Secretary, MD

Secretary is a Dorchester County town at the meeting of the north and south branches of the Warwick River, about eight miles east of Cambridge. The river wraps around the west, north, and south sides, while East New Market sits about a mile east along Maryland Route 14. Warwick Elementary stands on Main Street, with North Dorchester Middle and High School serving older students elsewhere in the county. The 2020 census counted 472 residents, and the town’s low shoreline, wetlands, and wooded edges remain central to its shape.

Secretary’s name reaches back to Henry Sewall, who served as secretary of Maryland’s province from 1661 to 1665. His land along the Choptank River included a creek later called Sewall’s Creek, Secretary Creek, and now the Warwick River. In the late 19th century, oystering, an oyster-packing house, and produce shipping drew workers to the shoreline. During the early 20th century, steamboats called at the wharf, which sent vegetables to Baltimore. Incorporated in 1900, Secretary still carries the outline of a small river port in its streets, school, and water-bound edges.