ESLC drops crowdfunding video for The Packing House
Early in 2016, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy identified a vacant factory building in downtown Cambridge Maryland steeped in local history. The 60,000 square foot former manufacturing facility, known throughout the 1900’s as the Phillips Packing Company’s “Factory F”, is all that remains of the vegetable and food packing empire that once employed thousands in Cambridge. In addition to employing and housing much of Cambridge, the canning operation also served as the largest supplier of K-rations to American troops during World War II. The Phillips name was synonymous with the Eastern Shore of Maryland, purchasing millions in local agricultural product from surrounding farms. The company closed in the 1960’s, and the building has been deteriorating ever since. Now, in partnership with Baltimore’s Cross Street Partners – a real estate firm focused on re-building communities by creating vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods built on a foundation of innovation and entrepreneurial activity – ESLC has focused its efforts on transforming the run-down Phillips Factory into The Packing House, a vibrant food, farming, and innovation exchange. While the word and excitement is spreading about The Packing House and its kitchen incubator, oyster bar, fresh foods market, shared innovation hub, microbrewery, and community events space, work cannot begin until ESLC raises the money necessary to begin Phase 1 of the development process. Phase 1 includes the stabilization of the Phillips Packing Co.’s iconic smokestacks. Visible from Rt. 50 by all who travel to and from the beach, these pillars of history are visibly crumbling and are in dire need of being saved. This is where YOU come in. With a donation of $5, $25, $100, or WHATEVER amount you are able to contribute, ESLC can help come up with the necessary funding needed to get the smokestacks repaired and ready to move onto phase 2 of this historic revitalization. With a legacy of