The Historic Landscape of Caroline County
We identified the locations of the earliest Black churches and communities in the Choptank River Heritage area by researching and comparing primary sources:
- History of the AME Church by Rev. Richard Allen.
- The 1824 Eastern Shore journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee, first woman preacher of the A.M.E. Church
- The 1875 Isler map of Caroline County
- The 1897 Saulsbury map of Caroline County
In the map shown on this page, use the toggle at the upper left to turn on/off background layers for 1850-1900 maps of Caroline and surrounding counties.
Use the grid icon to change the modern basemap from topographic to satellite imagery, roads and streets, or others.
Below the map are lists of identified Black churches and communities which appear in the map.
Or go to the larger map of Black Churches and Communities in the Historic Landscape of Caroline County, Maryland with historical and imagery basemaps.

See our Choptank River Heritage Sites Research map application for the geographic locations of all documented sites. These sites can be viewed over a variety of topographic, satellite and aerial imagery, and historic basemaps.
Many of the historic sites are described in detail here in the CCHS web site. Use the website search box above to find pages and posts for sites by name.
Name | Earliest Documented | Latest Documented | Lat | Lon |
Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Church | 1875 | 1897 | -75.93 | 38.72 |
A.M.E. Church at Cleaves Forks | 1875 | 1897 | -75.79 | 39.13 |
Union A.M.E. Church | 1824 | 2021 | -75.82 | 39.03 |
Hillsboro A.M.E. Church | 1897 | -75.93 | 38.92 | |
Johns A.M.E. Church | 1897 | 1949 | -75.88 | 38.70 |
Bethel A.M.E. Church | 1875 | 2018 | -75.72 | 38.70 |
St. Paul A.M.E. Church | 1883 | 1985 | -75.80 | 38.80 |
A.M.E. Church (1897) | 1824 | 1897 | -75.80 | 38.97 |
Trinity A.M.E. Church | 1897 | 2021 | -75.89 | 38.94 |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.83 | 38.89 | |
Lockerman U.M. Church | 1897 | -75.87 | 39.01 | |
A.M.E. Parsonage | 1897 | -75.78 | 38.70 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.86 | 38.95 | |
Stanton’s Mill | 1824 | 1875 | -75.86 | 38.81 |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.80 | 38.95 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.94 | 38.92 | |
Deep Branch A.M.E. Church (1897) | 1875 | 2021 | -75.91 | 38.86 |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.86 | 38.82 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.88 | 38.78 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.78 | 38.70 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.74 | 38.91 | |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.83 | 38.89 | |
Historic Black Church | 1897 | -75.88 | 38.78 | |
Mt. Zion U.M. Church | 1875 | 2013 | -75.79 | 39.10 |
Historic Black Church | 1875 | -75.77 | 39.03 | |
Pondtown | -75.91 | 39.23 | ||
Bethel A.M.E. Church | 1824 | 2021 | -76.07 | 38.77 |
Bethel A.M.E, Dagsboro DE | 1824 | -75.25 | 38.55 | |
Hole in the Wall | -76.06 | 38.70 | ||
Ivorytown | 1824 | -76.04 | 38.74 |
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