History /

Hebron Train Depot

In 1890, the Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railroad was extended westward from Salisbury. About six miles from that city, the line crossed a country road where there was a store and a Colonial dwelling. All around were farms and woodland. Here the builders of the railroad designated a shipping point and named it Hebron. The community was named for the biblical city. Five years later, a lumber manufacturing plant was located there and a hamlet began to develop. Hebron came about due to the immense effect of the railroad, whereas earlier towns sprang up due to their location on rivers. The railroad helped bring in automobiles and improved farm machinery. By the 1920's Hebron was a hub for farming as well as manufacturing with major markets being easily and quickly accessible.

In 1927 there were five shirt factories, a flour mill, a canning operation, a lumber mill, and a new high school under construction. There were large poultry and dairy farms joining the profitable farming of peaches, apples, strawberries, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupes, and watermelons. The most prominent of these were the farms of B. Frank Adkins, known as Neighbor's Wonder Farm and renowned for its herd of Guernsey cattle, the Oakdale Poultry Farm owned by J. T. Insley, and the farms of James A. Phillips and James Gordy. Notable citizens responsible for the manufacturing aspect of the town were Walter B. Miller and G. A. Bounds, the latter which owned both a lumber mill and canning plant and whose house still stands on Main Street today.

Hebron's Town Commission is always proud to serve in your best interests. Stay informed about the events, happenings and all decision making in the town of Hebron. Call 410-742-5555 for more information.