Deal Island is a census-designated place (CDP) in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 375 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The small town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Deal Island Historic District in 2006.
Geography
Deal Island is located at (38.154551, −75.945659).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (39.66%) is water.
Deal Island is approximately to the west-southwest of Deal Island Wildlife Management Area.
Demographics
As of the census of 2020, there were 375 people, 240 households, and 165 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 352 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.31% White, 7.96% African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.
There were 240 households, out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 65.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,029, and the median income for a family was $38,571. Males had a median income of $30,592 versus $24,219 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,936. About 4.1% of families and 5.98% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Deal Island was historically known as Deal's, Deil's, and Devil's Island. Nearby Dames Quarters also had an unappealing name: Quarters of the Damned. At least one source also attributes these nicknames to the area's use by pirates.
The island is famous for Joshua Thomas, who predicted the British defeat in the War of 1812. Thomas is buried alongside the Joshua Thomas Chapel.
The Deal Island Historic District, Sea Gull (skipjack), and St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church and Joshua Thomas Chapel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Emma Berdis Jones (1900–1999), mother of American author James Baldwin (1924–1987), was born on Deal Island and traveled to Philadelphia and then New York as part of the Great Migration. James Baldwin was born James Arthur Jones in New York City. Both are memorialized at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA.