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Head of Canal

Ghost town · Cecil County, Maryland

Havre De Grace quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1900, 1:62,500)
Havre De Grace quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1900, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Head of Canal is a ghost town in Cecil County, Maryland. It is one of 17 former communities in Cecil County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 2nd among the 24 Maryland counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Head of Canal as a historical populated place on the Conowingo Dam topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.7104° N, 76.2197° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleConowingo Dam
Elevation128 ft
Nearest living townDarlington, MD
Distance to it4.8 miles
GNIS feature ID589295
Coordinates39.71038, -76.21968

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Head of Canal is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Darlington, MD (population 349), about 4.8 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 128 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Head of Canal?

Head of Canal is in Cecil County, Maryland, at 39.7104, -76.2197.

How many ghost towns are in Cecil County?

Cecil County, Maryland has 17 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.