1668, May 1. Treaty with Nanticokes.
1668/69. Feb. 16. Dorchester County known to have been established by this date, when a writ was issued to county sheriff; named for Sir Edward Sackville (1590-1652), 4th Earl of Dorset.
1669. Choptank Indian Reservation laid out near Cambridge.
1673. Court sessions held at Harwood's Choice.
1684. Cambridge on Choptank River laid out by commissioners, made a port of entry.
1687. Courthouse constructed at Cambridge.
1698. Nanticoke Indian Reservation laid out near Vienna.
1704. Treaty with Nanticokes.
1744. Many Nanticokes left Maryland to join Iroquois, traveling north to Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, Canada.
1750, Nov. John Henry (1750-1798), Governor of Maryland, born at “Weston”, near Vienna.
1760, Feb. 9. William Vans Murray (1760-1803), U.S. Representative, 1791-1797, and U.S. Minister to the Netherlands, 1797-1801, born in Cambridge.
1765, July 15. Charles Goldsborough (1765-1834), Governor of Maryland, born at "Hunting Creek", near Cambridge.
1767. Nanticokes relinquished their land claims in Maryland.
1770. Second Courthouse built at Cambridge.
1773. Caroline County erected from Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties.
1776, Sept. 16. Eastern Shore Battalion of Flying Camp fought under Col. William Richardson at Battle of Harlem Heights.
1793. Cambridge incorporated.
1798. Maryland purchased land still belonging to Choptanks.
1798, Sept. 2. Thomas Holliday Hicks (1798-1865), Governor of Maryland, born near East New Market.
1815, Feb. 7. Battle of the Ice Mound, Taylor's Island, Dorchester County.
1816, May 21. Stephen Allen Benson (1816-1865), President of Liberia, 1856-1864, born in Cambridge.
1818. New Market Academy founded at East New Market.
1822. Araminta (Minty) Ross (later known as Harriet Tubman) born south of Madison.
1832. East New Market incorporated.
1833. Vienna incorporated.
1849. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) escaped to Philadelphia, fleeing slavery in Dorchester County.
1852, May 9. Fire destroyed Courthouse at Cambridge.
1852, Feb. 21. Henry Lloyd (1852-1920), Governor of Maryland, born in Dorchester County.
![[photo, Dorchester County Courthouse, 206 High St., Cambridge, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/do/images/1198-1-1691b.jpg)
1853. Third Courthouse built at Cambridge.
1857, May 14. Samuel Green (c.1802-1877) of East New Market sentenced at Cambridge to 10 years in Maryland Penitentiary for possession of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Courthouse, 206 High St., Cambridge, Maryland, January 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
1862. Harriet Tubman moved to Beaufort, South Carolina (then occupied by federal forces), aiding slaves in transition to freedom, as well as acting as a spy and scout for the Union.
1863. Harriet Tubman recruited former slaves to act as spies and scouts for federal forces, guiding Union gunboats in raids against Confederate coastal encampments, and relocating slaves north.
1864, March 26. Emerson C. Harrington (1864-1945), Governor of Maryland, born at Madison.
1865, Aug. 6. Phillips Lee Goldsborough (1865-1946), Governor of Maryland, born in Cambridge.
1867. Church Creek incorporated.
1892. Hurlock incorporated.
1900. Secretary incorporated.
1915. Eastern Shore State Hospital (now Eastern Shore Hospital Center) opened at Cambridge.
1930, May 27. John Barth born in Cambridge.
1931. Courthouse at Cambridge enlarged.
1933. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge established as a waterfowl sanctuary for migratory birds.
1935, Oct. 26. Governor Emerson C. Harrington Bridge crossed Choptank River at Cambridge.
1947. Eldorado incorporated.
1951. Galestown incorporated.
1953. Brookview incorporated.
1962, Jan. 13, 20, 27. Three Freedom Rides from Baltimore to Cambridge organized by Baltimore Civic Interest Group.
1962, Jan. Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee formed by Gloria Richardson and other parents.
1963, June 11. Cambridge riots. National Guard remained through May 1965.
1967, July 25. Cambridge riots.
1970. Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies (now Center for Environmental Science) created at Cambridge by University of Maryland Board of Regents.
1971. County public schools desegregated.
1978. Jim Richardson (builder) launched replica pinnace Maryland Dove, LeCompte Creek, Dorchester County.
1987. Frederick C. Malkus Bridge opened across Choptank River at Cambridge.
2002, Sept. 10. Electronic voting machines first used during primary elections in four counties (Allegany, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's).
2002, Dec. 5. Charter form of government adopted.
2004, March 2. Electronic voting system used during primary elections at polling places and for absentee ballots in all counties and Baltimore City.
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