1943 Map of Chestertown

About this map

The Chestertown riverfront and the academic grounds of Washington College define this 1940s landscape along the winding Chester River. As a wartime era survey by the Army Corps of Engineers, it captures the critical transition between the old maritime economy and modern inland transport. The Pennsylvania Chestertown Branch railroad cuts across the agricultural interior, serving small communities like Pomona and Old Town. A dense network of landings and wharves, such as Riverside Wharf and Buckingham Wharf, still line the riverbanks and creeks like Southeast Creek, illustrating how deep-water access remained vital for Kent County commerce. Genealogists can locate smaller rural landmarks including Bond Chapel, Union Church, and Reid Hall School, along with family-named points like Wilmer Pt and Fryingpan Pt that mark the jagged shoreline of the Devils Reach.