Place
Dockins Service Station
For more than a century, the Dockins family ran a store and service station in East New Market — first as a general store near the town center, then at the corner of East New Market-Hurlock Road, where the Shell-branded Dockins Service Station still operated until 2025.
Dockins Service Station
What It Is
Dockins Service Station is a family-run Shell gas station and service center at 4102 East New Market-Hurlock Road (Maryland Route 392) in East New Market, Dorchester County. It has served the community for more than a century, evolving from an early 20th-century general store into the service station and market it is today.
Early History
The Dockins family has been involved in local commerce in East New Market since at least the early 1900s. Census records from 1920 list Charlie Dockins as a merchant, and the 1930 census identifies Marcellus Dockins as the owner of a general store in town. The family's first store was located at the southeast corner of Railroad Avenue, Church Street, and Dockins Lane, as shown on historic Sanborn fire insurance maps.
The Current Building
The present site represents the family's second location. The core of the building is a 1940s Cape Cod-style dwelling that was adapted into a local general store — known locally as Dockins Market — with a large garage and gas pumps added to serve automotive needs. The Maryland Historical Trust documents the property as MIHP resource D-647-3.
Community Significance
Dockins Service Station is a contributing resource within the East New Market Historic District, which is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its association with the African-American community's history in the town, including commerce and daily life. The station has long been a central point of activity in what was originally known as Crossroads, serving alongside community institutions like the Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church.
In October 2013, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot visited the station to formally recognize the Dockins family for more than 60 years of continuous operation. At the time, Henry Dockins Jr. was operating the business alongside his sister Dorothea and his mother, Bertha Dockins.
Today
The station no longer operates. It was one of the longest-running family businesses on the Eastern Shore and a visible link to the commercial and community history of East New Market.
Location
4102 East New Market-Hurlock Road (MD 392)
East New Market, Dorchester County, Maryland