MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

WATERWAYS

[photo, Patuxent River and grasses near Benedict (Charles County), Maryland]

RIVERS


Patuxent River & grasses near Benedict (Charles County), Maryland, November 2017. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland] At the State level, the Department of the Environment seeks to protect Maryland waterways, including rivers, as does the Scenic and Wild Rivers Program within the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, county government units, such as Anne Arundel County's Severn River Commission also provide oversight.


Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Boat house on Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace, Maryland] Maryland's riverine system is a complex network of branches and tributaries, some of which are known both as rivers and creeks. Most rivers in Maryland run into the Chesapeake Bay. All of Maryland's rivers have helped to guide the development of the State since its inception.



Boat house on Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace, Maryland, April 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Patuxent River with Solomons Island Bridge in distance (from St. Mary's County), Maryland] Many rivers are tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, but the three largest are the Potomac, the Patapsco, and the Patuxent. The Potomac River runs west and creates a natural border between Maryland and Virginia, while the Patapsco runs north from the Bay through Baltimore. It is the Patuxent, however, which may be the greatest contributor to the watershed. Located between the Patapsco and the Potomac, the Patuxent River covers over 957 square miles, and bears the distinction of being the longest river exclusive to Maryland.



Patuxent River with Solomons Island Bridge in distance (from St. Mary's County), Maryland, May 2000. Solomons Island Bridge links Calvert and St. Mary's counties in southern Maryland. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Little Gunpowder Falls (tributary of Gunpowder River), Baltimore & Harford Counties, Maryland] In the years before European expansion, native peoples used rivers, such as the Susquehanna and the Pocomoke, for food and transportation. Early European explorers traversed rivers from the Chesapeake Bay inland, establishing contact with Native Americans, setting up trading posts, and later settlements. One of the most notable explorers was John Smith, and by 1608, he had charted the Nanticoke River, as well as a number of smaller tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.


Little Gunpowder Falls (tributary of Gunpowder River), Baltimore & Harford Counties, Maryland, August 2014. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

[photo, At head of Patapsco River lies Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland] Rivers were a major basis for the settlement of early towns, allowing colonists to go further inland. From these rivers, settlers procured food and water, as well as transport and other necessities. As wars broke out, river routes also became essential in the movement of troops by England and France.

In the War of 1812, while the HMS Tonnant was anchored in the Patapsco River during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814, Francis Scott Key began to write "The Defence of Fort M'Henry," later known as the "Star-Spangled Banner," the song that would become America's National Anthem.

At head of Patapsco River lies the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, November 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Tiber River, Ellicott City, Maryland] During the American Civil War, Union and Confederate forces, blockade-runners, and even escaping slaves used the rivers of Maryland. One route for those trying to bypass the Union blockade was the Nanticoke River, where smugglers would stop at port towns, such as Vienna, acquiring much-needed goods to sell to southern states. Runaway slaves used similar routes, traversing rivers and streams on their trek north along the Underground Railroad. These routes followed many rivers and streams on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Potomac also was heavily traversed at this time, as both armies would sortie back and forth for the duration of the war. The River even lent its name to identify the Union Army on the eastern front. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee moved the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac in two foiled assaults in 1862 and 1863, and many Union generals crossed it with the Army of the Potomac, from Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in 1861 to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.



Tiber River, Ellicott City, Maryland, May 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland] Since then, evolving methods of transit and transportation, have lessened some riverine influences upon economic and other development, and Maryland rivers today primarily support boating, fishing, and other recreational pursuits. At the same time, the condition of Maryland rivers greatly affects the health of State citizens and the Chesapeake Bay.



Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

[photo, Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace, Maryland] The Susquehanna River is an important factor in the health of Maryland's people and its rivers. Traveling some 500 miles from Cooperstown, New York, to Cheseapeke Bay, the Susquehanna carries in more than half the Bay's fresh water. Nonetheless, it is considered an "endangered river" due to the failure of the Conowingo Dam to trap pollutants and sediment from reaching Chesapeake Bay.



Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace, Maryland, June 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

MARYLAND RIVERS
(by name)
[photo, Bush River, Abingdon, Harford County, Maryland]
  • Bird River
  • Blackwater River
  • Bohemia River (named by Augustine Herman (1621-1686), who was born in Prague, Bohemia)
  • Bush River


    • Bush River, Abingdon, Harford County, Maryland, June 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

    [photo, Casselman River Bridge, Grantsville, Maryland]

    Casselman River Bridge, Grantsville, Maryland, October 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt

    [photo, Big Gunpowder Falls (tributary of Gunpowder River), Baltimore County, Maryland]
  • Elk River
  • Front Wye River
  • Gunpowder River
  • Hawlings River
  • Honga River
  • Hudson River (Little Choptank)
  • Little Annemessex River

    • Big Gunpowder Falls (tributary of Gunpowder River), Baltimore County, Maryland, June 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

    [photo, Monocacy River (Frederick County), Maryland]

    Monocacy River (Frederick County), Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

    [photo, Patapsco River at foot of Main St., Ellicott City, Maryland]
  • Nanticoke River (named for the Nanticoke, "they who ply the tidewater stream")
  • North Branch Patapsco River
  • North Branch Potomac River
  • North River (branch of South River)
  • Northeast River
  • Patapsco River

    • Patapsco River at foot of Main St., Ellicott City, Maryland, May 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Pocomoke River at Snow Hill (Worcester County), Maryland]


    Pocomoke River at Snow Hill (Worcester County), Maryland, June 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Fishermen on Potomac River, Point of Rocks, Maryland]
  • Potomac River
  • Rhode River
  • St. George River
  • St. Martin River
  • St. Mary's River


    • Fishermen on Potomac River, Point of Rocks, Maryland, October 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Sassafras River at Georgetown, Kent County, Maryland]



    Sassafras River at Georgetown, Kent County, Maryland, April 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland]
  • Severn River
  • South River
  • South Branch Patapsco River


    • Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Youghiogheny River, Friendsville, Maryland]


    Youghiogheny River, Friendsville, Maryland, October 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    Maryland Constitutional Offices & Agencies
    Maryland Departments
    Maryland Independent Agencies
    Maryland Executive Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, & Advisory Boards
    Maryland Universities & Colleges
    Maryland Counties
    Maryland Municipalities
    Maryland at a Glance

    Maryland Manual On-Line

    © Copyright Maryland State Archives