Evitts Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

stream of the

North Branch Potomac River The North Branch Potomac River flows from Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to its confluence with the South Branch Potomac River near Green Spring, West Virginia, where it turns into the Potomac River proper. Course From the Fairfax Stone, th ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

s of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The confluence of Evitts Creek and the North Branch Potomac River is located east of

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...

. Evitts Creek is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed August 15, 2011 It flows from southwestern Pennsylvania through

western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washington, Allegany, and Garre ...

. The stream rises in central Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and flows southwest between the ridges of

Evitts Mountain Evitts Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachian Mountains, located in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and Allegany County, Maryland. Geography The ridge line runs north from Rocky Gap State Park in Mar ...

and

Wills Mountain Wills Mountain is a quartzite-capped ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and Maryland, United States, extending from near Bedford, Pennsylvania, to near Cumberland, Maryland. It is t ...

, through the Lake Koon and

Lake Gordon Lake Gordon is a man-made reservoir created by the Gordon Dam, located on the upper reaches of the Gordon River in the south-west region of Tasmania, Australia. Features The reservoir was formed in the early 1970s as a result of the dam const ...

reservoirs and into the North Branch Potomac River southeast of Cumberland at 39°55'N 78°36'W. Evitts Creek and Evitts Mountain are named in honor of an early pioneer in Allegany County, Maryland, who in the 1780s decided to contemplate his bachelorhood from the isolated top of what is today called

, far from the distractions of society. At the top of the over Evitts Mountain ridge is what is supposedly his old homestead, from which he would return by the same route every day hiking a steep trail, today called Evitts Homestead Trail. Rocky Gap Run, a tributary of Evitts Creek, runs past the eastern base of Evitts Mountain and into what is today

Rocky Gap State Park Rocky Gap State Park is a public recreation area with resort features located on Interstate 68 (exit 50), east of Cumberland in Allegany County, Maryland. The state park's include Lake Habeeb, Evitts Mountain, and the privately owned and oper ...

. The water supply of Cumberland is provided by Evitts Creek. Brook trout are native to Evitts Creek as well as the surrounding area, but current populations are limited to nonexistent. Trout are stocked annually in both Pennsylvania and Maryland. Bass,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

, and bluegill also inhabit the creek. Several historical incidents have been recorded along Evitts Creek: * In colonial days, Frazier's Plantation lay just upstream from Evitts Creek. Jane Frazier was carried west by Indians in 1755, escaping and making her way back a year later. * At Evitts Creek,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

forces turned back

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

cavalry in the

Battle of Folck's Mill The Battle of Folck's Mill, also known as the Battle of Cumberland, was a small cavalry engagement, fought August 1, 1864, in northern Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. After burning Chambersbu ...

in August 1864, at the conclusion of the raid that burned

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the ...

. From here the Confederates retreated to

Oldtown, Maryland Oldtown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, along the North Branch Potomac River. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 86. Demographics History It was founded in ...

, and crossed the river after another skirmish.

References

External links

Google Map of Evitts Creek
{{authority control Rivers of Allegany County, Maryland Rivers of Maryland Rivers of Pennsylvania Places located in Cumberland, MD-WV-PA Rivers of Bedford County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Somerset County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Potomac River

See also

References

External links