1900 Map of Betterton

About this map

Chesapeake Bay dominates this late-Victorian era survey, illustrating the critical maritime and rail connections of the Upper Bay before the era of modern bridges. The shoreline is punctuated by essential steamboat and shipping infrastructure, including Harris Wharf, Gales Whf., and Buck Neck Landing, which served as vital transit points for the agricultural districts of Stillpond Neck and Worton. Inland, the landscape is defined by the competing routes of the Phila. Balto. & Wash. R.R. and the Baltimore and Ohio R.R., which bypassed the older water-bound settlements to favor rail hubs like Perryman and Bush River. The map captures a high-water mark for bay navigation, documented by the Fishing Battery L.H. and the frequent ferries crossing the Spesutie Narrows. Small inland communities such as Butlertown, Smithville, and Coleman appear as they were at the turn of the century, deeply integrated into this river-and-rail economy.