Students, Staff Work To Name Unidentified Harford County Tributary

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A group of students from Emmorton Elementary School recently oversaw an initiative to develop a name for an unidentified tributary that runs along Wheel Road through the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center and ending in Atkisson Reservoir and Winters Run.

The effort to name the creek Wheel Creek was led by the Wheel Creek Naming Committee and aimed to honor the historical significance of the watershed and its impact on Harford County.

Accompanied by staff from the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center and the Harford County Watershed Protection Group, the students visited the creek to gain insights into its ecological importance. While researching the historical significance of the area, the committee discovered Wheel Road’s name came from the Hollingsworth Wheel Factory that was once in the area.

Recognizing the economic and local significance of the factory during Harford County’s early development, the students decided to preserve and memorialize this aspect of the county’s history in the creek’s name. To initiate the formal naming process, the committee applied to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The committee also addressed a letter to Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, seeking his support, which he in turn offered to the students.

The committee submitted the application on Sept. 8, 2023, and on Feb. 15, Wheel Creek was federally recognized on United States Geological Survey stream maps.