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Maryland County
Dorchester County, Maryland
Harriet Tubman birthplace and Blackwater Wildlife Refuge - from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in Dorchester County around 1822 - the low, marshy terrain of the Blackwater country she knew as a child later became the landscape she navigated on her escapes and return missions, and the national historical park preserving her birthplace and the surrounding freedom seeker landscape makes Dorchester County a profound site of American history) to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (the vast tidal marshes of the Blackwater refuge support one of the East Coast's largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles and serve as a critical waterfowl flyway stopover, making it one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier wildlife watching destinations).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Dorchester County Department of Emergency Management – 829 Fieldcrest Road, Cambridge, MD 21613 | Emergency Management (410) 228-1818 | Emergency Communications/911 (410) 228-2222 | General Emergency Services (410) 228-2726; operates the county’s Citizen Corps program offering emergency medical/response training to residents.
Sheriff: Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office – 829 Fieldcrest Road, Cambridge, MD 21613 | (410) 228-4141; provides court security, coordinates with the county Detention Center for inmate court appearances, and operates an Aviation Division for aerial surveillance/search-and-rescue and a S.T.A.R. Team for high-risk incidents. Available 24/7.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50 and MD-16 serve Cambridge, the county seat, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Notes: Dorchester County’s landscape of marshes, woodlands, and waterways along the Chesapeake Bay remains largely unaltered from the 19th century, preserving the historic character of the region.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dorchester County Courthouse – 501 Court Lane, Cambridge, MD.
Notes: Dorchester County is genuinely the birthplace of Harriet Tubman. Born Araminta “Minty” Ross around 1822 in her father’s cabin on the Anthony Thompson farm at Peter’s Neck – now part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge – Tubman grew up enslaved in the county, suffering a severe head injury as a teenager that affected her for life. After escaping slavery in 1849, she returned to Dorchester County roughly 13 times over the following decade as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, personally leading about 70 enslaved people to freedom without ever losing anyone in her care. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (established 2013, 480 acres) and the adjoining Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park sit near her birthplace, marking the start of the 125-mile Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, one of only 31 federally designated “All-American Roads” in the nation.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Dorchester County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via dorchestercountymd.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Dorchester County Public Library – confirm current address/phone via dorchesterlibrary.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center (free admission), Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (28,894 acres, established 1933, a major Atlantic Flyway waterfowl sanctuary), and the Dorchester County Courthouse’s Tubman bronze sculpture are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Harriet Tubman birthplace and Underground Railroad heritage is among the single most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Dorchester County Planning & Zoning – (410) 228-3234.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Baywater Animal Rescue (formerly Humane Society of Dorchester County) – 4930 Bucktown Rd, Cambridge, MD 21613 | (410) 228-3090; Eastern Shore’s leading no-kill animal shelter, serving Dorchester County and neighboring communities since 1947; provides adoption, medical care, a pet pantry, foster homes, and working barn-cat placements for local farms.
Dorchester County Dog Control – P.O. Box 1102, Cambridge, MD 21613; serves as the county’s Animal Control Agency.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Dorchester County Landfill – (410) 943-1700.
NOTES: Dorchester County is the fourth county in the second batch of the Maryland v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Harriet Tubman birthplace and Underground Railroad heritage is among the single most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Dorchester County
Dorchester County is Maryland’s largest county by area, Harriet Tubman’s birthplace, and Blackwater refuge’s home – the Tubman national park preserving the landscape that shaped America’s greatest conductor on the Underground Railroad and the remarkable bald eagle and waterfowl habitat of Blackwater define a county whose natural and historical significance exceeds its modest population along Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore.
Cambridge (the county seat, population ~12,000) is Dorchester County’s governmental and revitalizing hub on the Choptank River, a historic watermen’s city working to leverage its Tubman heritage and arts community for economic renewal.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Dorchester County Assessor at 501 Court Lane, Cambridge, MD 21613, phone 410-228-3380. MD assessed at percentage of full cash value.
Courts & Legal
Dorchester County Circuit Court at 206 High Street, Cambridge, MD 21613, phone 410-228-0480, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Land Records & Court Filings)
206 High St., Cambridge, MD 21613
(410) 228-0481
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dorchester County Register of Wills (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
“Index to Dorchester County, Maryland Wills, 1669-1777” is a specific published resource for this county.
The 1853 Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Dorchester County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Dorchester County Register of Wills Dorchester County Courthouse, 206 High Street, Cambridge, MD 21613 (410) 228-4181
Dorchester County is on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, seated in Cambridge. The 1853 Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail (Queen Anne/Romanesque) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Maryland is NOT a Uniform Probate Code state – it follows its own framework under the Maryland Estates and Trusts Article, administered through the Register of Wills rather than a traditional probate court in most cases.
Small Estate Administration – for a gross probate estate of $50,000 or less, or $100,000 or less if the surviving spouse is the sole heir or legatee. Filed as a Petition for Administration of a Small Estate. There is no filing fee for small estates opened on or after October 1, 2022. Small estates typically close in 2 to 4 months.
Modified Administration – available for Regular Estates when the residuary legatees consist of the personal representative and non-taxable recipients of property (spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings), the estate is solvent, and all consent. The personal representative must elect this within 3 months of appointment, files a verified Final Report within 10 months, and must complete final distribution within 12 months of appointment.
Regular Estate (Administrative Probate) – required when probate assets exceed $50,000 (or $100,000 with spouse as sole heir). Requires a formal Inventory (due within 3 months) and Account (first account due within 9 months, can be filed as early as 6 months), with a fee based on estate value.
Judicial Probate – conducted by the Orphans’ Court rather than administratively through the Register of Wills, required when the will’s validity is questioned, the will is damaged, or more than one qualified person petitions to serve as personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a Petition for Administration (Form 1103, plus Schedule B/Form 1137 as needed) with the Register of Wills in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death.
The Register of Wills reviews the petition and, following the statutory order of priority, appoints a personal representative and issues Letters of Administration.
Notice to creditors is published by the Register in a newspaper; creditors have 6 months from the date of death (or 2 months after being mailed notice, whichever is later) to file a claim, or they’re barred from collecting.
The personal representative pays valid debts, files the required Inventory and/or Account (or Final Report under Modified Administration), pays any inheritance tax due, and distributes the remaining assets – the surviving spouse or domestic partner is entitled to a $10,000 family allowance, and $5,000 for each unmarried minor child.
What it costs
No filing fee for small estates opened on or after October 1, 2022.
Regular estates pay a probate fee based on the total gross estate value, per a published fee schedule.
Maryland imposes both a state estate tax (threshold around $5 million) and a separate inheritance tax.
Maryland does not require an attorney for probate, but complex or contested estates commonly benefit from one.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
829 Woods Rd., Cambridge, MD 21613
(410) 228-4141
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
501 Court Ln., Cambridge, MD 21613
(410) 228-4831
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Dorchester County Health Dept
(410) 228-3223
Dept of Social Services
(410) 228-2000
MD Medicaid
(800) 492-5231
University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Dorchester
umms.org (Cambridge — community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dorchester County Health Department – confirm current phone via dorchestercountymd.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Cambridge
Population: 33,600
Area: 983 sq mi (541 sq mi land)
Established: 1668
Tier: 3
Public Records
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