Hubs of Activity

Hubs of Activity. Terminals, Wharves and Landings on the Choptank. Sailboats and steamboats unloaded and loaded passengers and freight all along the Choptank. As trade increased in the 1800s, people built wharves and landings every few miles on the river.. A wharf bustled with activity when a boat arrived. Children raced to the dock to watch the action. Stevedores moved freight. Passengers disembarked or boarded. Farmers brought their products to the dock for loading. Locals exchanged news with travelers.. The steamboat terminal at West Denton, owned by the Maryland Steamboat Company, was one of the largest on the Choptank River. A shirt factory, ferilizer warehouses, canneries and rolling mills clustered close to the terminal.. Competition for the prosperous freight trade was fierce. In the end, the railroads won out. The railroads bought out the steamboat companies, sold the boats and brought the steamboat era to an end.. [text with image bottom left] dockworkers load and unload a steamboat, circa 1916.. [text with image middle top] Potter's Landing on the Choptank River, circa 1880. The larger wharves had sheds for storing freight.. [text with image middle bottom] Farmers on a wharf waiting to ship tomatoes to markets such as Baltimore. Steamboats gave farmers ready access to markets where they could get higher prices for their products. . This historical marker was erected by Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. It is in Denton in Caroline County Maryland