Maryland Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Maryland ranks seventh among states and provinces with markers in this database. The United States of America is a state in the United States of America located in the American Northeast. It is also in the Mid-Atlantic region. Maryland is some 12 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 6 million people. The state is divided into 24 counties and an independent city and all of them have entries in this database. In Maryland we have discovered historical markers in 574 cities and towns lying in 393 different ZIP Codes.

There are at least 6,113 historical markers in Maryland, by our count. We have cataloged 6,108 historical markers and 446 war memorials—each individually presented on 6,505 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 3.7% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another five historical markers in Maryland that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

Click or scan to see
this page online.

The first Maryland marker in the database, Colony Of Maryland, was added November 9, 2005 while the database was being designed and tested (the Historical Marker Database went live January 1, 2006). It was photographed near Aberdeen in Harford County. The last one added was submitted on January 18, 2022, and titled Aberdeen 9/11 Memorial. It is in Aberdeen in Harford County and had been erected in 2013. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, one of the earliest historical markers we know of in Maryland was erected in 1792. More than one was erected that year. This one of them: Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northeast 2, and one of our correspondents found it in Takoma Park in Montgomery County on September 11, 2016.

Marylanders don’t want to forget their Civil War history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Maryland about the Civil War—1,244 of them—than about any other historical topic. It is followed by Industry and Commerce with 1,100 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Civil War topic was Rockville, added January 9, 2006. It had been erected in Rockville in Montgomery County. The last one submitted was submitted on January 15, 2022, and titled Lynching in Wicomico County / Lynching in America. It had been erected in 2021 in Salisbury in Wicomico County. The earliest marker erected with the Civil War topic that we have listed was erected in 1861. It is Capt. Samuel G. Prather, was found near Clear Spring in Washington County on December 5, 2009.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Maryland? What we know is that The Clara Barton House is the most viewed entry in the database from Maryland since it was added in 2006. It is located in Glen Echo in Montgomery County. This year so far, the most viewed Marylander entry is located in Sharpsburg in Washington County. It is Old Slave Block.

The Maryland county or independent city with the most historical markers listed in this database is the independent city of Baltimore, with 903 of them. It is followed closely by Washington County with 836 markers. The Locust Point Industrial Area area of Baltimore has the highest number of markers within its limits, 88. In Washington County the area with the most markers, 424, is Sharpsburg.

Checking the database for the city or town in Maryland with the most markers we again find Sharpsburg at the top of the list with 424 markers in or near it. It is followed by Annapolis in Anne Arundel County with 235 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 21782 at the top of the list with 429 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 21782 is assigned to Sharpsburg MD.) It is followed by ZIP Code 21401 with 162 markers. (21401 is assigned to Annapolis MD including the Cape Saint Claire delivery area.)

Getting back to the independent city of Baltimore, the first marker added to the database from there, Orpheus, was added November 22, 2006. in Locust Point Industrial Area. The last one submitted was uploaded on January 9, 2022, and is titled Women of Steel and was erected in 2020, in Locust Point Industrial Area. One of the earliest marker erected in Baltimore that we have listed was erected in 1815. More than one was erected that year. This is one of them: To George Washington, found in Mount Vernon on September 9, 2007.

By Adam Margolis, January 18, 2022

Latest Entry from Maryland
“Aberdeen 9/11 Memorial”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Sharpsburg. The first: Swearingen’s Ferry and Pack Horse Ford, was added July 27, 2007. The last: The Fate of the Army added on November 11, 2021. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1880: The Soldiers Monument, added on April 23, 2008.

The Maryland Historical Trust is currently in charge of the familiar Silver shield with black letters official historical markers found all over the state. We have 189 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties and an independent city have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some other cities and towns.

By Allen C. Browne, April 22, 2017

A Maryland Historical Trust Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Maryland have been marked with history. Check out Worcester County, Caroline County and Somerset County. We've only found, respectively, 82, 59, and 37 historical markers there. Visiting one or more of these parts of Maryland might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!