HISTORY & SIGNIFICANCE
The Phillips Packing Company has a long, rich history. The Packing Company employed thousands of Cambridge residents and was responsible for supplying K and C rations to U.S. troops during World War I and II. Factory F was the largest fruit cannery in the United States at the time. It also canned sweet potatoes, lima beans, white potatoes, and tomatoes. At the turn of the century, nearly a million bushels of oysters were shucked annually in Cambridge, second in volume nationwide only to Baltimore. Even now, long after its closure, the Packing House smokestacks provide a well-defined, visual landmark.
THREATS & GOALS
Action is needed to stabilize the structure and smokestacks before Cambridge loses a culturally and historically significant landmark. Plans are in the works for the abandoned 60,000 square foot Packing House to be repurposed as the Food and Farming Exchange, which will provide a variety of venues for the production, process, and sale of Maryland Eastern Shore branded culinary products.
Updates
OCTOBER 2016
The plan is to rehabilitate the Phillips Packing House Building into a mixed-use center for local food production, micro-brewing, non-profit organizations and companies/institutions seeking a collaborative work environment.
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SEPTEMBER 2019
International experts are nearing completion of structural repairs to the iconic smokestacks of the Phillips Packing House in Cambridge, Maryland visible all the way from Route 50.
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