Patapsco

The tidal waters of the Patapsco form Baltimore's harbour, opening onto the Chesapeake Bay. The river's name is of Algonquian origin and may refer to a rocky point near its mouth. Beyond the harbour, the river winds inland through a valley where mills used its water to grind grain and power workshops.

Maryland established a port here for the tobacco trade in 1706, and Baltimore was founded in 1729. The town grew as merchants shipped grain and tobacco to the Caribbean. During the War of 1812, British forces bombarded Fort McHenry at the harbour entrance; Francis Scott Key watched the attack and wrote the poem that became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”