Revolutionary War Sites in Cecil County
By Beth Boulden Moore
What do all these locations in Cecil County have in common?
| Elk Landing | Charlestown Wharf |
| Gilpin Manor | Principio Company |
| Courthouse Point | Rodger’s Tavern |
| St. Augustine Church | West Nottingham Academy |
| Bohemia Manor | Brick Meeting House |
They all are connected to the Revolutionary War!
Elk Landing
The Valentine Hollingsworth family emigrated to America from Ireland to America on October 27, 1682. In 1712 the family moved to Elkton and purchased large tracts of land. The land ran from the Elk River to beyond “Hollingsworth’s Woods”, which was between Elkton the location of Singerly Station on the B & O Railroad.
The Hollingsworth plantation was established in 1735. They built a manor house at Elk Landing. It was one of the first homes in the Elkton area. According to Cecil County in the American Revolution (published by the Cecil County Bicentennial Committee), the First and Second Delaware Regiments, under Generals Green and Gates, embarked from here for the Carolina Campaigns. In the month of June 1776, six companies of General Smallwood’s regiment, part of the famous Maryland Line, which fought with distinction, commenced their northern journey from Elk Landing. At this same time, Major Gist sent three companies of his regiment from Baltimore, and these men came ashore at the Hollingsworth plantation. Col. Henry Hollingsworth took complete responsibility for supplying vessels and food for the many American and French troops that embarked from Elk Landing.”
Gilpin Manor
Gilpin Manor is located on the east bank of the Big Elk Creek, just north of Elkton, and along the road leading to Belle Hill. According to Cecil County in the American Revolution, the old mansion was built in the 1760s by Joseph Gilpin, son of Samuel Gilpin, who had settled earlier at Gilpin’s Rocks near Bay View. Joseph became a prominent figure during the war. He worked with Colonel Henry Hollingsworth in providing food, quarters, and transportation for the thousands of troops passing through Cecil County. Both he and Col. Hollingsworth worked hard for independence, were politically active and wealthy before the war began, and were more wealthy when the war ended.
Just below the old house was located one of the first bridges in Cecil County. Several skirmishes were reported in the area between Head of Elk (Elkton) and Iron Hill. During one of those skirmishes near the bridge that Colonel Hollingsworth was wounded in the throat, He personally captured his assailant but was forced to release his prisoner when the fighting became more severe.
Courthouse Point
Courthouse Point, on the Elk River, was the location of the Cecil County courthouse for about 25 years before it moved to Charlestown in 1782. During the Revolutionary War, it served as a landing point for the British in 1777. On August 25, 1777, the British Royal Navy sailed up the Elk River and started landing approximately 17,000 British and Hessian troops on the shores of the Elk River. General William Howe landed troops at Oldfield Point and Hessian forces, led by Wilhelm von Knyphausen, landed directly across the river at Courthouse Point. From those locations and others on the Elk River, the British forces marched north to Head of Elk and east to Delaware.
Saint Augustine Church
St. Augustine Parish (Church) was founded by Augustine Herman not long after he was granted the patent for Bohemia Manor by the Second Lord Baltimore in 1692. The church sits at the corner of present day Mitton Road and Route 310.
When the British forces landed at Courthouse Point, Generals Gray and Knyphausen instructed their soldiers to encamp at St. Augustine and then proceed into Delaware. This site is now officially recognized by the National Park Service as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. The following explanation of this comes from the blog Window on Cecil County’s Past.
“In the late summer of 1777, as Cecil County became a battleground in the Philadelphia Campaign, enslaved individuals seized a fleeting opportunity for escape from bondage. Amidst the chaos of war and the arrival of British troops in northeastern Maryland, at least four enslaved individuals from Cecil County boldly fled to the royal forces encamped at the village of St. Augustine, with its historic Episcopal Church at the heart of the community. Their courageous action exemplified the resilience and determination of enslaved people in Cecil County during the Revolutionary War, marking St. Augustine Church as a vital crossroads in the journey to freedom.”
Gray’s Hill
Located just east of Head of Elk (Elkton), Gray’s Hill was used to observe the British landings in the northern part of the Elk River. On August 26, 1777 Generals Washington, Lafayette, Greene, and Weedon took advantage of this hill and were able to see, using a telescope, what the British were doing as they landed.
The next day, Washington, in a letter to John Hancock, reported what he observed during his stop at Head of Elk.
“I this morning returned from the Head of Elk, which I left last night. In respect to the Enemy, I have nothing new to communicate. they remain where they debarked first. I could not find out from inquiry what number is landed—nor form an estimate of It, from the distant view I had of their Encampment, But few Tents were to be seen from Iron Hill and Greys Hill, which are the only eminences about Elk.” (From the website of the Journal of the American Revolution)
West Nottingham Academy
West Nottingham Academy was founded in 1744, which makes it one of the oldest boarding and day schools in the United States. Two signers of the Declaration of Independence attended the school – Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton.
Dr. Benjamin Rush attended West Nottingham from 1754 to 1759. Rush became Physician General of the Army’s Medical Department during the Revolutionary War.
Richard Stockton attended the school before attending the College of New Jersey. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1776. Stockton’s daughter, Julia, was married to Dr. Benjamin Rush.
Bohemia Manor
In August of 1777, British forces, under General Howe, landed all along the shoreline of the Elk River. As they landed, they plundered area farms and plantations. One of the well-known plantations was Bohemia Manor. It was reported that the British seized 261 cattle, 568 sheep, and 100 horses from that plantation.
Brick Meeting House
The East Nottingham Friends Meeting House served as an American Hospital and smallpox inoculation center in 1778. Lafayette’s troops camped here, and a monument marks the burials of unknown soldiers.
The meeting house celebrates its 325th anniversary in 2026!
Find out more about these and other places in Cecil County here:
