Queen Anne's County is the gateway to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, located in the north-central part of the State. The county occupies 238,229 acres or 373 square miles. It is partly on the mainland and partly on islands, mainly Kent and Wye Island.
It was established in 1706 and is named in honor of Queen Anne of England. This was four years after Queen Anne took the throne as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. She was the daughter of James II and his first wife Anne Hyde, she ruled from 1702 until 1714. She brought peace to England for the first time in 75 years.
The county is mainly a farming area. The county has diversified agriculture, including the production of small grains, dairy, hogs, beef, poultry, vegetable crops, soybeans, corn and wheat. The average size of a farm in Queen Anne's County is 401 acres.
The only two courthouses which remain standing from the eighteenth century are located here and one is still in use.
The county seat is Centreville. Maryland has Centervilles in Charles, Frederick, Prince George's, Somerset and Washington. It is said that Cent RE ville took the French spelling because of the help of the French people during the Revolutionary War.
