Editing Church Creek, Maryland (section)

===Economy===
The first major industry in Church Creek was shipbuilding, established at some point before 1767, which took advantage of surrounding forests plentiful with white oak and pine.<ref name="Jones, Elias 1966. pp 106-7" /> As a result, the population of the town grew during the 18th and 19th centuries. The 1860 census recorded 218 families and 1,103, of which 51 percent were occupied as "laborers" and 26 percent occupied as "farmers".<ref>Molisani, Jackie. "1860 Census of Dorchester County, Maryland." USA: Family Line Publications, 1984.</ref>

Toward the end of the 19th century, regional deforestation resulted in a downturn in the wooden shipbuilding industry. This adversely affected the industrial prosperity of Church Creek, and the population subsequently declined.<ref name="Jones, Elias 1966. pp 106-7" /> The economy of Church Creek has historically benefited from human traffic due to the town's location at the crossroads of Taylor's Island Road (Route 16) and Church Creek-Golden Hill Road (Route 335). During the first half of the twentieth century, the residents of Church Creek maintained eight or nine general stores.<ref name="Jones, Elias 1966. pp 106-7" /><ref>Wharton, Carol. "Sam H. Jones: Mackerel-Barrel Philosopher". ''Baltimore Sun'', 4 August 1946.</ref> But during the second half of the 20th century, the town's economy and population continued to decline. According to the United States Census Records, the town contained 187 people in 1950, down to 115 in 1990.<ref>"Church Creek". {{cite web |url=http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cities/index.cfm?townname=churchcreek&page=home |title=Church Creek, Maryland |accessdate=2008-04-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307115647/http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cities/index.cfm?townname=ChurchCreek&page=home |archivedate=2008-03-07 }} Cited 23 April 2008.</ref>