Chesapeake Bay · MD
Havre de Grace
Head of the Chesapeake, one vote short of being the nation's capital.
- Population
- 14,807 (2020 census)
- Incorporated
- 1785
- Named by
- Lafayette's comparison to Le Havre
Then
- 1785
The town incorporates as Havre de Grace, after Lafayette compares it to the French port of Le Havre.
- 1789
The First Congress misses making it the national capital by a single vote.
- 1813
On May 3, British raiders burn much of the town. Lt. John O'Neill works a cannon alone until he is wounded and captured; his family later keeps the lighthouse.
- 1912–1950
The Havre de Grace Racetrack draws crowds.
Now
Havre de Grace sits at the mouth of the Susquehanna, the head of the Chesapeake. A promenade runs from Tydings Park past the Maritime Museum to Concord Point Lighthouse, and the Decoy Museum honors the town's carvers.
Charlestown, Chesapeake City and the Northeast River share this upper corner of the bay.
8 tide stations around Havre de Grace
- Havre de Grace0.9 mi
- Port Deposit3.9 mi
- Charlestown, Northeast River6.7 mi
- Town Point Wharf9.8 mi
- Sassafras River, Betterton12.4 mi
- Old Frenchtown Wharf13.3 mi
- Pond Point, Bush River14.1 mi
- Chesapeake City, Maryland15.1 mi