Mattapony

Last updated April 23, 2019

Mattaponylocally /ˌmætəpəˈnaɪ/ was a former hundred in Worcester County, Maryland.

Worcester County is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,454. Its county seat is Snow Hill. The county was named for Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, a son of Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester. She was sister to Anne Arundell, wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, the first Proprietor and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland.

History

Before the erection of Worcester County in 1742, Somerset County (erected in 1666) was, like other colonial counties, divided into "hundreds", including Mattapony. Following American independence, Maryland's hundreds were converted into election districts, and Mattapony became the Sandy Hill, later the Stockton, election district.

Somerset County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,470. making it the second-least populous county in Maryland. The county seat is Princess Anne.

Geography

Mattapony Hundred's original borders were the Pocomoke River on the west and northwest, Corker's Creek on the northeast, Chincoteague Bay on the east, and Accomack County, Virginia on the south. During the colonial period, Mattapony Hundred was divided by the creation of Pitts Creek Hundred out of its western third.^[1]

Pocomoke River river in the eastern United States

The Pocomoke River stretches approximately 66 miles (106 km) from southern Delaware through southeastern Maryland in the United States. At its mouth, the river is essentially an arm of Chesapeake Bay, whereas the upper river flows through a series of relatively inaccessible wetlands called the Great Cypress Swamp, largely populated by Loblolly Pine, Red Maple and Bald Cypress. The river is the easternmost river that flows into Chesapeake Bay. "Pocomoke", though traditionally interpreted as "dark water" by local residents, is now agreed by scholars of the Algonquian languages to be derived from the words for "broken ground."

Chincoteague Bay is a lagoon between the Atlantic barrier islands of Assateague and Chincoteague and the mainland of Worcester County, Maryland and northern Accomack County, Virginia. At the bay's northern end, where it narrows between Assateague and Sinepuxent Neck, it becomes Sinepuxent Bay; Chincoteague Bay's southern end drains into the Atlantic Ocean via Queen Sound and Chincoteague Inlet. No major river flows into Chincoteague Bay—its largest tributaries are Newport Creek in Worcester County and Swans Gut Creek in Accomack County.

Accomack County is a United States county located in the eastern edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Together, Accomack and Northampton counties make up the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which in turn is part of the Delmarva Peninsula, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The Accomack county seat is the town of Accomac.

Towns and villages in the hundred included present-day Girdletree, Rabbit Knaw, Big Mill (also known as Welbourne), Goodwill (formerly known as Davis Cross Roads), Klej Grange (named Lindseyville until 1878), Stockton (known as Sandy Hill until 1872), and Pocomoke City (known as Stevens Landing or Stevens Ferry, then as Newtown until 1888). Three main roads traversed Mattapony: the seaside post road from Delaware ran via Snow Hill through Girdletree and Stockton into Virginia (current Maryland Route 12 follows its approximate path), a road from Mattapony Landing on the Pocomoke River to Stockton via Klej Grange, and another from Snow Hill to Pocomoke City via Klej Grange and Goodwill.

Girdletree is a census-designated place in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 149 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Goodwill is a small unincorporated community 5 miles (8 km) east of Pocomoke City in Worcester County, Maryland, located at 38°4′14″N75°29′30″W.

Klej Grange is a small unincorporated community 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Stockton in Worcester County, Maryland. It is located at the intersection of Klej Grange, Betheden Church, and Ward Roads.

Name

"Mattapony" was one of the most widely used place-names of the Algonquian Indians in Maryland and Virginia. As early as 1639, a "Mattapony Path" was known in St. Mary's County--it led to Mataponi Creek, a tributary of the Patuxent River.^{[ citation needed ]} "Place Names of Maryland" states that the Algonquin meaning of "matta" was "joined," or "junction," and "apo" was "water," "current," or "expanse of water," i.e., "meeting of waters at a sand spit".^{[ citation needed ]} Mayre states in the Maryland Historical Magazine, in an article entitled "Sea Coast of Maryland":

The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Today, thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. This grouping consists of the peoples who speak Algonquian languages.

Saint Mary's County, established in 1637, is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 105,151. Its county seat is Leonardtown. The name is in honor of the Catholic saint Mary, the mother of Jesus as told in the Bible.

The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The 908-square-mile (2,352 km²) Patuxent watershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000. It is the largest and longest river entirely within Maryland, and its watershed is the largest completely within the state.

In the interest of accuracy it should be admitted that this place-name may refer to Mattapony inlet, as the heads of these inlets seem to have been close to one another. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Not restricted to Worcester County, at least two properties on the neighboring Eastern Shore of Virginia were also called "Mattapony".^[2] Likewise, the Mattaponi River in Virginia, called after the tribe of the same name, joins with the Pamunkey to form the York River, and, as noted above, Mataponi Creek flows into the Patuxent River in Prince George's County, Maryland.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast detached from the mainland of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The 70-mile-long (110 km) region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010.

The Mattaponi River is a 103-mile-long (166 km) tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia in the United States.

Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2018 is over 8.5 million.

Related Research Articles

Stockton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Eastern Shore of Maryland region of the state of Maryland, United States of America

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominantly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. As of the 2010 census, its population was 449,226, with just under 8 percent of Marylanders living in the region. The term "Eastern Shore" distinguishes a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western Shore of Maryland, land west of the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland Route 12 is a state highway on the Eastern Shore in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs 30.57 mi (49.20 km) from the Virginia border south of Stockton, Worcester County, where it continues into Virginia as State Route 679, north to Main Street in the city of Salisbury in Wicomico County. The route is known as Snow Hill Road for most of its length and passes mostly through areas of woods and farms as well as the communities of Stockton, Girdletree, and Snow Hill. MD 12 intersects several roads including MD 366 in Stockton, U.S. Route 113 and US 113 Business in Snow Hill, MD 354 in Indiantown, and US 13 near Salisbury. Portions of MD 12 near Snow Hill and Stockton existed as unnumbered state roads by 1910. When the first state highways in Maryland were designated by 1927, MD 12 was assigned to run from Stockton north to Salisbury. By 1940, the route was extended south to the Virginia border and a small incomplete portion between Snow Hill and Salisbury was finished. A dumbbell interchange is planned at the US 113 intersection; however, this project is currently on hold.

Maryland Route 366 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for much of its length as Stockton Road, the state highway runs 11.17 miles (17.98 km) from U.S. Route 13 Business in Pocomoke City east to George Island Landing on Chincoteague Bay. MD 366 is the main east–west highway of southern Worcester County, connecting US 13 in Pocomoke City with MD 12 in Stockton. The state highway was constructed starting in the mid-1910s from the Pocomoke City end. MD 366 was completed between Pocomoke City and Stockton in the early 1920s. The state highway was extended east to George Island Landing in the mid-1930s.

Maryland Route 364 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Dividing Creek Road, the state highway runs 5.43 miles (8.74 km) from U.S. Route 13 in West Pocomoke north to Pocomoke State Forest. MD 364 parallels the Pocomoke River and provides access to Pocomoke River State Park. The state highway was mostly constructed in the early 1930s.

The Girdletree Barnes Bank is located on Snow Hill Road between Snow Hill and Stockton, Girdletree, Maryland, United States. The bank includes a walk-in vault and antique teller cages. The Girdletree Barnes Bank now serves as the Girdletree Barnes Bank Museum.

Pocomoke High School (PHS) is a four-year public high school in Pocomoke City, Worcester County, Maryland, United States. It is one of four public high schools in Worcester County along with Stephen Decatur High School, Worcester Technical High School, and Snow Hill High School.

Mattapony and its various spellings may refer to:

Pocomoke State Forest is a state forest of Maryland that lies on both banks of the Pocomoke River in Worcester County. The portion north of the Pocomoke lies between Dividing and Nassawango Creeks. The Pocomoke River Wildlife Management Area borders the southern portion of the forest.

Pocomoke River Wildlife Management Area is a state wildlife management area (WMA) of Maryland that lies on the south bank of the Pocomoke River in Worcester County. The Pocomoke River State Forest abuts the northern edge of the WMA.

Nassawango Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Maryland; it is the largest tributary of the Pocomoke River, located on the Delmarva Peninsula. Older variations on the same name include Nassanongo, Naseongo, Nassiongo, and Nassiungo, meaning "[ground] between [the streams]". Early English records have it as Askimenokonson Creek, after a Native settlement near its headwaters.

E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area is a state wildlife management area (WMA) of Maryland that consists of two separate parcels of land on Chincoteague Bay in Worcester County, between the villages of Girdletree and Stockton.

In 1971, the Maryland State Legislature passed the Wildlands Protection Act. Under this law, the legislature can protect certain publicly owned areas from logging or other incursions, and thus preserve them for future generations. As of December 2018, 38 Maryland Wildlands have been so designated.

Pocomoke Sound is a bay of the Chesapeake Bay that forms part of the boundary between the Eastern Shores of Maryland and Virginia. The Pocomoke River is the largest stream feeding into the Sound, which is bounded by Somerset County, Maryland on the north, Worcester County, Maryland, Accomack County, Virginia, and Beasley Bay on the east, the Chesapeake Bay on the south, and Tangier Sound on the west. Its southwesternmost point may be considered to be Watts Island, Virginia.

References

↑ 1876 map of Worcester County
↑ Whitelaw, Ralph T., Virginia's Eastern Shore (1968), p. 1361.

Uses material from Mattapony Site by Bob Jones.

Coordinates: 38°2′20″N75°28′40″W / 38.03889°N 75.47778°W / 38.03889; -75.47778

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] 1876 map of Worcester County

[2] Whitelaw, Ralph T., Virginia's Eastern Shore (1968), p. 1361.