On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Romancoke is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Romancoke’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Romancoke’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Romancoke’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Romancoke yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Romancoke is a census-designated place on Queen Anne's in Maryland, United States, located at the southern terminus of Maryland Route 8. Romancoke was changed from an unincorporated community to a census-designated place for the 2020 Census listing a population of 1,855. The name "Romancoke" comes from the Algonquian word for "circling of the water." William Claiborne, who founded Kent Island, also had a plantation in Virginia named Romancoke. Romancoke was once linked with Claiborne via the Romancoke-Claiborne ferry; however, the ferry service terminated on December 31, 1952. This was five months after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was opened. Today, Romancoke is almost purely residential and …
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Kent Island EstatesKent TimbersRomancoke on the Bay
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Romancoke’s history
How does Romancoke rank for history?
Romancoke is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Romancoke?
0.5% of Romancoke’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1978.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1) 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.
Date?
2022
2022
2010
