Havre de Grace (/hævər dɪˈɡreɪs/),[2] abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States.

During the First Congress in 1789, Havre de Grace missed by only one vote being named the capital of the fledgling United States.

[4][5] On May 3, 1813, during the War of 1812, British forces led by Sir George Cockburn executed a raid on Havre de Grace, routing the American militiamen defending it and burning large parts of the village.

In gratitude, Havre de Grace made O'Neill and his descendants the hereditary keepers of the Concord Point lighthouse, which marks the mouth of the Susquehanna River.

Havre de Grace was a primary town on the Eastern route of the Underground Railroad in Maryland, as refugee slaves could cross the Susquehanna to havens in the free state of Pennsylvania, traveling on to Philadelphia and New York.

[7] Prior to 1840, escaped slaves from communities along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay came to Havre de Grace and often took the ferry across the Susquehanna River to safe sites in Lancaster and Chester counties in Pennsylvania.

[8] When "vigilance increased at the ferry", the African-American refugees were guided upriver to cross to Columbia, Pennsylvania, a town established by abolitionist Quakers.

[9] Because Havre de Grace had varied transportation across the river, refugees were often successful in making their way to the North.

It had enough business to support independent artisans, and numerous jobs associated with shipping on the river and canal and, increasingly, with the railroads.

Although located in the tidewater area of Harford County, which still had large plantations and slaveholders, the city's river and canals tied it to northern industry and trade in Pennsylvania and beyond.

These provided urban jobs for free blacks, and the town had a strong proportion of Northern sympathizers among whites.

The first railroad was constructed along St. Clair Street (now Pennington Ave.) to the river, so Seneca's factory was well-positioned for both water and rail shipping.

Up until the Second World War, many farmers in Harford County brought their produce to the Seneca Factory (later run as Stockhams Cannery).

Seneca lived at 200 North Union Ave., served as Mayor of Havre de Grace (1893-1894), and donated funds and land to build the Methodist Church.

[12] The Seneca cannery, now adapted for use as an antique shop, is a very good example of a late 19th-century brick industrial building.

Chicago gangster Al Capone was reported to have stayed at the former "Chesapeake Hotel" (now known as "Backfin Blues; Creole de Graw").

In the 1980s, Havre de Grace began to undergo extensive redevelopment as people were attracted to its unique character.

Historic lands and older forests are being cleared, and expensive houses are now extending and growing along Chapel Road northwest toward Webster Village.

[citation needed] Since the late 20th century, the city has benefited through development of new properties, antique stores, and other retail venues.

[21] Today, it serves as a waterfront boardwalk and nature walk from Tydings Park to the Maritime Museum, and on to Concord Point Lighthouse.

DOD recently moved activities and personnel from various bases to the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), a few miles away, which has added to the demand for housing and services.

The Philadelphia Subdivision of CSX Transportation, originally built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, carries a heavy volume of freight across the river on the CSX Susquehanna River Bridge, rebuilt between 1907 and 1910, about 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream of the Amtrak bridge.

[30] Havre de Grace's location at the head of the Chesapeake Bay and the mouth of the Susquehanna River makes it popular for recreation and tourism.

The restored promenade and boardwalk that runs along the shore from the Concord Point Lighthouse to the yacht basin is a favorite place for locals and tourists to walk and enjoy views of the bay.

A project not completely funded (as of 2022) is the restoration of the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center.

[32] The city stood in for Gaffney, South Carolina, Kevin Spacey's character Frank Underwood's hometown in House of Cards.

[33] In 2018, stand-up comedian Tom Myers recorded his CD "Make America Innate Again" in the Black Box at the Cultural Arts Center.

"[34] Since 2022, The State Theater on St. John Street has hosted many shows of Combat Zone Wrestling called “Limelight”.