| Nassawango Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Area | Delmarva Peninsula |
| Counties | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Wicomico County, Maryland |
| Mouth | Pocomoke River |
• location | BelowSnow Hill, Maryland |
• coordinates | 38°09′36″N75°25′23″W / 38.160°N 75.423°W /38.160; -75.423 |
| Length | 20.8 mi (33.5 km) |
Nassawango Creek (locally/næsəˈwɒŋɡoʊ/ or/næsəˈwæŋɡoʊ/) is a stream in theU.S. state ofMaryland; it is the largest tributary of thePocomoke River, located on theDelmarva Peninsula. Older variations on the same name includeNassanongo,Naseongo,Nassiongo, andNassiungo, meaning "[ground] between [the streams]".[1] EarlyEnglish records have it as Askimenokonson Creek, after aNative settlement near its headwaters (askimenokonson roughly approximating a localAlgonquian word meaning "stony place where they pick early [straw]berries").[2]
The Nassawango rises inWicomico County, Maryland and flows 20.8 miles (33.5 km)[3] throughWorcester County to join the Pocomoke belowSnow Hill. Large portions of its drainage lie within thePocomoke River State Forest andThe Nature Conservancy's Nassawango Creek Preserve.[4] Nassawango Creek and its tributaries were oncedammed in several places formills; one dam site, became an early industrialblast furnace operation, wherebog iron ore was smelted to makepig iron atFurnacetown during the first half of the 19th century. Today, the furnace grounds are considered a local historical landmark.