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1895 Map of Wicomico

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Wicomico
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1895
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1895

About this map

The Wicomico River drainage basin defines this southern Maryland landscape, where the tides of the Potomac River met the 19th-century economy of steamboat landings and rail terminuses. Deep inland, the Zekiah Swamp and Gilbert Swamp feed into the river's headwaters near Allen Fresh, a geography that dictated the placement of early settlements like Newport and Chaptico. This 1890s survey records the transition from water-based transit to rail, capturing both the Baltimore and Potomac R. R. near Pope Creek and the Southern Maryland R. R. cutting through the northern interior.

Waterfront activity is concentrated at historic shipping points such as Plowdens Wharf, Lancaster Wharf, and Wilkerson Wharf. Across the Potomac, the Virginia shore at Colonial Beach is clearly delineated, while the Maryland side shows established crossroads communities including Charlotte Hall and Newmarket. The presence of the Ludlow Ferry near Newburg highlights the continuing importance of traditional river crossings even as the rail lines expanded.