Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.

As boats churned their way to the port, it established itself as a busy relay point on the main line of travel between Philadelphia and Baltimore.

[4] After publication of the escape of slaves by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal a close watch was kept on vessels using that passage.

[5] The northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay was notable for calms that delayed the sailing vessels connecting the town with Baltimore.

Then, with the completion in 1837 of a rail line through Elkton,[citation needed] one that did not require steamboat connections on each waterway, business on the route started declining.