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History · Queenstown

Queenstown’s post office opened in 1801, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Bowlingly and the St. Peter's Church. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1900.

1801first post office
2on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Queenstown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Queenstown began

When was Queenstown founded?

1801

The Queenstown post office opened in 1801, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1892.

First census: 374 in 19002020 census: 705225 years
Founding year: the first Queenstown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1892.The full story ↓

What stands out about Queenstown’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1986. Watch Queenstown change.Deep rootsA post office since 1801: 225 years of Queenstown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Queenstown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Queenstown’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewRes(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Queenstown on the map, 1904 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Queenstown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Queenstown on the 1904 USGS mapQueenstown on the 1942 USGS mapQueenstown on the 1973 USGS mapQueenstown on the 1986 USGS map1904St Michaels sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Queenstown.

Timeline

Queenstown, 1775 to 1933

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1775In the archiveKent Island Queenstown Maryland 1775
  3. 19th century
  4. 1801Post officeThe Queenstown post office opens
  5. 1865In the archiveRes(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1933In the archiveEAST ELEVATION, CLOSEUP OF ENTRANCE PORCH, TAKEN FROM SIDE - Bowlingly, State Route 18 vi…
The story

How Queenstown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Queenstown.

Read it all →

Queenstown was the original seat of Queen Anne's County, before the location changed to Centreville, Maryland. Its location was important during the 18th century, because it is near a creek that, during that time, could be navigated by tradesmen. A hub for shipping and receiving, Queenstown was attacked by English troops in the War of 1812 on August 13, 1813.

Bloomingdale, Bowlingly, and St. Peter's Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Queenstown, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1770s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1770s1 item
Kent Island Queenstown Maryland 17751775Kent Island Queenstown Maryland 1775Document
1860s1 item
Res(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca1865Res(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca
1930s1 item
EAST ELEVATION, CLOSEUP OF ENTRANCE PORCH, TAKEN FROM SIDE - Bowlingly, State Route 18 vicinity, Queenstown, Queen Anne…1933EAST ELEVATION, CLOSEUP OF ENTRANCE PORCH, TAKEN FROM…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Res(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca
Retake this viewRes(idence) of Wm. (William) Paca, 1865

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Queenstown’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Queenstown

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Bowlingly
BowlinglySt. Peter's Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Gothic1
Stick Style1
BowlinglyBuilding
St. Peter's ChurchVictorian Gothic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Queenstown, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 705

Between 270 and 705 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Queenstown’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Queenstown’s history

What year was Queenstown founded?

The Queenstown post office opened in 1801, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1892.

What is on the National Register in Queenstown?

Two places: the Bowlingly (listed 1972) and the St. Peter's Church (1980).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.