Caroline County, Maryland

Caroline County Education, Geography, and History

Caroline County is a rural county located in the state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 33,066. Its county seat is Denton.

Caroline County is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talbot County to the west, Dorchester County to the south, Kent County, Delaware, to the east, and Sussex County, Delaware, to the southeast

Etymology - Origin of Caroline County Name

Lady Caroline Eden, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Caroline County History

Caroline County was created in 1774 from parts of Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties. The county derives its name from Lady Caroline Eden, wife of Maryland's last colonial governor, Robert Eden. At the time of its creation, seven commissioners were appointed: Charles Dickinson, Benson Stainton, Thomas White, William Haskins, Richard Mason, Joshua Clark, and Nathaniel Potter. These men bought 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land at Pig Point (now Denton) on which to build a courthouse and jail.

Until the completion of these buildings, court was held at Melvill's Warehouse, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) above Pig Point. Elections and other business transactions were completed there, and the town became the center of the county. The first court session was held on March 15, 1774, at Melvill's Warehouse. In 1777, court was moved to Bridgetown (now Greensboro), but in the interest of convenience, court was moved back to Melvill's.

Disagreements arose concerning the permanent location of the county seat. The General Assembly reached a compromise in 1785 and ordered that 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land at Melvill's Landing should be purchased for a courthouse and jail. In 1790, the county court and its belongings moved to Pig Point. The Caroline County Courthouse was completed in 1797

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 326 square miles (840 km²), of which 319 square miles (830 km²) is land and 6.5 square miles (17 km²) (2.0%) is water. It is the second-smallest county by total area in Maryland. Notable waterways include the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek, as well as the man-made Williston Lake in Caroline County.

Caroline County currently ranks seventh nationally in terms of land protected under the Ag Preservation Program.

Its eastern border is the Mason-Dixon line.

Caroline is the only Eastern Shore county not to touch either the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean.

Tuckahoe State Park, Holiday Park Campgrounds and Martinak State Park are located in Caroline County.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Kent County, Del.
• Southeast: Sussex County, Del.
• Southwest: Dorchester County; Talbot County
• Northwest: Queen Anne's County

Education

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