Pittsville, MD

Pittsville is a Wicomico County town a few miles east of Salisbury, with 1,636 residents in the 2020 census. Its story began at Derrickson’s Cross Roads, where a general store opened in 1834; the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad arrived in the 1860s and connected the town to Salisbury and Ocean City. Rail turned strawberry farming into a major business: growers once shipped 30 to 40 railcars a day, and a downtown auction brought buyers to town. Lumber, hatcheries, a canning plant, and the famous pickle shed added other layers to the local economy before the railroad closed in 1955.

Today, Pittsville’s small center still carries that agricultural and railroad memory. The restored railroad station, Town Hall, fire department, Pittsville Library, and Pittsville Elementary sit among the places tied to civic and school routines, while the town maintains its own police and municipal services. A 2025 town agenda included work on a Community Park and playground, a practical reminder that the old crossroads still needs shared places for the next generation. Pittsville’s local detail is the combination of strawberries, rail freight, and a library beside the elementary school.