Historical marker honoring Choptank Indian reservation unveiled in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE – Members of the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians Inc. hosted a celebration Wednesday for the formal unveiling of a new roadside historical marker honoring the Choptank Indian Reservation in Cambridge. Established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1669, the reservation was in an area of Locust Neck overlooking Goose Creek and the Choptank River. This location was occupied by the Choptank People into the 1790s and was the last colonial-era reservation in Maryland.

Native people living in the area today value the location as part of their heritage.

“This marker signifies an emotional time in our history. It is very important for people to beware of the atrocities the Native American communities have endured; not just in Dorchester County history, but everywhere,” said Chief Donna Abbott, Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians Inc. “This marker begins a new era. The creation of the marker itself is history in the making and we are proud to be a part of this. We have taken an emotional time in our history and have now made it an exciting, emotional time in our present and our future. It brings a time of better understanding and allows us to tell our own story.”

The Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians Inc. includes descendants of the Choptank, Nanticoke and Pocomoke tribes. The group nominated the site to the Maryland Roadside Historical Marker program, which educates the public on Maryland history. The Maryland Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, manages the program.

Paul J. Wiedefeld, the Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary attended the ceremony and discussed the importance of honoring historical markers like Choptank.

“This historical marker stands as a monument to the strength and resilience of the Nause-Waiwash people,” said Secretary Wiedefeld. “The Maryland Department of Transportation is proud to highlight our significant heritage with historical markers like this one and share our state’s untold stories.”

The new roadside marker is part of the effort of the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Historical Trust to increase the number of markers that highlight the state’s untold stories. Visit mdot.maryland.gov for more information on the Maryland Roadside Historical Marker program.