Zekiah swamp is enormous, extending from the Wicomico River all the way up to the northernmost parts of Charles County. The swamp covers nearly all of the county.

The swamp and the Wicomico Rivers are important to Piscataway history. The Wicomico River was home to the Choptico tribe, and parts of the swamp were designated as the Piscataway reservation in the late 17th century. The swamp was also the location of a fort built by the Piscataway.

As times got harder and harder for the Piscataway, many of our people continued to reside in these swamps during the 'Conoy Period' as other members of the tribe were migrating to Virginia, then to Conoy Island, and then to Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley.



Photo: The south end of Zekiah swamp near the source of the Wicomico River. The Choptico village would have been located in this area.