Local Restaurant reveals Tales of Tilghman Island’s Past

Middletown today.

Chef Henry Miller

As soon as he saw the building, Chef Henry Miller knew this was where he would open his new restaurant. Not only did he make the right choice, but ended up getting more than he bargained for.

Built in 1902, the structure that is now Two If By Sea housed various businesses before Henry took it over in 2008. It is part of a row of commercial buildings on Tilghman Island Road once known as “Middletown,” comprised of Howeth’s Department store, Moore’s Barber Shop, the Tilghman Bank and Jackson’s Pharmacy. At the time, the island had three villages or communities, Tilghman, Fairbank and Bar Neck. “Middletown” was the center of the three-mile- long island.

Norma Roe, who grew up on the island, remembers it well. “Middletown pretty much evolved as more and more folks came to work on Tilghman – watermen mostly,” she recalls. The pharmacy is now gone, but the other structures remain.

“When I decided to open a restaurant,” said Miller, “a former co-worker recommended that I consider looking on Tilghman Island, and I did. There was just something about the place that spoke to me,” he said. And speak to him it has.

Middletown past.

As Miller began working on the restaurant he discovered much about the building’s history. “I’ve been told by the locals that the place was originally a grocery store run by Harry Howeth before it began operating as Howeth’s Department Store.” he says. The original wooden shelves, countertops and glass display cases are still in place. Miller has come to believe that this change transpired after Mr. Howeth married young Miss Grace and the couple decided to sell dry goods, clothing and notions. “I’m convinced that the spirit of Grace is here to this day,” he says. “She tends to want to keep an eye on the place.”

Not all of Miller’s discoveries come from hearsay. “When I first moved here,” he explains, “I lived in the back room and ended up storing a lot of things up in the attic where I began to find all sorts of items and records that more or less told stories of the building’s past.”  There were old photographs, sales slips, brochures, and a box full of individually typed letters from 1953 wishing Christmas greetings to Howeth’s “friends and patrons.”  “The most intriguing thing I’ve found is a crate of old wool coats with the sizes and price tags still intact. They are in remarkable condition and heavy as lead.”

When viewed together, the photographs that were found seem to portray their own story of the building’s history. One shows several men standing on the front porch of the building beside what Henry has discovered was one of just two gas pumps on Tilghman Island at the time. There also used to be a couple of benches outside fondly named “The Fly Row,” reserved for the watermen and other passersby to sit and tell stories, and according to Norma, “no women allowed.”

Another photo shows the structure significantly damaged – most likely from what will always be known as “the August Storm” of 1933.

In the 1980s, the building housed an antique shop, explains Miller’s assistant, Scott Spittler. Garvin’s “Nothing New Shop” sold specialty items such as Depression glass, Staffordshire china, kitchenware, and “fish sets.” The owners were long time Tilghman residents.

One more change would transpire before Miller took over. Garvin’s was sold in 1998 and the new owners renovated the building, turning the antique store into a café and gift shop. Short of a few minor improvements to the restaurant, very little has changed structurally. Inside, Miller displays his own collection of antiques and memorabilia, providing a unique setting for what is now a successful restaurant and catering business, attracting residents and visitors alike.

At Two If By Sea, customers experience the feeling of a simpler time, reading the newspaper or catching up with neighbors over a cup of coffee at the counter while patiently waiting for Chef Henry to prepare their meal. The dining room is set for dinner and glows with warmth while emitting an aura of what once was – and it’s believed that “Miss Grace” approves.[slideshow id=60]
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