Caroline

Formed March 15, 1774 (17^th county)

Caroline County (33,299), Denton (4,842)                

The standard Maryland red brick Georgian Revival courthouse for Caroline County was built in 1895.  There was a 1797 courthouse earlier in Denton when it became the permanent county seat.  It is on Market Street between 1^st and 2^nd streets.  Maryland State Highway 404 Business is one block south.  Joseph H. Bernard provided the courthouse designs.  The building was enlarged in 1966.  It features columns.  A District Courthouse supports the county.  Caroline County is named for Caroline Eden, wife of the last colonial governor of Maryland.  Denton is a shortened version of Edenton, named for that last colonial governor, Robert Eden.  The county was formed on March 15, 1774 from Dorchester and Queen Anne’s counties as the 17^th county. 

Caroline County government consists of an administrator, and a sheriff (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Eight Circuit Court Judges, Six District Court Judges serve Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties and a court clerk and county attorney serve Caroline County (judicial.) Caroline County is on the eastern border with Delaware.  The county center is 3.1 miles Northwest of Denton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Queen Anne’s County and Delaware and Dorchester and Talbot counties. 

The area of the county is 326 square miles.  It is 22 out of 24 in the state.  It ranks 20 out of 24 in population in the state.  It has a density of 102.1 persons per square mile making it 17 out of 24 in the state.  Caroline County has 37.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county looks like a knife point.  Denton is near the geographical center of the county.  Denton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 14.5% of the county population.

Templeville