1600 Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the land now known as Elk
Landing, was occupied by Native Americans who hunted, foraged and fished this
pristine area.
1608 Captain John Smith explores the Elk River which is so named because
several herd of American Elk are spotted along the shoreline.
1632 On June 20 Cecilius Calvert, second Lord of Baltimore, receives from
King Charles I of England the province of Maryland which is carved from
Virginia.
1634 Two small ships Ark and Dove are sent to
Maryland by Cecilius Calvert under the leadership of his younger brother
Leonard. They arrive on March 27 and a settlement is begun on St. Mary's River
in what is now St. Mary's County.
1635 Maryland's first General Assembly meets and passes laws which guide Calvert's
rule.
1638 The Swedes have formed a colony on the west bank of the Delaware
River where Wilmington now stands.
1655 Jon Hanson Steelman, later to settle at Elk Landing, is born at the
Aronameck Plantation on the west bank of the Schuykill River.
1655 Minquas (Susquehanna) Native Americans presents Governor John Claudius
Rising of New Sweden with land called Chakakitque at the fork of
the Elk River and other lands in exchange for the promise the Swedes would
establish a trading post at what is today Elk Landing.
1666 Alsop's map of Maryland is published showing north to the right,
more or less. Of all the animals shown on the map there does not appear to be an
elk.
1674 Maryland's tenth county, Cecil, is established and named in honor of
Cecilius Calvert.
1678 In this year (or the year following) a patent was issued to John Browning
and Richard Nash for a 500 acre tract of land called "Successor"
lying in a fork of the Elk River in Cecil County. This included the present site
of Elk Landing. The English now claim the land from the Swedes.
1682 Valentine Hollingsworth, progenitor of the American Hollingsworth
family arrives December 10 with his wife and family (including a son Henry) on
the Delaware River. They settle on 986 acres granted by William Penn in
Pennsylvania which he names Newworke.
1690 About this time Jon Hanson Steelman, a Swede, builds a wooden
structure at Elk Landing and established a trading post with the Native
Americans. The building was razed about 1905, but its remains are expected to be
uncovered by an archaeological investigation.
1696 Zebulon Hollingsworth, later to acquire Elk Landing, is born in
Chester County to Henry Hollingsworth, son of Valentine, and his wife the former
Lydia Atkinson.
1699 The capitol of Maryland is moved from St. Mary's to Annapolis.
1730 Baltimore Town is founded on 60 acres bought by Charles and Daniel
Carroll. Growth was initially very slow as there is little inward expansion for
the Chesapeake Bay afforded a great highway for travel. Nearly every plantation
lays along the water and is accessible by a wharf or landing, and the principal
crop is tobacco. It is packed in large barrels called hogsheads, rolled to the
wharf and shipped to England.
1735 Zebulon Hollingsworth acquires from Jon Hanson Steelman and others which he
names Elk Landing Farm.
1737 Henry Hollingsworth is born in Cecil County on September 17 to
Zebulon Hollingsworth and his wife the former Mary Jacobs. He is to later serve
in the Continental Army.
1740 Captain Zebulon Hollingsworth, along with several other officers,
command a group of foot militia in Cecil County.
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1776 The Declaration of Independence is signed in
Philadelphia.
First Maryland troops pass through Head of Elk en route to action in New
York.
1777 On August 24 at 4:00 AM Colonel Henry Hollingsworth, Deputy
Quartermaster General, writes an urgent letter to the Continental Congress in
Philadelphia warning them of the arrival of the British Naval forces at Turkey
Point on the Elk River. He believes their landing is imminent.
1777 On August 25 British invaders under General Howe begin disembarking
from about 250 vessels which have sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. About 15,000 to
18,000 British troops pass through en route to capture the capitol in
Philadelphia. Henry Hollingsworth scurries to remove stores, meat, grain and
flour, from their path.
1777 October 6, General George Washington writes Colonel Henry
Hollingsworth ordering the corn and grain belonging to the public be removed to
a safe place.
1778 February 16, General George Washington at Valley Forge writes Colonel
Henry Hollingsworth, "I am under the painful necessity of informing you,
that the situation of the Army is most critical and alarming for want of Provision, especially of the Meat kind. The Troops have not had supplies of the
latter for four days and many of them have been much longer without. I have sent
Captn, Lee to forward from the Head of Elk and Dover, all of the provision, that
may be at either of those places . . ."
1778 On February 21, General Washington writes Colonel Henry Hollingsworth,
"Your Letter of the 18th gives me much pleasure that you have
employed two active persons for the purpose of collecting Cattle and other
Articles of provision for use by the Army . . ."
1780s 21st Century dendrochronology report establishes construction date of the two story field Stone House as commencing in the 1780s.
1781 April 6 orders from General Washington command General Lafayette and a
force at Elk Landing to march south to join with General Nathanael Greene for
action against Benedict Arnold in Virginia.
1781 On September 6 at Elk Landing a jubilant General George Washington,
who is leading his army to Yorktown, reports that, " It is with the highest
pleasure and satisfaction that the Commander-in-chief announces to the Army the
arrival of Count De Grass in the Chesapeak, with a very favourable naval and
Land force."
1781 A Private in Washington's army, Joseph Plumb Martin, is leaving
Newport, Delaware on continuing a southward march that began on August 19 and
writes, " We then crossed over land to the head of the Elk, or the head, or
rather bottom, of Chesapeake Bay. Here we found a large fleet of small vessels waiting to covey us and other troops, stores, etc. down the bay. We soon
embarked . . . [and] passed down the bay, making a grand appearance with our
mosquito fleet . . ."
1781 Troops under the command of French Count Rochambeau join Washington at
the Elk Landing, however, there are not enough ships to board, so they continue
their march to Baltimore and Annapolis where additional vessels are to be found.
1781 On this movement of the troops southward, William Clajon writes, "General Washington and the army are gone to take Lord Cornwallis in his
mouse-trap."
1781 October 19, General Washington, aided by the French Navy and land
forces under Count Rochambeau, defeat Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown effectively
ending the Revolutionary War.
1783 September 3, the peace treaty for the Revolutionary War is signed in
Paris by Great Britain and on behalf of the United States, Benjamin Franklin,
John Jay and John Adams.
1783 December 23, Commander-in-Chief George Washington resigns his
commission at the state house in Annapolis.
1787 The Head of Elk is incorporated and the town now called Elkton.
1788 Henry Hollingsworth along with Joseph Gilpen, Samuel Evans and James
Gordon Hern represent Cecil County to ratify the Constitution during the
Maryland Convention in Annapolis of April 12 to 29.
1790 June 6, Colonel Henry Hollingsworth writes President George Washington
requesting his support for an appointment to the Office of Commissioner for the
state of Maryland.
1798 April 4, George Washington writing from Mount Vernon thanks Henry
Hollingsworth for some American made cloth he had sent the President.
1800 Around this time granite filled barges sink in Big Elk Creek causing
sand bars to form severely limiting the water draught. No longer can ship
drawing 8 to 9 feet of water move up to the creek to the Town of Elkton.
1803 Colonel Henry Hollingsworth dies March 24.
1810 About this time Elk Landing becomes the principal port to move, "flour, whiskey, lumber, grain, and goods of all descriptions." A new
road to the port at Christiana, Delaware facilitates transportation by wagon and
stage.
1812 War is declared with Great Britain.
1813 On April 29 a group of British marines attack and burn Frenchtown. An
attempt is made on Elkton, but defenses at Fort Hollingsworth located at Elk
Landing and nearby Fort Defiance hold. The British move their forces down the
Bay, and in early May burn Havre de Grace followed by destructions at
Fredericktown and Georgetown.
1814 Mary Pickersville sews the stars on the flag which will fly over
Ft. McHenry and inspires Francis Scott Key to write the words to the national
anthem when the British fail to take the fort and Baltimore, the war comes to an
end.
1815 Steamboat service begins at Elkton with a shallow draught vessel
specifically designed for inland creeks and waterways.
1818 The New Castle & Frenchtown Turnpike opens. With this improved road
the port of Frenchtown becomes a more significant competitor to Elk Landing for
moving good and people north and south.
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PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE PERIOD
1829 The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal opens. This provides an all
water route between the cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia. By 1844 there is
regular passenger service. In the long term this route will siphon off
passengers and freight that was previously enjoyed by both Elk Landing and
Frenchtown.
1831 The New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad opens making the connection
between the two ports faster and cheaper further eroding the competitiveness of
Elk Landing.
1837 The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad passes through
Elkton putting additional economic pressure on water routes such as Elk Landing.
1848 The original brick two story house constructed by Zebulon Hollingsworth
is gutted by fire. It is rebuilt as a Greek Revival style three story
structure with a low pitched roof. Also a right side two story addition is added
and the entire structure is covered with stucco. This the essentially the house
you see today.
1851 In the July 19 issue of the Cecil Whig, "There are few
prettier places than Elk Landing. To be sure there is none of the grandeur
about it produced by steep hillsides, or overhanging rocks, or water falls; but
then there is a quiet and placid beauty lying all around, which is perhaps the
pleasantest scenery to dwell upon, and live in the midst of, after all."
1872 Citizens of Elkton petition the Federal Government to improve the
channel between Elkton and Frenchtown.
1887 Deibert opens a boat yard on Little Elk Creek at Elk Landing
constructing canal boats.
1910 About this time the silting in the Little Elk Creek forces Deibert to move
his boat building operation to Long Creek in Chesapeake City.
1984 The stone structure known as the Jon Hanson Steelman tavern is
placed on The National Register of Historic Places.
1999 On October 15 the Town of Elkton acquires 42 acres of Elk Landing from the descendants of the Hollingsworth family.
2000 On January 17, the Town of Elkton and The Historic Elk Landing
Foundation, Inc. sign a renewable 99 year lease for the restoration,
management and operation of the site as a living history museum.
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