Fire Guts Island Landmarks

"I had no money when I built this," said Fischer, noting that Monday was the restaurant's 21st anniversary. "I put my sweat and blood into it."

When he first saw the fire, he grabbed a hose and ran down the island's one main street, Solomons Island Road, thinking he could extinguish it. As he approached, he knew it was too late.

"I realized there was nothing I could do but sit there and watch it," he said.

The restaurant was a community gathering place that frequently held fundraisers. The focal point of the restaurant's interior was its bar, made in the shape of a one-third scale skipjack, the workboat of the Chesapeake Bay. The skipjack bar was designed and built by the late James Leroy "Pepper" Langley, a local master craftsman.

The other restaurant that was destroyed was part of Bowen's Inn. The inn part of the structure appeared to be intact yesterday.

Bowen's is on the water and has a large deck, and its inexpensive rooms are popular with charter boat customers. It is owned by Joan Simmons, who lives at the inn.

Alice Hall, 68, who was born and raised on the island, said Bowen's restaurant was a "must stop" place for boat travelers and had a crab imperial dish "to die for."

Solomons Island is a community that prospered as a fishing village at the beginning of the 20th century with active oyster- and seafood-packing houses and busy boatyards.

In recent decades, Solomons has emerged as a recreational boating, sailing and fishing center as well as a popular destination for weekend tourists.

Staff writer Tom Lansworth contributed to this report.