QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND

HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY

1631, May. Kent Island trading post and farming settlement established by William Claiborne, member of Virginia Council.

1635. Proprietary vessels clash with those of William Claiborne.

1639. First elections in province for delegates to Assembly ordered by Governor Leonard Calvert on Kent Island, and in hundreds of Mattapanient, St. Michael's St. Mary's, and St. George's.

1706. Queen Anne's County formed from Kent and Talbot counties; named for Queen Anne (1665-1714), who ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1702 to 1714.

[photo, Restored Courthouse and former Town Hall, Queenstown, Maryland] 1708. Courthouse completed at Queenstown.

1741, April 15. Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), painter and naturalist, born in Queen Anne's County.

1752, Nov. 20. Robert Wright (1752-1826), Governor of Maryland, born near Centreville.

1773. Caroline County erected from Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties.

Restored colonial Courthouse & former Town Hall, Queenstown, Maryland, January 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

1776, Sept. 16. Eastern Shore Battalion of Flying Camp fought under Col. William Richardson at Battle of Harlem Heights.

1788, March 11. William Grason (1788-1868), Governor of Maryland, born at “Eagle’s Nest”, near Queenstown.

[photo, Queen Anne's County Courthouse, 100 Court House Square, Centreville, Maryland] 1792. Second Courthouse opened at Queen Anne's new county seat, Centreville.

1794. Centreville incorporated.

1796, June. Courthouse completed at Centreville.


Queen Anne's County Historic Courthouse, 100 Court House Square, Centreville, Maryland, October 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

c. 1807. James W. C. Pennington (1807-1870), minister and abolishonist, born James Pembroke, in Queen Anne's County.

1811, Sept. 7. William H. Emory (1811-1887), topographical enginer, explorer, and U.S. Army officer, born at Poplar Grove.

1813, Aug. 13. Maj. William H. Nicholson and his militia fought with British Col. Sir Thomas Sydney Beckwith's forces at Battle of Slippery Hill, near Queenstown, until forced to retreat. British troops extensively damaged Bowlingly estate.

1860. John Fields lynched at farm near Queenstown.

1862, May 27. Judge Richard Bennett Carmichael (1807-1884) beaten, dragged from courtroom by federal officers, and imprisoned at Fort McHenry.

1865. Templeville incorporated.

1867. Richard Bennett Carmichael (1807-1884) served as president of Maryland Constitutional Convention of 1867.

1867, June 23. James Pippin lynched in Church Hill.

1870. Sudlersville incorporated.

1876. Church Hill incorporated.

1891, May 13. Asbury Green lynched in Centreville.

1890. Millington incorporated.

1892. Queenstown incorporated.

1907, Oct. 22. Jimmie Foxx (1907-1967), baseball player, born at Sudlersville.

1919, June 19. Claiborne to Annapolis Ferry inaugurated.

1930, July. Annapolis to Matapeake (Kent Island) Ferry started.

1931. Barclay incorporated.

1936, Sept. Kennard High School, the first and only secondary school for African Americans in County, opened at Centreville.

1941. State Roads Commission took over Annapolis Matapeake Ferry.

[photo, Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, Maryland] 1952, July 30. Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened.

1953. Queen Anne incorporated.

1963. Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., established Wye Institute (now part of Aspen Institute).


Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, looking toward Sandy Point State Park, Maryland, May 2001. Photo by Elizabeth W. Newell.

1965, Dec. 22. Chesapeake College chartered, Maryland's first regional community college, and first community college on Eastern Shore.

1966. Second Chesapeake Bay Bridge authorized.

1966. County public schools desegregated.

1967, Sept. Chesapeake College started classes at Queen Anne's High School, Centreville.

1968, Sept. Chesapeake College began offering instruction at its present Wye Mills location.

1973. Second parallel Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened.

1978. Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., donated Wye Angus herd to University of Maryland.

1979. Wye Institute donated Wye Woods property to Aspen Institute.

1981. Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., donated Wye Plantation to Aspen Institute.

1982. Wye Research and Education Center established by University of Maryland.

1991. Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Laboratory at Wye Research and Education Center opened by University of Maryland.

1998, Oct. 15-19. Wye Summit. Middle East Peace Talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization were held at Aspen Institute's Wye River Conference Centers, Queen Anne's County. The Wye River Memorandum, resulting from the talks, was signed in Washington, DC, Oct. 23, 1998.

2004, March 2. Electronic voting system used during primary elections at polling places and for absentee ballots in all counties and Baltimore City.

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