Severn River (Maryland)

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For other rivers named "Severn", see Severn River.

The Severn River runs 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.

It has a watershed area (including the water surface) of 81 square miles, or 69 square miles of land. Thus, its total watershed area is 15% water. From its headwaters in western Anne Arundel County, the river enters the Chesapeake Bay near 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 Westfield Annapolis shopping center and the Anne Arundel Medical Center.

The Severn is crossed by two bridges, one carrying US 50/US 301/MD 2 that was first built in 1886, and the other carrying MD 450, 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 1920's 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 Railroad), that was removed after 1968 when it was declared unsafe.

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 Annapolis 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 the US Naval Station Annapolis (recently renamed Naval Support Activity Annapolis), except that the land on which it was located has probably all eroded away.

References

[Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Profile]: Severn River
[Severn River history] from Anne Arundel County web site
A. T. Davison and C. B. Rucker. Gems of the Severn (Severn River Commission, Annapolis, MD, 1988) Available from Scenic Rivers Land Trust, http://www.srlt.org
[US Naval Academy Bridge] Engineering information

Severn River (Maryland)

History

References

Further reading