Severn River (Maryland)
Encyclopedia
The Severn River runs 14 miles (22.5 km) through Anne Arundel County
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. It is located south of the Magothy River
, and north of the South River
.
, the river enters the Chesapeake Bay
at the major port city of Annapolis
, also the capital of Maryland. Most famous for the United States Naval Academy
campus situated at the mouth of the river, the Severn provides an access point to the Chesapeake Bay for fishermen, hobby boaters, and Midshipmen. Its nontidal portion is called Severn Run, which has several branches, including Jabez Branch. Several of its creeks drain highly developed areas, including Weems Creek and its nontidal portion Cowhide Branch, which drain most of the Annapolis Mall
and the Anne Arundel Medical Center.
The Severn is crossed by two bridges. One, known as the Severn River Bridge or Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, carries US 50
/US 301
/MD 2
and was first built in 1886. The other carries MD 450
, and is now officially named the "US Naval Academy Bridge" because its south end is near the academy. The latter bridge was built as a drawbridge in the late 1920s and replaced with the current high span in 1994. There used to be a railroad trestle between the two current bridges, built in about 1887 for the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line Railroad (which became part of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
), that was removed after 1968 when it was declared unsafe.
Almost all of the tidal creeks and coves on the Severn are named, along with many of the nontidal creeks that drain to them, as the result of a project started in 2001 by the Magothy River Association, working with the Severn River Association, and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The late Colby Rucker was very helpful with finding the names. Some of the names are only shown on the map produced by the Severn River Association in 2005; see “References” below to see how to get a copy of it. Alternate names (current or historical) are shown in parentheses where they are known. If the upper nontidal portion has a different name, or there are named creeks or coves off that creek, they are listed after the &.
North Shore (Upriver to downriver, 18)
South Shore (Upriver to downriver, 24)
Whitehall Bay (west to east, 7)
had a better harbor. This "lost town" was in the Carr Creek watershed near Greenbury Point, across the river from Annapolis. It was on what are now grounds of Naval Station Annapolis (recently renamed Naval Support Activity Annapolis). The land on which it was located has probably all eroded away.
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It is located south of the Magothy River
Magothy River
The Magothy River runs through Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located south of the Patapsco River and north of the Severn River...
, and north of the South River
South River (Maryland)
The South River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the United States.The South River is located south of the Severn River, east of the Patuxent River, and north of the West River and Rhode River, and drains to the Chesapeake Bay.It has a watershed area of ,...
.
Geography
The Severn has a watershed area (including the water surface) of 81 square miles (209.8 km²), or 69 square miles (178.7 km²) of land. Thus, its total watershed area is 15% water. From its headwaters in western Anne Arundel CountyAnne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, the river enters the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
at the major port city of Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, also the capital of Maryland. Most famous for the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
campus situated at the mouth of the river, the Severn provides an access point to the Chesapeake Bay for fishermen, hobby boaters, and Midshipmen. Its nontidal portion is called Severn Run, which has several branches, including Jabez Branch. Several of its creeks drain highly developed areas, including Weems Creek and its nontidal portion Cowhide Branch, which drain most of the Annapolis Mall
Annapolis Mall
Annapolis Mall, officially known as Westfield Annapolis, is a shopping mall owned by the Westfield Group that is located near the junction of U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 97 in Annapolis, Maryland...
and the Anne Arundel Medical Center.
The Severn is crossed by two bridges. One, known as the Severn River Bridge or Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, carries US 50
U.S. Route 50 in Maryland
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 50 exists in two sections. The longer of these serves as a major route connecting...
/US 301
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland...
/MD 2
Maryland Route 2
Maryland Route 2 is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 40 Truck in Baltimore...
and was first built in 1886. The other carries MD 450
Maryland Route 450
Maryland Route 450 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 Alternate in Bladensburg east to US 50, US 301, and MD 2 near Annapolis. MD 450 is the original alignment of US 50 in Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties...
, and is now officially named the "US Naval Academy Bridge" because its south end is near the academy. The latter bridge was built as a drawbridge in the late 1920s and replaced with the current high span in 1994. There used to be a railroad trestle between the two current bridges, built in about 1887 for the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line Railroad (which became part of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of central Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th and 20th century. The WB&A absorbed two older railroads, the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad and the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line, and...
), that was removed after 1968 when it was declared unsafe.
Almost all of the tidal creeks and coves on the Severn are named, along with many of the nontidal creeks that drain to them, as the result of a project started in 2001 by the Magothy River Association, working with the Severn River Association, and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The late Colby Rucker was very helpful with finding the names. Some of the names are only shown on the map produced by the Severn River Association in 2005; see “References” below to see how to get a copy of it. Alternate names (current or historical) are shown in parentheses where they are known. If the upper nontidal portion has a different name, or there are named creeks or coves off that creek, they are listed after the &.
North Shore (Upriver to downriver, 18)
- Pointfield Branch
- Bear Branch
- Cold Spring Branch (Cool Spring Branch)
- Chartwell Branch
- Stevens Creek & Lake Liberty
- Rock Cove
- Forked Creek & Sacketts Pond
- Yantz Creek (Yantz Cove) & Cedar Creek
- Sullivan Cove (Sullivans Cove)
- Ringgold Cove
- Asquith Creek (Aisquith Creek)
- Rays Pond (Ray Pond)
- Chase Creek (Timberneck Creek)
- Cool Spring Cove (or Creek)
- Winchester Pond (Crouchs Pond)
- Manresa Pond (Browns Cove or Pond)
- Woolchurch Cove & Pond
- Carr Creek (Carrs Creek)
South Shore (Upriver to downriver, 24)
- Sewell Spring Branch
- Indian Creek & Indian Creek Branch
- Cypress Branch
- Arden Pond
- Plum Creek & Gumbottom Branch
- Valentine Creek
- Old Place Creek (Fox Creek)
- Browns Cove (on Little Round Bay)
- Maynadier Creek & Deep Ditch Branch
- Hopkins Creek & Davids Run
- Brewer Pond & Arthurs Run
- Brewer Creek & Howards Branch
- Clements Creek & Hockley Branch
- Saltworks Creek & Cabin Branch
- Martins Pond (Whitehurst Lake)
- Luce Creek & Howard Creek
- Cove of Cork
- Weems Creek & Cowhide Branch
- Shady Lake
- College Creek (Dorsey Creek)
- Spa Creek (Spaw Creek, Carrols Creek)
- Back Creek
- Chase Pond & Heron Lake
- Lake Ogleton
Whitehall Bay (west to east, 7)
- Mill Creek & Burley & Little Burley Creeks
- Pleasant Lake
- Whitehall Creek & Ridout Creek
- Meredith Creek & Jacks Cove
- Moss Pond (entrance eroded, looks like two coves)
- Westinghouse Bay (S of US 50 near Bay Bridge)
- Shorts Creek & Mezick Pond (N of US 50, creek leads to pond with marina)
History
The first colonial settlement on the Severn, and in Anne Arundel County, was settled in 1649 and called Providence (also called Towne Neck). It was abandoned in about 1670 because AnnapolisAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
had a better harbor. This "lost town" was in the Carr Creek watershed near Greenbury Point, across the river from Annapolis. It was on what are now grounds of Naval Station Annapolis (recently renamed Naval Support Activity Annapolis). The land on which it was located has probably all eroded away.
Further reading
- Maryland DNR's Surf Your Watershed: Severn River
- Severn River Association
- Severn Riverkeeper
- Severn River Commission
- College Creek watershed assessment from 2007
Severn River area publications and forums
- Annapolis Forum: Electronic Discussion for Annapolis MD Area Folk
- The Capital Newspaper Environment section for Severn River and Chesapeake Bay