1807 DORCHESTER MARYLAND

1807 DORCHESTER COUNTY

Abstract of 1807 book “A Geographical Descrition of the States of Maryland and Delaware,

by Joseph Scott, via Jefferson Boyer in December 2015 “Shoreline Magazine” from the Nabb

Center, Salisbury.

One of the largest counties on the Eastern Shore, the other is Worcester. Established before

1671, 32 miles by 27 miles, 375,000 acres or so. To the north is Caroline county and the

Choptank River and Talbot county. South east is the Nanticoke River and Somerset county. The

western boarder is Chesapeake Bay and Hoopers Island . The farmers produce corn, wheat and

lumber. Watermen bring in crabs, ayster's, clams, fish and water fowl.

Cambridge is the county seat, a post office town with about 300 residents and 50 homes,

which sit on the south shore of the Choptank, about 15 miles from the mouth of it at the bay. This

village, healthy and agreeable, has a church, court house, jail.

Vienna a small post town, sits on the west side of the Nanticoke , high and dry at 12 to 13 feet

above the river. There are maybe 12 or 13 dwellings in poor , four stores, two granaries, two

taverns, a port collector office and a brick Episcpal church which holds divine service once in a

while. There are two wharves from which ships of any burthern may load. The town has little trade

due to the absence of enterprising residents. Vienna is 120 miles from Washington city.

New Market and Middletown lay between Cambridge and Vienna, Federalsburg on Marshy

Hope prong of the Nanticoke, is 25 miles N.E. by E.

Dorchester has it's share of islands, Goldsboro Island, 2200 acres on the Hunger river,

James, 1600 acres, Hoopers Island , east side of the bay, at Hunger river, is 7300 acres. Also there

are Barren Island and Sharps Island, east of the bay.

The counties largest rivers are Nanticoke and Choptank.

Nanticoke is the largest, 45 miles long, starts in Sussex Delaware, flows south east into the

Chesapeake Bay. It is named for the tribe of Indians which lived along it's shore.

The Choptank also begins in Delaware . Flows south east , 43 miles, into the Chesapeake.