Barclay is a small crossroads in agricultural northern Queen Anne's county at the intersection of Maryland Routes 313 and 302. The community was founded in 1873 as Merrikton and renamed Barclay in 1890. The designation "Town of Barclay" came with the town's incorporation in February 1931. The town's only employee is a part-time clerk / treasurer who works closely with the town commissioners in the daily operation of the town.
The Town of Centreville is the county seat and the County's largest incorporated municipality. The Town hosts state, county, and municipal government services as well as many historic sites, shops, services, businesses, and restaurants serving local residents and a rural regional clientele. The Town is located at the head of navigation of the Corsica River, a tributary of the Chester River.
Centreville has evolved slowly over the years. The Centreville Historic District was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The District includes six structures that are individually listed on the National Register.
Church Hill is a quaint little town dating back to colonial days. Nestled in beautiful farming countryside, it has been a quiet, friendly place throughout the years. It is believed that Church Hill was named for the historic St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Circa 1732), which sits atop a hill overlooking the center of town. Church Hill had, at one time, as many as six churches in the town, but the name is most likely derived from St. Luke's which sits on top of the hill at the foot of Walnut Street.
Millington grew up as a small village located on the Chester River sharing shores with both Kent and Queen Anne's County. The land on which it is located was settled in the late 17th century. Over the years the name of the town has changes originating as Head of Chester, to Bridgetown around 1724, and finally in 1818 to become known as the Town of Millington. Today Millington is still a small town with strong echoes from the past.
In the 1850s, the area that is now the town of Queen Anne, was part of a 225-acre farm owned by Jacob Morgan. Initially, the town nucleus was nothing but a 1½ story dwelling, but in 1864 Mr. Morgan built a more substantial place that was known locally as “The Mansion House,” and the locale was known as Morgansville. In 1878, the railroad purchased a site for a station on Tuckahoe Creek in Queen Anne’s County, and, quite logically, named it Queen Anne when the station was finally put into service about 1882. That was the genesis of the town known today as Queen Anne. It grew quickly, becoming an important commercial center for the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railroad. Queen Anne today is a pleasant town of residences and local rural commerce. It is situated in 2 counties, Queen Anne’s and Talbot, and borders on Caroline County.
Queen Anne Plan
Queenstown was established in 1707, although at that time it was named “Queen Anne’s Towne” in honor of Good Queen Anne of England. In 1710, the name was changed to “Queen’s Towne.” Eventually the “e” was dropped and the name became oen word. Queenstown was the first county seat of Queen Anne’s County and was established contemporaneously with the town. In 1708, the county’s first courthouse was built there. Queenstown remained the county seat until 1782, at which time the seat was moved to Centreville. Today, large retail factory outlet complex and the Queenstown Harbor Golf Links, located in the town limits, are elements that have a healthy impact on the town.
The community that was to become Sudlersville took root in 1740 when Joseph Sudler, a Kent Island land owner, purchased 800 acres “south of the Chester River.” The land included the homestead known as Sledmore. Most likely his son Richard was the 1st Sudler to live there. Since that time until the present day, a continuity of direct descendants of the Sudler family has lived at Sledmore and elsewhere in Sudlersville. In 1811, Dixon’s Tavern and a post office were established near Sledmore in the village called Sudler’s Cross Roads. That name was changed to Sudlersville in 1839. At the end of that century, there were about 40 houses and an assortment of commercial, ecclesiastical, and educational institutions. One of those was the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, whose then place of worship today houses the Sudlersville Memorial Library.
Templeville is a small country village of less than 100 inhabitants. It lies along Maryland Route 302; its buildings on the north side of the road are in Queen Anne’s County and those on the south side are in Caroline County. Residents look out of their windows upon fields being planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Just outside the town are several old cemeteries. One that dates back to the 1700s is the resting place of members of the Temple family for whom the town is named.