queen anne's museum of eastern shore life

Most museums today are multimedia extravaganzas, with interactive exhibits, and lots of fancy electronics. The Queen Anne's Museum of Eastern Shore Life, near Centreville, Maryland, however, is a throwback to times gone by. As you enter the roomy building, you wander among real live artifacts of the early part of the 1900s wall to wall. You've seen telephone switchboards in the movies; they have one. You've seen old fashioned printing presses in the movies; they have an entire print shop. You've seen old fashioned cast iron stoves in the movies; they have an entire kitchen. Ever heard of a two man chain saw? They have one of those, too. A horse drawn buggy? Check. A horse drawn sleigh? Check. A horse drawn kiddie cart? Check. A Ford pick up truck from 1930? Check.In addition to all these items, the museum is full of tools, clothing, and household items, as if every old house in a 50 mile radius emptied out its attic in this one place. Ever wonder what wedding dresses looked like in the Roaring 20s? The museum has two of them on display. And speaking of weddings, there is a dollhouse sized Victorian wedding scene done in hand dressed bisque china dolls. If you don't like objects, there is a good collection of old photos of life on Maryland's Eastern Shore before the Bay Bridge made the place in easy reach of the rest of the state.For a somewhat grittier item, step outside and see the steam tractor and imagine yourself trying to plow the south 40 with what looks like a locomotive without tracks. In all this array, you're sure to find something fascinating. At this museum, you don't feel like you stepped into a video game, you feel like you stepped into the past.