Tony Tank Pond
Sight of the Pond from Riverside Dr.
Tony Tank Pond was once a creek, but now is a series of several ponds with dams at Riverside Drive, Camden Avenue, Highway 13, and others that every local hits up for fishing. Off of Riverside Dr. there is a bridge where locals patiently wait to hook some fish. Everyone uses different methods such as bobbers, spinners, or even a bamboo stick with a string and hook. But there is more to Tony Tank Pond than just the local fishing. The real talk is, where did the name come from?
It all began in the 1600's when John Smith explored Maryland's eastern shore for a brief time. He came across the Nanticokes, "whose main geographical focus was the Nanticoke River, but whose political authority extended southward to the Wicomico River" (Helen C. Rountree). The Nanticoke chief resided at the town of Tundotank, where the Wicomico River and Tundotank creek meet. Tundotank was considered a Nanticoke town by both the Nanticokes and the English and the English continued to recognize Tundotank as a Nanticoke claim well into the 18th century. This town was the principal town of the Wicomico Indians and they were still living there in considerable numbers in the 1680s. In 1682, the Somerset government sent 20 men to Tundotank to arrest two indians that were accused of hog stealing. "The fact that such a strong force was deemed necessary suggests that the "king of Wicomico" and his subjects were still powerful enough to represent a threat to English security" (Helen C. Rountree). After this incident occurred, there have been no more references to the Tundotank Indians in the Somerset County Records. You can now see that the Tundotank reservation has been completely taken over with development and there is no trace of an Indian Reservation residing here today, other than the completed name.
Other than the bridge, if you have a waterfront property or a neighborhood close by to the pond, you are in walking distance to a scenic view and fishing hotspots.
It all began in the 1600's when John Smith explored Maryland's eastern shore for a brief time. He came across the Nanticokes, "whose main geographical focus was the Nanticoke River, but whose political authority extended southward to the Wicomico River" (Helen C. Rountree). The Nanticoke chief resided at the town of Tundotank, where the Wicomico River and Tundotank creek meet. Tundotank was considered a Nanticoke town by both the Nanticokes and the English and the English continued to recognize Tundotank as a Nanticoke claim well into the 18th century. This town was the principal town of the Wicomico Indians and they were still living there in considerable numbers in the 1680s. In 1682, the Somerset government sent 20 men to Tundotank to arrest two indians that were accused of hog stealing. "The fact that such a strong force was deemed necessary suggests that the "king of Wicomico" and his subjects were still powerful enough to represent a threat to English security" (Helen C. Rountree). After this incident occurred, there have been no more references to the Tundotank Indians in the Somerset County Records. You can now see that the Tundotank reservation has been completely taken over with development and there is no trace of an Indian Reservation residing here today, other than the completed name.
Other than the bridge, if you have a waterfront property or a neighborhood close by to the pond, you are in walking distance to a scenic view and fishing hotspots.
Image taken from Eastern Shore Indians of Virginia and Maryland by Helen C. Rountree and Thomas E. Davidson
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