Editing Solomons, Maryland (section)

== History ==

=== Early settlers ===
Originally called Bourne's Island (1680), then Somervell's Island (1740), Solomons takes its name from 19th century [[Baltimore]] businessman Isaac Solomon, who established a cannery there shortly after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Solomon's home still stands on the front of the island.

The area has been inhabited since colonial times.<ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=1982
   |title=Cove Point: Mariners's safe harbor now threatened by ships
   |last= Mountford
   |first= Kent
   |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Journal
   |date=November 2001
   |access-date=2008-05-12
}}</ref>

=== Shipbuilding and maritime activity ===
In the 19th century, shipyards developed to support the island's fishing fleet. The Marsh Shipyard built [[schooner]]s and [[sloop]]s but became famous for its [[bugeye]]s, the forerunner of the [[skipjack (boat)|skipjack]]. In the [[War of 1812]], [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Joshua Barney]]'s flotilla sailed from here to attack British vessels on [[Chesapeake Bay]]. The deep, protected harbor has been a busy marine center ever since. ''[[Kronprinzessin Cecilie]]'', a 1906-built German [[ocean liner]] which during [[World War I]] was commandeered (and renamed ''Mount Vernon'' (ID-4508) by the US, was [[laid up]] at Solomons in 1920.

=== Supporting the U.S. Navy during World War II ===
During World War II, the island was chosen by the Allied command as the site for [[Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons]]. The lessons learned at Solomons proved invaluable on [[D-Day]], at [[Tarawa]], at [[Guadalcanal]], and in numerous other military operations. Three naval bases were established at the mouth of the Patuxent River. These three facilities made a major contribution to the war effort and brought new jobs to local residents. Between 1942 and 1945, the population of Solomons increased from 263 to more than 2,600. Over 60,000 troops trained at Solomons during the war.

Coincidentally, many of the servicemen who trained at the Solomons base in Maryland were sent to fight in the [[Solomon Islands]] in the Pacific Ocean.

Solomons was the site of the following U.S. Navy activities during the war:<ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.ibiblio.net/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/MD.html
   |title=U.S. Naval Activities, World War II, By State <nowiki>[Maryland]</nowiki>
   |last=Clancey
   |first=Patrick
   |publisher=HyperWar Foundation
   |access-date=2008-04-17
}}</ref>
* [[Naval Mine Warfare Test Station]], now the Solomons Annex Naval Recreation Center 
* [[Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons|Naval Amphibious Training Base]], now Calvert Marine and Harbours Point Park
* [[Mine Warfare Experimental Station]]
* [[Dispensary|Naval Dispensary]], at Naval Amphibious Training Base

=== Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge ===
Solomons was a rather isolated boat-building town housing the [[University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science|University of Maryland]] [[Chesapeake Biological Laboratory]], until 1977 when the [[Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge]] was built. The bridge leads from just off Solomons Island proper to [[St. Mary's County, Maryland|St. Mary's County]] and the [[Patuxent Naval Air Station]].