Galena was founded in 1763 under the name Down's Cross Roads, after William Downs, a local tavern owner. The name was later changed to Georgetown Cross Roads sometime before 1813, and finally to Galena in 1858. The name comes from a supposed silver mine in the vicinity of the town, which extracted the metal from the lead ore known as galena. There is, however, no geological evidence for galena deposits on Maryland's eastern shore, and the story is likely apocryphal.
As of the census of 2010, there were 612 people, 271 households, and 169 families living in the town. The population density was. There were 284 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 91.3% White, 2.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.0% of the population. There were 271 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couplesliving together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 45.1 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 428 people, 190 households, and 121 families living in the town. The population density was 1,208.2 people per square mile. There were 202 housing units at an average density of 570.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 95.79% White, 3.50% African American, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 190 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 1.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $53,068. Males had a median income of $35,096 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,858. About 1.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
