Maryland is one of the ten smallest states in the union, but it is not the smallest state (Rhode Island holds that title). It is affectionately referred to as “America in Miniature” due to its diversified landscape and roughly 12,407 square miles.
A combination of historical occurrences, regional folklore, early inhabitants, and natural elements serve as the basis for Maryland’s oddly named towns.
Even the state’s moniker, “The Old Line State,” which honors the Maryland Line warriors, is thought to have come from the American Revolutionary War.
The state’s rich and diverse past is reflected in its names, which range from colonial land grants like Chevy Chase to French influences in Crapo to oddball errors like Accident.
Chevy Chase
The community of Chevy Chase, which is located a short distance from Bethesda and downtown Washington, D.C., is not named after the comedian who gained notoriety for playing the foolish family man Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Its name derives from a piece of land that was given to Colonel Joseph Belt on July 10, 1725, by Lord Baltimore, the second Baron Baltimore who created Maryland.
Although Chevy Chase is mostly a residential town, it is a popular destination for politicians and well-known Washingtonians due to its close proximity to the Friendship Heights district’s premium shopping center, The Shops at Wisconsin Heights.
In 1969, a historic Woodend mansion on 40 acres of land, designed in the Georgian Revival style, was given to the Audubon Naturalist Society as a nature preserve for those who love the outdoors.
Woodend Nature Sanctuary is the current name of the sanctuary.
Secretary
There are roughly 500 people living in Secretary, which is in Dorchester County. The town was named in honor of Henry Sewall, the Secretary of Maryland from 1661 to 1665, by the 2nd Lord Baltimore, according to the town’s archives.
Photographers, birdwatchers, and environment lovers can go about 20 miles to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, which was established in 1933, serves as a haven for birds that migrate over the Atlantic Flyway.
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here are 17 miles of paddling routes, 5 miles of hiking paths, and a 3.6-mile Wildlife Drive that leads north of Florida to the greatest breeding population of American bald eagles on the east coast, as well as fox squirrels, which were once endangered on the Delmarva peninsula.
Crapo
Situated on the banks of the Honga River amid Dorchester County’s picturesque marshes, Crapo is a small village of roughly 140 people. Its name is derived from the French word for toad, “crapaud.”
While there aren’t many things to do in Crapo, historic Cambridge, a nearby town on the Chesapeake, is one of the state’s oldest colonial cities.
March is Harriet Tubman Month, with lots of events at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center, the new visitor center, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.
For those interested in history, Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County on March 22, 1822. Visit over 30 historically significant locations along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway to have the ultimate Harriet Tubman experience.
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Beginning in Cambridge, the self-guided journey travels 125 miles across Delaware before coming to a finish in Philadelphia, the city where Tubman discovered freedom.
Flintstone
Approximately one mile south of the Mason-Dixon Line, which marks the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania, is the isolated town of Flintstone in Allegany County.
The abundance of flint rock in the surrounding hills is probably the source of its name.
The settlement is significant historically because it was here that early immigrants and Indigenous peoples made flint tools and weapons.
Fans of the iconic Flintstones cartoon from the 1960s and Instagram users alike are drawn to this fascinating sign in town.
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The majority of tourists travel through Flintstone on their way to Rocky Gap State Park, a 3,000-acre park with the breathtaking Lake Habeeb, said to be the state’s bluest water, situated in a rocky mountain gap.
There are several hiking paths in the park, such as the strenuous 5-mile Evitts Homesite Trail, which climbs 1,000 feet in 2.5 miles, and the 5.3-mile Lakeside Loop Trail, which circles the lake.
Accident
Two corps of engineers who surveyed the same piece of land created a mistake that led to the name of Accident, a quaint little hamlet in Garrett County.
Soldiers of the Revolutionary War received it as recompense for their efforts during the 1775–1783 conflict, and it was copyrighted as “The Accident Tract.”
The Drane House is a log home constructed in 1798 that offers a historical glimpse of early pioneer life in rural western Maryland.
A popular destination for water sports, boating, fishing, and kayaking is the nearby 3,900-acre freshwater Deek Creek Lake.
Adjacent to the lake, Deer Creek State Park spans more than 1,800 acres and features a huge Discovery Center, a campsite with more than 100 sites, and 20 miles of hiking and bicycling trails.
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