Chester River

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Map of the rivers of the Eastern Shore of Maryland with the Chester and its watershed highlighted.

The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about 40 miles long, and its watershed encompasses 368 mi², which includes 295 mi² of land. Thus the total watershed area is 20% water. It forms the border between Kent County and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, with its headwaters extending into New Castle County and Kent County, Delaware. Chestertown, the county seat of Kent County is located on its north shore. It is located south of the Sassafras River and north of Eastern Bay, and is connected with Eastern Bay through Kent Narrows.

The Chester River begins at Millington, Maryland, where Cypress Branch and Andover Branch join together. It ends at the Chesapeake Bay in a very wide mouth between Love Point on Kent Island, and Swan Point, near Gratitude, Maryland. Cypress Branch rises in southwestern New Castle County, Delaware, and Andover Branch, with its tributary, Sewell Branch, rises in northwestern Kent County, Delaware. The entire watershed is in the coastal plain and quickly reaches sea level at Millington, the head of navigation

Its main tributaries are Langford Creek and Morgan Creek on the north side and the Corsica River and Southeast Creek on the south side. There are also several small creeks on the northern shore, including Church Creek, Grays Inn Creek, Shippen Creek, Jarrett Creek, Browns Creek, Broad Creek, Dam Creek, Radcliffe Creek, and Mills Branch. On the southern shore the small creeks include Queenstown Creek, Tilghman Creek, Reed Creek, Grove Creek, Hambleton Creek, Foreman Branch and Unicorn Branch.

[edit] History

In 1774, colonists boarded a British ship anchored in the Chester River and threw its load of tea overboard, mimicking the Boston Tea Party and its act of defiance against the King George III. This came to be known as the Chestertown Tea Party.