Editing Deale, Maryland (section)

== History ==

Archaeologists have found evidence of nomadic Paleo-Indian tribes in the area dating as far back as 8,000 B.C., with a larger, more permanent campsite in nearby West River dating to 2,000 B.C.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nugentdesignbuild.com/about/historyofdeale | title=Our Town }}</ref> Deale was situated in the heart of the hunting territories claimed by the [[Susquehannock]] people and within the bounds of the land claimed by the [[Piscataway people|Piscataway]] people.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nugentdesignbuild.com/about/historyofdeale | title=Our Town }}</ref>

European settlers first arrived in Anne Arundel County around 1649 from southeast Virginia during the English Civil War to escape religious persecution. In 1655, they settled Herring Creek, an area that encompasses present-day Deale. They had converted to Quakerism from Puritanism and other Protestant faiths, due to the influence of missionaries that had arrived in the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nugentdesignbuild.com/about/historyofdeale | title=Our Town }}</ref>

The land was mainly used for farming until around 1870, when [[Waterman (occupation)|watermen]] from Long Island and Maryland's Eastern Shore settled near Herring Bay's oyster beds.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hiddenharbour.net/about-deale-md | title=Deale MD History }}</ref> By 1920, some of the farms transitioned into summer communities, and businesses in Deale began building, repairing and renting boats to summer tourists. They also built restaurants and shops to accommodate the visitors. By 1960, some watermen became charter fishing captains offering fishing trips on the Chesapeake to visitors from Baltimore and Washington D.C.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hiddenharbour.net/about-deale-md | title=Deale MD History }}</ref>