Fun Fact: Did You Know that the Co-Discoverer of the North Pole, Matthew Henson, was Born in Charles County?

Question: Did you know that the co-discoverer of the North Pole, Matthew Henson, was born in Charles County?

Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson

It’s true! Famed African-American explorer Matthew Henson was born in 1866 in Charles County near the town of Nanjemoy. Explorer Robert Edwin Peary hired Henson as his valet for expeditions. For more than two decades, they explored the Arctic, and on April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson and the rest of their team made history – becoming the first people to reach the North Pole on record.

charles countySources: Biography.com

Do you have a fun fact to share about your county? If so, please send it to Kaley Schultze to be featured in MACo’s weekly Fun Fact on Conduit Street.