Centreville is an

incorporated town An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation. Canada Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government. United States An incorporated town o ...

in Queen Anne's County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia. The peninsula is l ...

. Incorporated in 1794, it is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Queen Anne's County. The population was 4,285 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code is 21617 and the area codes are 410 and 443. The primary local telephone exchange is 758. It hosts the Queen Anne's County Fair each summer and was home to three franchises during the existence of the

Eastern Shore Baseball League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not ...

—the Colts, Red Sox, and Orioles.

Geography

Centreville is located at (39.046206, −76.064345). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Centreville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,285 people, 1,568 households, and 1,102 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,694 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 85.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population. There were 1,568 households, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.1% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the town was 39.5 years. 27.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,970 people, 807 households, and 497 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 866 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 78.68%

, 19.24%

, 0.10% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population. There were 807 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,100, and the median income for a family was $55,595. Males had a median income of $37,011 versus $25,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $20,630. About 8.1% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

Centreville's name was derived from the relocation of the county seat in 1782 from Queenstown to a more central part of the county. Saint Paul's Parish was established on the site that would later become known as Centreville, Maryland.Centreville
." Historic Sites and Landmarks. March 16, 2008. It was almost 100 years later, in 1782, that the Maryland State Assembly passed an Act to relocate both the courthouse and all government functions of the county to Centreville from Queenstown, making Centreville the new county seat.
" Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County 2006 18 March 2008. However, it took a decade for the appropriate land to be acquired and for the change to take place. A plantation called Chesterfield was chosen as the land to use for the new town which would hold the county's courthouse. Once the town and court house were completed, on the first of June 1796, the county court, "ordered he courthouseto be ‘taken, held and deemed to be the proper Court House of Queen Anne's County’". In 1782, the Queen Anne's county courthouse was moved from its original location in Queenstown, Maryland to an area that would, twelve years later, be named Centreville. The building's location, at the head of the Corsica River, encouraged population growth in the area.Arnett, Earl, Brugger, Robert J., and Edward C. Papenfuse. ''Maryland: A New Guide to the Old Line State'' (2nd ed.) The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999 p. 153-154 Centreville became an incorporated town in 1794, two years after the courthouse was completed. At the same time, the town laid out, including four streets that remain today: MD 213, S. Liberty St., N. Commerce St., Water St. (MD 304). Once Centreville was officially home to Queen Anne's county government, lawmakers and officials decided it was appropriate to name the new town in accordance with the new location. Centreville (named partly due to the town's central location) was also chosen because of its prime location on the Corsica River. Easy access to shipping, trading, and naval waters allowed the town to flourish and to become an important Maryland location.Centreville
." The Maryland Municipal League. 2008. March 17, 2008. Today, Centreville is the largest town in Queen Anne's county, with a population of 2,097. 2017 has become an all time high for the small town, with a population of 4,767. The Maryland Municipal League's Website, "The Association of Cities and Towns", notes that Centreville's, " story is reflected in the diverse architecture seen along the streets of the town—elegant Victorian homes with their wrap-around porches, neo-classical public buildings, late-19th-century commercial rows, late-20th-century institutional and government structures, and all the variations and curiosities in between". Much of the town was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as the Centreville Historic District in 2004. In addition to the Centreville Historic District, Bachelor's Hope, Captain's Houses, Centreville Armory, Jackson Collins House, Content,

Female Seminary A female seminary is a Private school, private educational institution for women, popular especially in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when opportunities in Women's education in the United States, educational in ...

, Keating House, Lansdowne, Lexon, Capt. John H. Ozmon Store, Readbourne, Reed's Creek Farm, and Stratton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. "Centreville was the home of

American Impressionist American Impressionism was a style of painting related to European Impressionism and practiced by American artists in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. The style is characterized by loose ...

painters Charles M. West and

Anne Warner West Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

. Charles was born in Centreville and educated at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he met fellow student Anne Dickie Warner, a native of

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

. The West Gallery includes a collection of their paintings, many depicting local subjects such as

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as the ...

at work, historic buildings and daily life in Centreville." Charles taught painting and sculpture at Washington College in

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,532 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Kent County, the oldest county in Maryland. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown ...

and is best known for his painting "The Narrows" which was exhibited alongside

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

and

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 March 6, 1986) was an American Modernism, modernist painter and drafter, draftswoman whose career spanned seven decades and whose work remained largely independent of major art movements. Called the "M ...

Transportation

The main means of travel to and from Centreville is by road, and four state highways serve the town. The most prominent of these is Maryland Route 213, which serves as the primary road serving local communities along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Other state highways serving Centreville include

Maryland Route 18 Maryland Route 18 (MD 18) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from the beginning of state maintenance at Love Point, Maryland, Love Point east to Maryland Route 213, MD 213 in Centrevi ...

, Maryland Route 304 and Maryland Route 305. U.S. Route 301 passes to the southeast, providing a high-speed highway to metropolitan areas such as

and

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Courthouse

The oldest courthouse in continuous use, and one of two 18th century courthouses in Maryland, the Queen Anne's County Courthouse is located at 120 North Commerce Street. The location for the courthouse, and for the town of Centreville, was a piece of land on which Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson lived on at the time.The Queen Anne’s County Court House
Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County. April 18, 2008. In 1792 the Flemish-bond brick building was completed. At the time it was composed of four rooms, two in the center and one on each side. The courthouse's use was increasing, so, in 1876 it was renovated and remodeled to add more space.Centreville
." Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne's County. 18 April 2008 18 April 2008 An iron balcony was also added to the second story. A unique feature of the courthouse is a gold eagle on the main building's rooftop. The eagle is thought to be symbolic of America's freedom from England and relays the idea of

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. In Judge John W. Sause, Jr.'s essay, "Why the Eagle", he connects the idea of freedom and the importance of the United States’ seal to the courthouse's eagle. Here, he writes, "Executed by an unknown hand, undoubtedly that of an artisan rather than an artist...our eagle looked down upon the comings and going of the courtyard, the tears and smiles of its citizens and the successes and failures of the political system which it was designed to represent".MacGlashan, Scott. "Re: Courthouse information." Judge John W. Sause, Jr. "Why the Eagle" E-mail to the author. April 22, 2008 A statue of Queen Anne of England, the county's namesake, sits in front of the courthouse. Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, attended the dedication (1977). Today, the courthouse remains an important figure in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, and the state of Maryland. Keeping true to its original form, the building's exterior is true to its original look.

References

External links

Town of Centreville website
from the Historical Society of Kent County collection {{authority control Towns in Maryland Towns in Queen Anne's County, Maryland County seats in Maryland 1794 establishments in Maryland Populated places established in 1794