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The town of Charles Town
was established in 1742 by Act of the Maryland Assembly because,
to quote the Act, “the encouragement of Trade and Navigation is
the surest means of promoting the happiness and increasing the
riches of every country . . . [and] . . . there being as yet no
[town] settled at or near the head of the Chesapeake Bay . . .”
The Assembly directed that “a place called Long Point on the
west side of North East River in Cecil County” be the location
of the new town and that it be named Charles Town in honor of
the Right Honourable Charles, Lord Baron of Baltimore. A public
wharf and a three-story warehouse were built. An inspector was
appointed to ensure that only flour of superior quality was
sold. And Charles Town was in business.
During the Revolutionary War, Charles Town was a major supply
depot for the Continental Army. Two encounters with British
warships are recorded. Early in the hostilities, a ship
blockading the port was captured and its officers and men
marched off through the streets of the town. In August 1777, the
town was bombarded as a diversionary tactic while General Howe’s
troops sailed up the Elk River to effect a landing.
When a severe hurricane in 1786 altered the ship channels in
the Bay, making the ports of Baltimore and Havre de Grace more
accessible, Charles Town’s prosperity began to falter. The
following year, many distinguished Charles Town residents tore
down their houses and moved to Baltimore in disgust when the
town’s status as county seat was stripped away in favor of a
town at the head of the Elk River—Elkton. Then, over the course
of time, Charles Town slipped into obscurity, harmed by the
long-term effects of the Revolutionary War and the advent of
better roads that lessened traders’ dependence on water
transportation.
Thus did Charlestown escape the more devastating aspects of
“progress.” Its heritage is preserved in the Historic District,
which includes approximately 175 buildings. None are mansions;
most are the historic inns and amenities that served the
populace during the busy colonial period. There are several
Victorian buildings, but many structures that appear to be of
late 19th-century or 20th-century origin are of a much earlier
period, their true identities obscured by alterations applied
over the decades.
Charlestown today is a small, water-oriented municipality
with a population of about 1,000 people, four marinas, a general
store, two restaurants, an elementary school, and a post office.
The townspeople are content with it just the way it is.
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