History of Cypress Branch Dam:
The Cypress Mill Dam is an obsolete dam composed of an earthen berm with a concrete spillway. The dam is breached and in an advanced state of disrepair. The remaining parts of the spillway consists of a water control structure with concrete apron walls and vertical metal posts for removable panels to control the flow of water. The water flow comes from the large mill pond to the north into the smaller pond to the south, which then fed the mill races in the Town of Millington. Currently, there are no boards in place to control the flow of the water; however, debris often accumulates between the metal posts.The exact construction date of the Cypress Mill Dam is unknown, there is a history of dams and mill ponds in the area starting in the eighteenth century. However, based on the aggregate in the concrete, H&P estimates that the Dam was constructed 1900 c.
Historic Context
Chestertown, the county seat of Kent County, was founded in 1706 along the Chester River on land belonging to Thomas Joyce. Chestertown and Kent County grew quickly, and it was during this time that farmers abandoned tobacco cultivation. The farmers in Kent County realized that the soils in the area were better suited for grain cultivation. Strong business relationships with Quaker merchants in Philadelphia facilitated the construction of mills in the County. By the eighteenth century, Kent County was home to many mills and the county participated in the trade of both grain and timber. Trade was further supported by Kent County’s position along water routes to Philadelphia and Annapolis (Bourne 1998).
What would become the Town of Millington, is referred to as “head of Chester” in the deeds. Millington was part of a large parcel of land called London Bridge Renewed that belonged to Daniel Massey. Massey began selling off smaller parcels of property, and eventually the land that currently contains Cypress Mill Pond and Dam (K-708) was purchased by Thomas Gilpin. Thomas Gilpin was a merchant in Philadelphia, and in the mid-eighteenth century he began purchasing multiple parcels of land in what would become Millington. In 1763 Gilpin bought land from John Jones, in 1764 from Daniel Massey, and in 1765 from Gilbert Falconer and Henry Clarke. The property that Gilpin bought did not mention mills or mill races; however, the property descriptions all reference Gilpin’s contiguous property, which contained a mill (Kent County Land Records).
No conflicts occurred within Kent County during the Revolutionary War. However, it did contribute to the massive amounts of wheat and corn delivered to the Continental Army. The Delmarva Peninsula supplied one-fifth of the wheat and flour, and one-half of the corn received in Philadelphia in 1774. In fact, wheat shipments from the Chester River region were equal to those of the western shore above Annapolis. Chestertown exported two-and-a-half times more wheat than what was produced on the rest of the Eastern Shore (Historical Society of New Kent). In spite of the robust agricultural market during the Revolutionary War, the Cypress Mill Pond and Dam property did not change hands during this time (Kent County Land Records).
Millington was chartered in 1798; though it appears the official name change did not occur until around 1818. In 1807, Millington was described as “a small post town situated on the Chester River. It contains about 40 houses.” The turn-of-the-nineteenth century brought an end to Kent County as a hub for the grain trade in Maryland. Baltimore was now the primary port for agricultural goods, and poor cultivation methods had depleted the soil in Kent County (Emory 1950 and Bourne 1998).
Beginning in 1813, the War of 1812 had a profound impact on the citizens of Kent County. The theater of war shifted from the north and Canada to the Chesapeake Bay, and the British began a series of raids in Kent County. Raids at Howell Point and Georgetown, had the citizens of Chestertown on edge. The British army returned in 1814, and had several encounters with the residents of Kent County. All of this culminated in the Battle at Caulk’s Field, which resulted in a resounding victory for the United States (Historical Society of Kent County).
The Cypress Mill Pond and Dam property changed hands several times during the antebellum years. The property eventually transferred from Thomas Gilpin to his sons Thomas and Joshua Gilpin. In 1813, Thomas and Joshua Gilpin sold the property to William Farrell and Thomas Seeger. The deed stated that though Farrell and Seeger owned the property, Thomas and Joshua Gilpin retained the right to use the mill races, dams, and appurtenances on the property as needed for their own businesses, as well as the pasture land for their cattle. However, by 1827 Seeger and Farrell lost the property due to an unpaid mortgage and the property was sold by Ezekiel F. Chambers, Trustee, to Samuel Cacy. Samuel Cacy’s son, John E. Cacy received the property via his father’s will in 1834 (Kent County Land Records).
There were no Civil War battles fought in Kent County. However, Union soldier occupation of the area caused considerable tension with the citizens (Historical Society of Kent County). John E. Cacy still owned the Cypress Mill Pond and Dam property. However, in 1865 George Vickers, Trustee, is charged with selling and disposing of Cacy’s real estate for the payment of debts. John Hanna purchases the property from Vickers for $6500 and it included a mill, mill seat, buildings, a meadow, ponds, races, sluices, and premises, at or near Millington (Kent County Land Records).
Martenet’s Map of Kent County, Maryland, c 1860 is the first clear map of the area. The property was owned by Cacy at this time and there is a residence identified for Cacy; however there is another dot to the west called Cacy, but it is not clear what kind of building it may be.
Kent County experienced major changes in technology and agriculture after the Civil War. First among these was the railroad. Though first chartered in 1856, the Civil War and a lack of investors delayed its completion until 1872. At that time the railroad was leased to the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. The railroad greatly expanded the market for the produce and grain crops of Kent County. Many Kent County farmers began to grow orchard crops, and by the early-twentieth century peaches were an important crop in the County. But by the 1920s, the peaches were replaced by wheat due to a virus that killed the peach trees. Wheat production continued to increase, particularly during the 1920s (Sutton 1983).
Industry in Kent County was also greatly influenced by the use of steamships to connect the Eastern Shore with the urban markets to the west. Steamships not only carried goods and produce, they carried people and brought tourism to Kent County. The County was now becoming a vacation spot and had two resorts, Betterton and Tolchester. These two institutions of tourism continued to operate into the mid-twentieth century (Historical Society of Kent County 2013). In 1904, a fire destroyed over four acres of Millington. This was a devastating loss for the Town with the destruction of every store, hotel, the Episcopal Chapel, the railroad depot, warehouses, over 100 homes, and almost all businesses (Alexander 1990).
The Cypress Mill Pond and Dam property changed hands many times during this time period. In March 1866, Wesley Jarman purchased the property from John Hanna for $10,500. Jarman sold the property to William Reese in August 1889. The deed stated that the conveyance included a grist mill in Millington, adjacent brick dwelling, and frame house near the brick house, between the house and mill. In November 1892, Reese sold the property to Edwin W. Spear for $7000, it consisted of 16 acres and included a grist mill at Millington. Spear sold the property to James E. Higman in 1905 (Kent County Land Records).
The 1877 Kent and Queen Anne Counties map provides a clear image of the project area from the late-nineteenth century. There does not appear to be any structures in the vicinity of the project area. The deeds from this time also provide a lot more information, specifically that the mill conveyed with the property was located in the Town of Millington. The 1899 and 1906 topographic maps do not show any structures in the vicinity of the project area either.
Agriculture changed considerably in the years after World War II. Corn replaced wheat as the primary crop grown in the County. Previously, corn was considered a more labor intensive crop, and therefore, it did not make economic sense to grow corn over wheat. However, the invention of the corn picker in the 1950s changed the dynamic, and corn became the dominant crop in Kent County (Sutton 1983). As local canneries closed, farmers turned to truck crops like corn, soybeans, and other grains that were milled into feed (Historical Society of Kent County 2013).
The Cypress Mill Pond and Dam property changed hands multiple times during this period. John W. Higman received the property from his mother Catherine Higman in June 1942. In August 1946, J. Karl Bauer purchased the property from John W. Higman. In August 1948, the property conveyed from J. Karl Bauer to Robert G. O’Dell. The deed stated that the property included all those lands known as Higman Mill including the mill, lying and being in and near the Town of Millington, bounded in part by Sassafras Street in said town, other lands owned by J. Karl Bauer, the Queen Anne and Kent Railroad Company, and the waters of the Chester River containing 10 1⁄2 acres of land. Robert G. O’Dell sold the land to Claude and Evelyn Everett in March 1952. The transfer included two mill ponds and mill pond properties formally called Gilpin’s Mill Pond, Cacy’s Mill Pond, Jarmin’s Mill Pond, Higman’s Mill Pond, Big Pond, and Little Pond. In March 1962, Claude and Evelyn Everett sold the property to John and Dorothy Burns. In January 1994, Burns sold the land to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The deed described the property as consisting of the Mill Pond and Mill Pond property situated to the northeast of the Town of Millington. The conveyance of the land included the water in the pond, canals, ways, rights, appurtenances, dams, banks, gates, sluices, and mill races. The property is now part of the Cypress Mill State Park (Kent County Land Records).
