Elk Neck Peninsula

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Elk Neck Peninsula (center) in 2020 Elk Neck Peninsula 2020.jpg
Elk Neck Peninsula (center) in 2020
Facing south toward the confluence of Elk and Bohemia Rivers, from Elk Neck Peninsula, c. 1898 Elk and Bohemia Rivers Plate XLVII WBClark 1898.jpg
Facing south toward the confluence of Elk and Bohemia Rivers, from Elk Neck Peninsula, c. 1898

Elk Neck Peninsula is in Cecil County, Maryland, between the towns of Elkton and North East, Maryland. Native American and colonial travelers often canoed or sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to Elkton, where the Elk River became unnavigable, and then walked or took some form of surface transportation to the Delaware Bay watershed, since this was the shortest surface crossing. Native Americans of the area, including the Nanticoke and Lenni Lenape, hunted and fished, as well as established semi-permanent camps.[ citation needed ]

Elk Neck State Park includes the southern tip of the peninsula, bounded by the North East River, Elk River, as well as the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland Route 272 ends at the point of the peninsula, with the famous Turkey Point Light. [1] Much of the peninsula's land is legally protected from development, either as part of the state park or as part of Elk Neck State Forest. [2] Deep forests, bluffs, beaches and marshlands are the primary natural features of the park's landscape.

In 1877 during the American Revolutionary War, General Howe landed on the peninsula at Turkey point after capturing New York on his way to launch the Philadelphia campaign. [3] [4]

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Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county is part of the Mid-Eastern Shore region of the state.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elkton, Maryland</span> Town in Maryland, United States

Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk River, one of the five tributary rivers that flow into the north of the Chesapeake Bay, east of the Susquehanna River and North East River, and north of the Bohemia River, and Sassafras River. The town constitutes part of the Delaware Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North East, Maryland</span> Town in Maryland, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Route 213</span> State highway in Maryland, US

Maryland Route 213 (MD 213) is a 68.25-mile (109.84 km) state highway located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the United States. The route runs from MD 662 in Wye Mills, Queen Anne's County, north to the Pennsylvania border in Cecil County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 841 (PA 841). The route, which is a two-lane undivided highway most of its length, passes through mainly rural areas as well as the towns of Centreville, Chestertown, Galena, Cecilton, Chesapeake City, and Elkton. MD 213 intersects many routes including U.S. Route 50 (US 50) near Wye Mills, US 301 near Centreville, and US 40 in Elkton. It crosses over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake City Bridge. MD 213 is designated by the state as the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway between the southern terminus and Chesapeake City with the portion north of MD 18 in Centreville a National Scenic Byway. In addition, the route is also considered part of the Atlantic to Appalachians Scenic Byway between Chesapeake City and MD 273 in Fair Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Route 7</span> State highway in Maryland, US

Maryland Route 7 (MD 7) is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for much of their length as Philadelphia Road, there are five disjoint mainline sections of the highway totaling 40.23 miles (64.74 km) that parallel U.S. Route 40 (US 40) in Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil counties in northeastern Maryland. The longest section of MD 7 begins at US 40 just east of the city of Baltimore in Rosedale and extends through eastern Baltimore County and southern Harford County to US 40 in Aberdeen. The next segment of the state highway is a C-shaped route through Havre de Grace on the west bank of the Susquehanna River. The third mainline section of MD 7 begins in Perryville on the east bank of the Susquehanna River and ends at US 40 a short distance west of the start of the fourth section, which passes through Charlestown and North East before ending at US 40, just west of Elkton. The fifth segment of the highway begins at South Street and passes through the eastern part of Elkton before reconnecting with US 40 east of Elkton and west of the Delaware state line.

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The Sassafras River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula in the United States. It is approximately 22 miles (35 km) long and starts in western New Castle County, Delaware, and along the boundary between Cecil County, Maryland on the north and Kent County, Maryland on the south. It rises southwest of Middletown, Delaware and ends at the Chesapeake Bay in a wide mouth between Howell Point near Betterton, Maryland and Grove Point on Grove Neck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bohemia River</span> River in Delaware and Maryland, U.S.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk River (Maryland)</span> Tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay

The Elk River is a tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and on the northern edge of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about 15 miles (24 km) long. As the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, it has served as one entrance to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal since the 19th century. The canal and river now serve as one boundary of the Elk Neck Peninsula. The river flows through Cecil County, Maryland, with its watershed extending into New Castle County, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Elkton, the county seat of Cecil County, is located at its head. Its total watershed area is 143 square miles (370 km2), with 21 square miles (54 km2) of open water, so its watershed is 15% open water. It is south and east of the North East River, and north of the Sassafras River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Route 272</span> Highway in Maryland

Maryland Route 272 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 20.67 miles (33.27 km) from Turkey Point within Elk Neck State Park north through North East to the Pennsylvania state line near Calvert, where the highway continues as Pennsylvania Route 272. MD 272 is the main north–south highway of central Cecil County, connecting the Elk Neck Peninsula between the North East River and Elk River with U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 95 (I-95) in North East, MD 273 in Calvert, and Rising Sun via MD 274. The section of MD 272 between North East and Bay View was paved by 1910. The remainder of the state highway north to Calvert and south to Elk Neck was completed in several sections in the 1930s. The first relocations of MD 272 occurred when both railroads near North East were bridged in the early 1940s and mid-1950s. Multiple relocations occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s along the whole length of the highway to eliminate curves and tie the state highway into I-95. MD 272 reached its current extent when it was extended south into Elk Neck State Park in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason-Dixon Trail</span> A 199 mi. trail in the mid-Atlantic US states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware

The Mason-Dixon Trail is a 193-mile (311 km) hiking trail that begins at the Appalachian Trail in south-central Pennsylvania, continues through northeastern Maryland and northern Delaware, and re-enters Pennsylvania shortly before ending at Chadds Ford. It is named for the historic Mason–Dixon line, which it crosses twice. About one-third of the route follows roads through rural areas, but the rest is on traditional footpaths. The trail also traverses many tracts of private land, at which passage for hikers has been arranged with owners. This results in occasional relocations. The trail takes hikers through a variety of rural and semi-urban landscapes, with most of the route in Pennsylvania featuring farmlands and forested areas, and most of the route in Maryland and Delaware featuring historic sites and small towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey Point Light</span> Lighthouse in Maryland, United States

The Turkey Point Light is a historic lighthouse at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. Although only a 35-foot (11 m) tower, the 100-foot (30 m) height of the bluffs on which it stands makes it the third highest light off the water in the bay. It is also known for the large number of women who served as lightkeeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk Neck State Park</span> Public recreation area in Maryland, US

Elk Neck State Park is a public recreation area located between Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River near the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula in Cecil County, Maryland. The state park is home to the historic Turkey Point Light and offers land-based and water-based recreation. The park is located on MD 272, eight miles (13 km) south of the town of North East, and 13 miles (21 km) south of exit 100 on I-95. It is operated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Cecil County Public Schools is a public school system serving the residents of Cecil County, Maryland. Demographics, assessments, and statistics are available on the Maryland Report Card website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Point, Maryland</span>

Red Point is an unincorporated community located just off Maryland Route 272 south of North East, Maryland, United States. It is near Elk Neck State Park, where the North East River enters Chesapeake Bay.

Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.

James Sewall (1778-1842) was a U.S. officer in the War of 1812, public servant, and early railroad executive.

References

  1. "Elk Neck State Park: The peninsula of dreams | Cecil County Life". www.cecilcountylife.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. "Elk Neck State Forest". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  3. "History of the Loyalists: Howe Lands his Army on the Elk River in August, 1777 | Vocabularies of Identity". voi.lib.unb.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. "The Philadelphia Campaign: Howe's Arrival at Elk Neck, Head of Elk and Chooch's Bridge: Howe's Arrival at Elk Neck". Solutions To History. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2024-11-09.

39°29′57.38″N75°58′1.29″W / 39.4992722°N 75.9670250°W / 39.4992722; -75.9670250