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We are glad that you are searching for real estate information on our site. This information is located on a page that is not maintained by DMS Properties, LLC Residential Real Estate Services. Chopticon High School is located on Colton Point Road. It is in the Town of Morganza, MD. The school has an interesting history. The information here was provided by the school. |
In 1608, Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay, becoming the first European to record observations of Native American villages in the region. Among these were settlements of the Chopticon Indians, located near the Wicomico and Port Tobacco streams and along Choptico Bay. The Chopticon tribe was relatively small, with an estimated population of about 2,000 in 1600.
The Chopticons maintained friendly relations with English settlers and became the focus of the first Catholic mission in the area, established by Father Andrew White. Father White recorded mutual respect and admiration between the Chopticons and the English. Within the tribe, values such as obedience and valor were emphasized as means of gaining spiritual favor and earning the esteem of others.
The Chopticon Indians were woodland people who dressed primarily in deerskins and commonly wore beads around their necks. Bracelets and earrings were typical adornments for both men and women.
During the mid-17th century, the Chopticons allied with the English and the Piscataway Confederation in a border war against the more warlike Susquehannocks. Although the Piscataways achieved some success, raids by the Susquehannocks and later the Iroquois continued. These conflicts forced the Chopticon tribe to migrate north along the Potomac River during the mid-1600s.
In 1651, the English established Choptico Reserving near the head of the Wicomico River to help protect the Piscataways and neighboring tribes from further raids. In 1688, the area was renamed Choptico Hundred. Only a small number of Chopticons remained there. By 1765, their population had declined to an estimated 150 individuals. Throughout the late 1700s, the remaining members continued moving west along the Potomac River, eventually assimilating into the Mohican and Delaware tribes.
The Chopticon people spoke an Algonquian language, or a dialect of it. Because the language had no written form, early colonists and missionaries, including William Strachey, John White, Edwin Dalrymple, and Andrew White, recorded what they could of its sound. English phonetic spelling led to variations of the tribe’s name, including Chopticon, Choptico, and Chaptico. While the spelling may differ, what matters most is that the people themselves are remembered.
During the school desegregation movement of the mid-1960s, the naming of Chopticon High School was viewed as a unifying symbol for the community. Just as the Chopticons assimilated peacefully into other tribes, the school sought to provide a safe and inclusive environment where all students could learn without fear. Since its founding in 1965, Chopticon High School has emphasized participation, respect, individual accountability, decision-making, and excellence—values that continue to define the school today and are reflected in its motto, PRIDE INSIDE.