 Sturgis
One Room School Museum, Inc. is an organization that actively
works to preserve, promote, and protect the rich cultural heritage
of Sturgis One Room School and educate our youth to value the school's
cultural and historical richness.
Sturgis One Room School operated as a school for
37 years. Grades 1 - 7 were taught by one teacher until it closed
its doors in 1937. At that time students were transferred to Stephen
Long School in the town of Pocomoke City, Maryland.
For several years afterwards the school served
as home for the aging William Sturgis. After the school was vacated
by William Sturgis, it remained unattended and fell into a state
of disrepair.
In 1996, a group of interested citizens, under
the leadership of the Worcester County Historical Society, Sturgis
Heritage House One Room Schoolhouse purchased the school from
the Sturgis family and moved it to its present location in downtown
Pocomoke City, Maryland.
Restoration and outfitting the Sturgis One Room
School is an ongoing task of Sturgis One Room School Museum, Inc.
It has been made possible through funds from Pocomoke City, Worcester
County, charitable organizations, and personal contributions.
Located at 209 Willow Street
Tours Available by Appointment
Email: sturgismuseum5@gmail.com
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 The
Costen House was the home of Pocomoke City’s first
mayor, Dr. Isaac Costen. The home, built shortly after the Civil War,
housed members of Dr. Costen’s family for over a century. The
Costen House is managed under the auspices of the Spirit of Newtown
Committee, Inc. whose mission is the preservation in order to exhibit
the life of a small town and Doctor Costen and his family in the era,
which they lived.
The Costen House Museum features a Victorian Italianate home and was
listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Costen House was built by Dr. Costen shortly
after the Civil War and was lived in by members of his family for
over a century. It is sponsored by the Spirit of Newtown Committee,
founded in 1974, Myrtle A. Polk and a group of public-spirited citizens,
when the home was threatened by demolition.
Dr. Costen was born on October 10, 1832 in Somerset
County. Maryland, the son of William and Rosa Taylor Costen. He
was educated at Washington Academy in Princess Anne and received
his medical degree from Penn Medical College in Philadelphia in
1857.
During the Civil War, in addition to his medical
duties, he was a Confederate blockade runner, carrying food and
supplies at great personal risk across the lower Chesapeake Bay
to the Hampton Roads area. He was also noted for his work with typhoid
fever and stories abound of the good doctor traveling on horseback
through the swamps during a severe typhus epidemic.
He came to live in Pocomoke, then known as Newtown,
after the close of the Civil War. In l866, he married Miss Olivia
Adams. They had seven children: Rose. Eleanor, Mary, William, Addie,
Olivia, and Elizabeth.
At the time he was elected mayor of Pocomoke City
in 1888, Dr. Costen had already served fifteen years on the Democratic
State Central Committee. He had been elected to the Maryland State
Legislature in 1881, where he served only one term, citing his patients'
needs as the reason for not returning to Annapolis. He was a trustee
of Pocomoke High School and an Elder and Trustee of Pitts Creek
Presbyterian Church. He served two terms as mayor, 1888-l892 and
in l908 was again elected mayor to serve two more terms. Dr. Costen
died at his home on April 1, l931, just six months short of his
99th birthday.
Located at 206 Market Street
Tours Available by Appointment
It is also open by appointment for private
tours, special events and gatherings, such as teas, bridal showers
and business meetings.
Visit: www.costenhousemuseum.org
Email: ritarae1@comcast.net
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 The
Delmarva Discovery Museum on the Pocomoke River serves
as a source of learning and discovery for the public through the
preservation and interpretation of its cultural and natural heritage.
Located on the Pocomoke River in downtown Pocomoke City, the Delmarva
Discovery Museum (DDM) is a living museum, a place for learning
and discovery for visitors of all ages. The immersive and engaging
exhibits take visitors on a timeless journey through Delmarva and
through the Cypress Swamp. The exhibits focus on the river ecology
and the human history of the Pocomoke River and Delmarva. The DDM
continues to add to its unique collection, offering return visitors
something new to discover each time they visit. The DDM offers a
regular schedule of programs, tours, and presentations to families,
school classes, youth groups, and other visitors.
The DDM is a 16,000 square foot, 1920’s era building and houses
live animals which include two North American River otters, Mac
& Tuck, snakes, turtles and jelllyfish to mention a few. Enjoy
the hands on touch pool and our new seahorse exhibit. Visitors can
extend their visit to Pocomoke by strolling through Cypress Park
or walking through the Cypress Swamp on the Discovery Nature Trail.
Also, within walking distance are the Sturgis One Room School House,
the historic Mar-Va Theatre and the Costen House.
Located at 2
Market Street
The Discovery
Center is open Tuesday -Saturday 11 AM - 4 PM and Sundays from 11
AM - 3 PM
Phone: 410-957-9933
Email: contact@delmarvadiscoverycenter.org
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