A village on the western bank of the Nanticoke River in southeastern Dorchester County was known simply as “the town on the Nanticoke River” until being officially named Vienna on July 11, 1706. The town thrived as a port capable of handling large ships carrying goods from England, and then also as a trade center when a tobacco warehouse was built in 1762. Vienna was also the site of the first shipyard on the Nanticoke River. Its importance to commerce and trade was evident when it was attacked by British forces during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 —in 1776 and 1781 and in 1812, respectively.
