Broadneck Peninsula

The Broadneck Peninsula is an area in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The area is north of the Severn River, South of the Magothy River and west of the Chesapeake Bay. At the lower end of the Broadneck Peninsula is the 4.3 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Broadneck is the site of Anne Arundel County's first European settlement in 1649. The first settlers were Puritans from Virginia who were invited by Maryland's proprietary ruler, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, to settle on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Puritans established a dispersed hamlet at the mouth of the Severn River which they called "Providence" or "Severn." It was centered on the north shore of the Severn, between Greenberry Point and Hackett's Point. It was abandoned around 1670 in favor of Annapolis harbor. During this time, the area formed by Mill and Whitehall Creeks was known as "Broadneck," a name which later was applied to the entire peninsula.

By the late 17th century, the hamlet of Providence had expanded up the Broadneck Peninsula, with plantations occupying much of the interior land.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries the land use of the Broadneck area remained rural, supporting large plantations of tobacco and diversified crops. Annapolis served as the market center for these farms.

The African-American community of Mulberry Hills was established after the Civil War for freed slaves who had lived and worked in the area prior to the war. Similar to Brown's Woods on the north shore of Mill Creek, Mulberry Hill was subdivided into approximately 5 acre subsistence farms.

The Broadneck Peninsula comprises several residential neighborhoods, including Arnold, Cape St. Claire, and St. Margaret's. Two postal Zip Codes are assigned to the peninsula: Annapolis, 21409 and Arnold, 21012. The physical peninsula also includes most of Severna Park, 21146.

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