In the 1840s, regular steamboat routes on the Bay suddenly opened Baltimore, Washington, and other nearby urban markets to local farmers' crops, timber, and even holly wreaths, and the railroad's arrival in 1890 brought even more growth to those markets. To meet the demand, local canneries were built, including two in the first decade of the 1900s. Marion Nelson of Hebron built one in 1903 on the spot where the one-room school now stands, and George Waller built another a few hundred yards west of this warehouse building. A railroad siding on the west side of Nelson's building brought in empty cans, baskets, and other supplies, which were stored on the upper floor, while cases of canned tomatoes awaited pickup on the first floor. A wooden boardwalk connected the cannery to the warehouse. After Nelson's death, the property was sold for $75.00 and the business closed. The cannery was later demolished, but the warehouse continued to be used for storage of assorted items until it was restored.