Long before the Maryland State Normal School (which eventually became Towson University) moved to its present location in 1915, the same land was home to Native and Indigenous populations who used it for farming, trading and seasonal settlements. TU’s land acknowledgment specifically mentions three tribes for whom the campus grounds are part of their ancient homeland: the Susquehannock, Nanticoke and Piscataway. Read on to learn more about these tribes and the peoples deeply connected to the land on which we now reside.

Piscataway and Susquehannock tribe members once numbered in the thousands.

Experts believe Indigenous peoples have inhabited the Chesapeake Bay region for more than 10,000 years, with populations reaching into the millions nationwide. Before European contact, the Piscataway and Susquehannock tribal nations had more than 5,000 members each. They crafted intricately decorated pottery and established complex trail networks for fishing, hunting and trade. Some of those trails developed into main thoroughfares we use today, including two especially close to TU’s campus: York and Joppa roads.

“Most major roads in America originated as Native trails,” says Akim Reinhardt, a history professor in TU’s College of Liberal Arts. “Native people moved items across the continent through trade networks that occurred on those paths. When settlers came, they followed the same paths and eventually they became paved roads and highways.”  

TU archaeology  professor Katherine Sterner works with students in the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab (BCAL) to conduct field surveys throughout the region, discovering artifacts of the Indigenous people who once lived and traveled here. Her field studies and lab work are helping to form the first cohesive picture of prehistoric life in the area.  Sterner and fellow students from the BCAL recently discovered 300 pieces of debris and a dozen stone tools from what is now known as Herring Run Park in northeast Baltimore. The artifacts create opportunities to better understand prehistoric cultures and preserve cultural resources across the region.

Native American tribes in Maryland had some of the first recorded contact with the British.

The Nanticoke, Susquehannock and Piscataway nations lived in villages where they farmed and to which they returned after hunting and fishing along local waterways. In 1608 British explorer John Smith encountered several tribes along the Chesapeake Bay, including the Nanticoke and Susquehannock. The encounters are among the first recorded contacts between British people and Native Americans in this region. Afterward, Smith noted the Susquehannock had hatchets and brass ornaments through previous trade with the French. His records describe the Nanticoke as “the best merchants of all.”

TU’s History 379 course explores Native American history from 1500 to 1900, delving into the plurality of societies and the dynamic nature of cultures from before European contact through the Trail of Tears and Congress’s passing of the Indian Appropriations Act. Additional courses explore Native American history since 1900 (History 380), Native American art (Art History 354 and 554) and the history of Native American women (Honors 411).

Maryland was once home to reservations.

Throughout the 1600s, colonial expansion led to conflict between settlers and Native Americans. Raids and battles were commonplace, often resulting in short-lived peace treaties. A 1666 treaty between Piscataway tribal leadership and Lord Baltimore established a reservation called Piscataway Manor in modern-day Charles County. A subsequent treaty with the Maryland Colony set aside approximately 3,000 acres for Native American reservations. Ultimately both were unsuccessful, with settlers continuing to encroach on the land and treaties constraining Natives’ ability to travel for seasonal hunting. A smallpox epidemic and continued conflicts with settlers and other Natives forced many tribes to relinquish their land for safer ground. Some integrated into allied tribes while others migrated north and west or assimilated into colonial society. There are currently no federally recognized Native American lands in Maryland.

“It’s been particularly difficult for eastern tribes to get federal recognition because they were often conquered or marginalized before the U.S. was even a country,” Reinhardt says. “That means there were no formal U.S. relations with the tribes, which makes gaining recognition a long, difficult and expensive process.”

The state of Maryland recognizes three Native American tribes.

While there are no federally recognized tribes in Maryland, three tribes are officially recognized at the state level. They are the Piscataway Indian Nation, the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the Accohannock Indian Tribe, which has ancestral roots on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. The serves eight tribes in total:

  • Accohannock Indian Tribe
  • Assateague Peoples Tribe
  • Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians
  • Piscataway Conoy Confederacy
  • Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians
  • Piscataway Indian Nation
  • Pocomoke Indian Nation
  • Youghiogheny River Band of Shawnee Indian

Towson University’s offers information on these tribes, as well as access to tribal websites and additional resources on indigenous history, land and landmarks.

There are more than 100,000 Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples in Maryland.

More than 120,000 Marylanders indicated Native American or Indigenous ancestry in the 2020 census. The Piscataway Tribe is particularly active, and both the Piscataway and Nanticoke tribes have museums and cultural centers with artifacts and exhibits on tribal life, culture and history. The is located in Waldorf, Maryland, while the is in Millsboro, Delaware.

The largest Native presence in Baltimore, however, comes from the Lumbee. Originally from North Carolina, members migrated to the area in search of better-paying jobs during the post-World War II industrial boom. Here, they established a tight-knit community with a population estimated to be as high as 7,000 in the late 1970s. At the time, it was believed to be the largest community of tribal members in an American urban area. Although subsequent generations spread into the county and surrounding region, the upper Fells Point area that was once their cultural epicenter is still home to the . The center will host its 49th-annual Pow-Wow at the Maryland State Fairgrounds on Sat., Nov. 15.

“Many people don’t realize there are Natives in Maryland at all,” says Student Success Librarian Emily Minner, a member of the Lumbee Tribe. “I want to make sure people know we’re still here.”