Caroline County

Caroline County, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, was formed in 1773 from Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties. It is bordered on the northwest and west by Queen Anne's and Talbot counties and the Choptank River, the east by the Mason-Dixon line and Delaware, and the south by Dorchester County. Lady Caroline Eden, the sister of the last Lord Baltimore and wife of Sir Robert Eden, the last proprietary governor, gave her name to the county. The county seat was originally named Edentown in honor of Sir Robert Eden, but the name was eventually shortened to Edenton and finally to Denton.

Little remains of early Denton, partly because of a fire in 1863 that was started when Union soldiers celebrated the Fourth of July with skyrockets. Although the railroads brought small industries to many communities after the Civil War, Caroline County has retained a rural landscape.

Products manufactured in the county include electric heating elements, sheet metal, and plastic products. Agribusiness -- the production of meat, dairy, broilers, and vegetables -- is an important industry in the region. Though it is seemingly landlocked, the county enjoys access to the Chesapeake Bay from the Tuckahoe, Marshy Hope and Choptank Rivers. Two state parks, Tuckahoe and Martinak, offer boating and fishing as well as other recreational facilities.

Federalsburg in 1915
MSA SC 1477-4950

Federalsburg assumed its name in 1812 when a mass meeting of the Federalist Party was held there. Although the lack of automobiles suggests that this picture was taken earlier, the date on this photograph is 1915.


A rancher with ferrets and rat terriers at Joseph Chjerry's house
MSA SC 1477-5245

The local rancher, his ferrets and rat terriers had a successful day c. 1920 when he visited the home of Joseph Cherry in the area that became Tuckahoe State


View of Greensboro
MSA SC 1477-4951

Greensboro's main industry for many years was a large condensed milk plant and an ice cream factory. The town is located near the headwaters of the Choptank River.


Linchester, formerly Murray's, Mill
MSA SC 1890-35/2481

Linchester Mill, established in 1681, was formerly called Murray's Mill. A legislative act renamed the mill and its surrounding community to Linchester, a combination of the names Caroline and Dorchester.


Steamboats in Denton head down the Choptank River
MSA SC 1477-6264

Although it becomes quite narrow, the Choptank River is navigable for many miles. The only inland county on the Eastern Shore, Caroline County depends on the river for access to the Chesapeake Bay. These steamboats are pictured in Denton c. 1910.