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1908 Map of Choptank

Name: 1908 Topographic Map of Choptank
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1928
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1928

About this map

Annapolis and its waterfront neighborhoods, including Eastport and Arundel on the Bay, anchor the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay at the opening of the twentieth century. Across the water, the Eastern Shore is a complex geography of peninsulas and islands, where the Baltimore and Chesapeake Atlantic RR links maritime villages like St Michaels and Claiborne to the interior. The map illustrates a rural and seafaring economy, showing the distribution of small settlements such as Tunis Mills, Fairbank, and Carmichael.

The prominence of the US Naval Academy near the mouth of the Severn River contrasts with the agricultural landscape of Queen Annes and Talbot counties. Extensive water systems, from the Wye River to the Choptank River, dominate the terrain, defining the movement of goods and people between landings like Oxford and inland centers like Wye Mills. This era precedes modern bridge infrastructure, highlighting a time when ferry and rail connections across Eastern Bay were vital for the region's connectivity.