Centreville in Queen Anne's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Birthplace of Charles Willson Peale
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 11, 2026
1. Birthplace of Charles Willson Peale Marker
First Free School of Queen Anne’s County erected near here 1724. Its sixth master was Charles Peale, father of the distinguished portrait painter and museum founder—born 1741 in living quarters near the school. Luther Martin, renowned barrister, was among the school’s masters who later attained distinction in public service. The school’s visitors were local colonial leaders and among the pupils were many of the forefathers of the County’s prominent citizens.
Erected by Maryland Historical Trust; Maryland State Highway Administration.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Colonial Era • Education. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Historical Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1724.
Location. 39° 1.641′ N, 76° 7.246′ W. Marker is in Centreville, Maryland, in Queen Anne's County. It is at the intersection of 4-H Park Road (Maryland Route 18) and Wrights Neck Road, on the right when traveling west on 4-H Park Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1002 Dulin Clark Rd, Centreville MD 21617,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Queen Anne's County Museum of Eastern Shore Life (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "All Gave Some - Some Gave All" (approx. 2.6 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.6 miles away); U.S. Army M5/M6 Antitank Gun (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Gift of a Second Railroad (approx. 2.7 miles away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 3 miles away); Centreville Wharf (approx. 3 miles away); Shuttled By Ship (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Centreville.
Another marker is no longer nearby.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 11, 2026
2. Birthplace of Charles Willson Peale Marker
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 6, 2025
3. Birthplace of Charles Willson Peale Marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2015
4. Charles Willson Peale
This self-portrait of Charles Willson Peale hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“Charles Willson Peale is best remembered as an artist, but he was also the proprietor of the first important museum in America, the Philadelphia Museum of art and natural history. In his mid-forties, after painting hundreds of portraits of the powerful and elite, Peale began a lifelong undertaking: the creation of a new museum designed for a republic. While science museums in Europe placed their specimens in drawers, pinned flat to white cloth, Peale's museum, designed to involve large numbers of Americans in an educational experience, presented them to visitors in lifelike situations, labeled with their scientific names and ordered in the Linnaean classification. Anyone who could pay the twentyfive-cent admission fee could enter, unlike European institutions, which required special application. Peale also directed the first scientific expedition in America, which exhumed and assembled a mastodon skeleton, helping scientists prove the existence of prehistoric animals.
Three years after completing this self-portrait, Peale gave up portrait painting as his profession to focus on his museum.” — National Portrait Gallery
“Charles Willson Peale is best remembered as an artist, but he was also the proprietor of the first important museum in America, the Philadelphia Museum of art and natural history. In his mid-forties, after painting hundreds of portraits of the powerful and elite, Peale began a lifelong undertaking: the creation of a new museum designed for a republic. While science museums in Europe placed their specimens in drawers, pinned flat to white cloth, Peale's museum, designed to involve large numbers of Americans in an educational experience, presented them to visitors in lifelike situations, labeled with their scientific names and ordered in the Linnaean classification. Anyone who could pay the twentyfive-cent admission fee could enter, unlike European institutions, which required special application. Peale also directed the first scientific expedition in America, which exhumed and assembled a mastodon skeleton, helping scientists prove the existence of prehistoric animals.
Three years after completing this self-portrait, Peale gave up portrait painting as his profession to focus on his museum.” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on May 6, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware. 4. submitted on August 29, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
