House near the Wicomico

Maryland Historical Society

Two rivers in marylandare named Wicomico: one in Southern Maryland and one on the Eastern Shore by Salisbury. The name “Wicomico” is also given to a town in Southern Maryland and the county on the Eastern Shore where one of the rivers flows. The name is thought to be an American Indian word meaning “a pleasant place to live,” which may explain its repeated use. The name may also mean “a place where houses are built.”

History
Local Native American tribes have fished the Southern Maryland Wicomico River for hundreds of years. In 1608, Captain John Smith was the first European to explore the river, documenting the resources available in the region. He also named the river Wicomico. The area is considered important for archeology, both in the study of Native American who lived around the river for thousands of years and for the history of Maryland’s early colonial period.

There are currently twelve sites along the river listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The sites range from almost completely unaltered examples of seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century architecture to St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, the second oldest Catholic Church building in Charles County.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth fled through Southern Maryland with his fellow conspirator David Herold along the northeastern edge of the Zekiah Swamp, a major tributary located at the headwaters of the Wicomico. They met with Dr. Samuel Mudd so Booth could have his broken leg set. Then the two men continued their flight south through the Zekiah Swamp down to the Potomac River and Virginia.

Geography
The Wicomico River in Southern Maryland marks the border between St. Mary’s County and Charles County. It runs mainly south for 37 miles to drain into the Potomac River. Its source is the Zekiah Swamp in Cedarville State Forest. As it flows south, the river is fed by other swamps and creeks, including Gilbert Swamp Run, Clark’s Run, and Chaptico Creek. In all, the Southern Maryland Wicomico River drains an area that is approximately 158,000 acres (247 square miles) in size.

Wildlife and Surroundings
Each February, yellow perch spawn in the river near the town of Allen’s Fresh. The river is also known as one of the most bountiful in the state for oysters and a habitat for finfish. The river and the tributaries that feed into it are still used today for recreational fishing and boating. The woodlands around the river, particularly Cedarville Forest around Zekiah Swamp, are popular for hiking, biking, and hunting.

As it flows towards the Potomac, the Wicomico passes through several towns that are popular launching sites for boaters such as Allen’s Fresh and Bushwood Warf. Two race tracks, the Maryland International Raceway and the Potomac Speedway are located by the upper Wicomico River.

Environmental Issues
As with many other Maryland rivers, silting is a major problem on the Wicomico. Beginning in the seventeenth century, settlers cleared many of the nutrient-rich lands around Maryland’s waterways for agriculture. The continued deforestation of these lands over the years has resulted in an accumulation of silt in Maryland’s rivers.

Williams, Jr., John Page. Exploring the Chesapeake in Small Boats. Centreville, Md.: Tidewater Publishers, 1992.