Perryville, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Perryville is a town in Cecil County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 3,672 at the 2000 census. The town is located off Interstate 95
, on the north side of the mouth of the Susquehanna River
.
granted George Talbot 31000 acres (125.5 km²) of land which included the Perryville area. Before incorporation in 1882, the settlement was known as Lower Ferry (circa 1695), Susquehanna (circa 18th century), and finally was named Perryville after Mary Perry, the wife of John Bateman.
During the Revolutionary War, Perryville served as a staging area for the Continental Army. Colonel John Rodgers (1728–1791), who operated the ferry and tavern in Perryville, raised the 5th Company of the Maryland Militia. This company became part of the famous Flying Corps and was instrumental during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. George Washington frequently stopped at Rodgers Tavern
on his trips from Virginia to New York. Rodgers Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
Colonel Rodgers' son, John Rodgers
, was instrumental in suppressing the Tripolitan pirates in the Mediterranean Sea and was subsequently promoted to Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron. Commodore Rodgers served with distinction during the War of 1812 and is known as the "Father of the American Navy."
During the 19th century, Perryville was the central point for the Wilmington to Baltimore Rail Line. During the American Civil War
, the rail line between Perryville and Baltimore was destroyed. To transport troops and munitions to Annapolis, the Union Army again began the operation of the ferry across the Susquehanna. The Principio Furnace
is located nearby and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Throughout the 20th century, Perryville continued to serve as a railroad town. The advent of the interstate highway system helped Perryville metamorphose into a highway town.
Perryville is currently home to the Perry Point Veteran's Medical Center
, located on a picturesque campus along the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay
. This same location is also the Northeast Campus of AmeriCorps
National Civilian Community Corps
, a residential national service program which recruits young Americans between the ages of 18 to 24 to perform community service in various locations across the country.
Perryville is the northern terminus of the MARC Penn Line
commuter rail service, which runs south to Washington, D.C.
via Baltimore. The 1905-built station
also serves as a railroad museum and an Amtrak maintenance facility. Perryville is also the site of an outlet shopping center.
Perryville is home to the largest linwood
tree in Maryland located at 50 Millcreek Road on an estate formerly known as the Anchorage. Perryville is also home to numerous historical sites including the Principio Furnace
.
In 2010 Perryville opened the first casino in Maryland (Hollywood Casino Perryville
). The casino sits right off the southbound exit of I-95. It is the first legal casino in Maryland. The casino offers slot machines and all video gaming. The theme for the casino is a Hollywood theme, with huge movie posters hanging in the casino. During its opening weekend it made 3 million dollars. The funds from the casino are split with the Town of Perryville and Cecil County government as well as the state.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.40% is water.
of 2000, there were 3,672 people, 1,443 households, and 988 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,479.0 people per square mile (571.7/km²). There were 1,507 housing units at an average density of 607.0 per square mile (234.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.93% White, 5.86% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.54% from other races
, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 1,443 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,984, and the median income for a family was $52,981. Males had a median income of $39,112 versus $28,526 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,040. About 6.0% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.
was opened in 2008. The library was designed with many “green” features including geothermal energy and low e-glass. The Perryville Branch also boasts self-checkout machines, a café, a drive-through checkout window, and free wifi.
Cecil County, Maryland
Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley. It was named for Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,672 at the 2000 census. The town is located off Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
, on the north side of the mouth of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
.
History
Perryville was first settled in 1622 when Edward Palmer was granted a patent for a settlement on what is now Garrett Island. In the 17th century, Lord BaltimoreCæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
granted George Talbot 31000 acres (125.5 km²) of land which included the Perryville area. Before incorporation in 1882, the settlement was known as Lower Ferry (circa 1695), Susquehanna (circa 18th century), and finally was named Perryville after Mary Perry, the wife of John Bateman.
During the Revolutionary War, Perryville served as a staging area for the Continental Army. Colonel John Rodgers (1728–1791), who operated the ferry and tavern in Perryville, raised the 5th Company of the Maryland Militia. This company became part of the famous Flying Corps and was instrumental during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. George Washington frequently stopped at Rodgers Tavern
Rodgers Tavern
Rodgers Tavern, also known as Stevenson's Tavern, is a historic hotel located at Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is a mid-18th century, two-story stone structure with a basement. All rooms have corner fireplaces. In the 1880s the house was divided into two halves, east and west...
on his trips from Virginia to New York. Rodgers Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
Colonel Rodgers' son, John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
, was instrumental in suppressing the Tripolitan pirates in the Mediterranean Sea and was subsequently promoted to Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron. Commodore Rodgers served with distinction during the War of 1812 and is known as the "Father of the American Navy."
During the 19th century, Perryville was the central point for the Wilmington to Baltimore Rail Line. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the rail line between Perryville and Baltimore was destroyed. To transport troops and munitions to Annapolis, the Union Army again began the operation of the ferry across the Susquehanna. The Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace and village, Cecil County, Maryland, 4 mi/6.4 km NE of Havre de Grace, MD. The Principio Iron Works, part of the larger Principio Company, were started here in 1719 by Joseph Farmer with capital from England and an ironmaster, John England, who made it one of the most...
is located nearby and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Throughout the 20th century, Perryville continued to serve as a railroad town. The advent of the interstate highway system helped Perryville metamorphose into a highway town.
Perryville is currently home to the Perry Point Veteran's Medical Center
Perry Point Mansion House and Mill
The Perry Point Mansion House and Mill is a national historic district at Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is a -story, center-passage brick house covered with gray stucco. The 30 foot by 20 foot, stone grist mill is built into a river bank and is two to three stories high....
, located on a picturesque campus along the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. This same location is also the Northeast Campus of AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
National Civilian Community Corps
National Civilian Community Corps
National Civilian Community Corps , or AmeriCorps NCCC is an AmeriCorps program that engages 18– to 24-year-olds in team-based national and community service in the United States. National Civilian Community Corps teams complete about four different six- to eight-week-long projects during their...
, a residential national service program which recruits young Americans between the ages of 18 to 24 to perform community service in various locations across the country.
Perryville is the northern terminus of the MARC Penn Line
Penn Line (MARC)
The Penn Line is a MARC commuter rail line running from Union Station, Washington D.C. to Perryville, Maryland via Penn Station, Baltimore, Maryland on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It is MARC's busiest and only electric line. Currently the line is the fastest commuter rail line in the country, with...
commuter rail service, which runs south to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
via Baltimore. The 1905-built station
Perryville (MARC station)
Perryville is a passenger rail station on the MARC Penn Line and along the southern part of the Northeast Corridor however, Amtrak does not service the station. A single Amtrak train—Regional #151—stops at Perryville to board MARC ticket holders. The station is also the northernmost in the MARC...
also serves as a railroad museum and an Amtrak maintenance facility. Perryville is also the site of an outlet shopping center.
Perryville is home to the largest linwood
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
tree in Maryland located at 50 Millcreek Road on an estate formerly known as the Anchorage. Perryville is also home to numerous historical sites including the Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace and village, Cecil County, Maryland, 4 mi/6.4 km NE of Havre de Grace, MD. The Principio Iron Works, part of the larger Principio Company, were started here in 1719 by Joseph Farmer with capital from England and an ironmaster, John England, who made it one of the most...
.
In 2010 Perryville opened the first casino in Maryland (Hollywood Casino Perryville
Hollywood Casino Perryville
Hollywood Casino Perryville, Maryland's first casino, is in Perryville. It is owned by Penn National Gaming; the casino opened on September 30, 2010. It has a gaming floor of , with over 1,500 slot machines....
). The casino sits right off the southbound exit of I-95. It is the first legal casino in Maryland. The casino offers slot machines and all video gaming. The theme for the casino is a Hollywood theme, with huge movie posters hanging in the casino. During its opening weekend it made 3 million dollars. The funds from the casino are split with the Town of Perryville and Cecil County government as well as the state.
Geography
Perryville is located at 39°34′11"N 76°4′7"W (39.569662, -76.068725).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.40% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,672 people, 1,443 households, and 988 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,479.0 people per square mile (571.7/km²). There were 1,507 housing units at an average density of 607.0 per square mile (234.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.93% White, 5.86% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.54% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 1,443 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,984, and the median income for a family was $52,981. Males had a median income of $39,112 versus $28,526 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $20,040. About 6.0% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.
Library
A new state-of-the-art Perryville Branch of the Cecil County Public LibraryCecil County Public Library
The Cecil County Public Library is a public library system in Cecil County, Maryland, located in the northeastern tip of Maryland.CCPL has circulated over a million items since FY2009, serving the community through seven branch libraries, a bookmobile, and an ebranch...
was opened in 2008. The library was designed with many “green” features including geothermal energy and low e-glass. The Perryville Branch also boasts self-checkout machines, a café, a drive-through checkout window, and free wifi.