From 1642 until the end of the Civil War in 1865, slavery prevailed in Maryland, and at this harbor human beings captured from Africa were enslaved and transported to be bought and sold for the profit of free labor. After the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans continued to suffer gross injustices and subjugation. Chestertown recognizes the contributions attained under duress by enslaved men, women, and children and acknowledges that the town and county were built and flourished upon the backs of many of Chestertown’s African American ancestors.