisement as his production banner.

References

External links

*
Town of Snow Hill website
{{authority control English-American culture in Maryland Towns in Maryland Towns in Worcester County, Maryland County seats in Maryland 1686 establishments in Maryland Salisbury metropolitan area