Historical Markers in St. Mary's County, Maryland
...about the Corner of Vansweeringens Garden fence
...and Coffee House
A Bustling Civil War Community
A Busy Enterprise
A Busy Kitchen
A Change in Government
A Crucial Point
A Land in Need of Labor
A Place of History
A Place to Talk, Drink, & Smoke
A Pressing Situation
A Private Lodging House
A Seaside Resort at Point Lookout
A Target for Big Guns
A Time of Troubles
A Town Spared
A "War to end all Wars"
After the Disastrous Fire
Against the Odds
Agricultural Change and Environmental Damage
AIM-9H Sidewinder Missile
All Things Fit for a Capital
Amish Community
An End of Freedom but Persistence of Faith
An Experiment with Liberty of Conscience
An Innovative Entrepreneur
An Opportunity Awaits...
Andrew White, Apostle to Maryland
Architectural Significance of the First Lexington Park Community
Bay Lights
Beech T-34B Mentor
Bell TH-1L Iroquois
Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey Test Aircraft No. 8 ("Eight-ball")
Blackistone Island Lighthouse
Boeing Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight
Boeing X-32B JSF Demonstrator
Breton Bay
Brewing and Baking
British Landing Prevented
Cadet Pierre A. Mourthé
Cardinal Gibbons Institute
Carpenters' Marks
Cecil's General Store
Cecil's Mill
Cecil's Mill Historic District
Cecil's Saw Mill
Cedar Point Lighthouse
Cedar Point Lighthouse Cupola (1896)
Cellar Archaeology
Center of Citizenship
Chaptico
Chaptico
Charlotte Hall School
Charlotte Hall School
Christ Church King and Queen Parish
Clifton Factory
Constructed With Colonial Ideas
Coole Springs of Saint Maries
Dating Changes in a Building
De La Brooke Manor
Death at Point Lookout
Defense Strategies
Defining Freedom and Building Community
Disaster at Ragged Point
Douglas F-6A (F4D) Skyray
Douglas NA-4M Skyhawk
Drayden Schoolhouse
Drayden Schoolhouse
Drayden Schoolhouse
Early Signs of Industry
Encountering the Other
Entrance to First State House of Maryland
Entrance to First State House of Maryland
Entrance to St. John's Museum
Extending the Rail
Fear of War, People of Peace
Fenwick Manor
Finishing the Walls
Forest Hall
Fort Lincoln
Framing the Past
From Many Lands
From Slavery to Freedom
Fun on the Waterfront
Grumman A-6 Intruder
Grumman A-6E Intruder
Grumman E-2B Hawkeye
Grumman F-9J Cougar
Grumman NF-14D Tomcat
Grumman S-2D Tracker
Here Lyeth The Body
Historic St. Mary's City
Horse High, Pig Tight, and Bull Strong
How Old Is This Barn?
In 1648 Margaret Brent Asks for Vote...And Voyce
Invasion!
John LaFarge, S.J.
John Llewellyn
John Wilkes Booth
Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite
Keep It Clean
Laura Maryland Carpenter Blinn
Layers of the Past
Leonard Calvert
Leonard Calvert
Leonardtown
Leonardtown
Leonardtown
Leonardtown Wharf
Let There Be Light
Lexington Park
Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters
Lighthouses of the Chesapeake
Lockheed S-3B Viking
LTV NA-7A Corsair II
Lynching in America / Lynching of Benjamin Hance
Managing The Line
Manor of Little Brittaine
Map of Lower Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay
Margaret Brent Hall
Margaret Brent Pilgrimage
Maryland and the Confederacy
Maryland Began Here!
Maryland Begins Here
Maryland's First Capital
Marylands Pride and Glory
Mathias de Sousa
Mattapany Street
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet
Medals of Honor
Meet Garrett Van Sweringen
Military Influence
Mk-82 500-lb Snakeye Bomb
Mother of Light Shrine
Natural Highways
Navy Base Arrives
NC-8A Mobile Electric Power Plant (MEPP)
No Match for British Might
North American RA-5C Vigilante
North American T-2C Buckeye
North American T-39D Sabreliner
Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler
Origins of the Compass Rose
Osprey
Out the Door
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum
Piney Point
Piney Point Lighthouse
Piney Point Lighthouse
Piney Point Lighthouse
Piney Point Petroleum Terminal
Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery
Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery
Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery
Point Lookout Prison
Point Lookout Prison Camp
Point Lookout Prisoner-of-War Camp
Point Lookout Prisoner-Of-War Camp
Point Lookout State Park
Point Lookout-Hammond Hospital
Port of Entry
Potomac River Dory Boat
Potomac River Dory Boat
Potomac River Military Testing
Prison Pen
Private William H. Barnes
Project Lead Coffins
Prosperous Port Town
Putting Together the Pieces
Rat Hall
Raytheon T-6A Texan II
Rebuilding a Lost Chapel
Reclaiming the Lost City
Relax Awhile!
Remembering Ancestors at the Sotterley Plantation
Rosedale
Sacred Ground and Holy Buildings
Saint Clements Island
Saint Mary's Female Seminary
Saint Nicholas Church
Sergeant James H. Harris
Sharing Land and Legacy
Shipwreck!
Shock Troops of the Counter-Reformation
Sikorsky CH-53A Sea Stallion
Site of the Methodist Episcopal Meeting House (c.1847)
Smallpox Epidemic
Sotterley's Remaining Slave Cabin
St. Clements Manor
St. Clement's Island
St. Clement's Island Lighthouse
St. Ignatius Church
St. Joseph's Manor
St. Mary's City
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's College of Maryland Land Acknowledgement and Pledge
St. Mary's Female Seminary
St. Marys County and U.S. Navy History
Steamboats at the Waterfront
Storm Blocks the Route to Freedom
TA-75A Tow Tractor
Taking Sail, Taking Chances
The African American Monument In Elmer Brown Freedom Park
The Arrival of Governor Copley
The Brick Chapel's History
The Calvert Family and the Founding of Maryland
The Chapel Architecture
The Cooling House
The Council Roome
The F9F-8B Cougar
The First State House of Maryland
The Gift of the Society of the Ark and the Dove
The Great Depression and New Opportunities
The Great House
The Illusion of Brick
The Kitchen
The Landing of the Ark and the Dove
The Legend of Moll Dyer
The Manor of Cornwaleys Cross
The Mural Story
The Servants
The Shrinking Island
The St. Marys Chapel
The Tulip Disaster
The Union's Defense
The Van Sweringen Family
The Van Sweringen Site
The Wished For Country
The "Priests' House"
This Cannon
Thomas Allen Senior
Three Notch Road
Three Notch Trail
To Market! To Market!
Tobacco Barns
Tobacco... "our meat, drink, clothing and monies"
Tobacco's Impact
Trade on the Waterfront
Tree Growth Rings
Trinity Church, St. Marys Parish
Tudor Hall
Two Worlds / One County
United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops (USCT)
Upon This Shore
USS Tulip Monument
Veterans Memorial
Veterans Memorial
Village of Charlotte Hall
Village of Mechanicsville
War Comes to Breton Bay
War Hits Home
Watery Highways
Welcome to St. Clement's Island
Welcome to St. Clement's Island
Welcome to St. John's
Welcome to the African American Monument of St. Mary's County
Welcome to the Chapel Field
Welcome to the Maryland Dove
Welcome to the Waterfront
What Happened Here After 1695?
What Kind of Barn Was This?
Where is the City?
Who Worked Here?
Why Is This Barn Here?
Witness to History
World War I Monument -- Leonardtown
Ye Coole Springs
"...a hopeful Colony"
"...one of the pleasantest summer resorts on the Potomac"
"a lande, even as God made it"
"Contraband" Camp
"Deep Falls"
"Dwell here, live plentifully, and be rich"
"have Their houses near the Watters"
"The Bean Pot"
"Three Notch Road"
"With a laudable and pious zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith"
"
buried
in a most solemn manner"
"
for the good and happy Government"
"
once the Metropolis"
Adjourn to the Arbour at Vansweringens
a convenient place for the administration of Justice.
About St. Mary's County
St. Mary's County Timeline
St. Mary's County, located in the southernmost part of the state of Maryland, holds a significant place in American history as the site of Maryland's first permanent English settlement. The area was initially inhabited by the Yaocomico Native American tribe. In March 1634, a group of English colonists sailed up the Chesapeake Bay and established the settlement of St. Mary's City, named after the Virgin Mary.
St. Mary's City quickly grew into a bustling colonial capital and served as the seat of Maryland's government for over 60 years. It was a center for trade and commerce, with tobacco being the primary cash crop grown in the county. The colonists also established Maryland's first Catholic parish, St. Mary's Catholic Church, which still stands today as a historic landmark.
During the 17th century, St. Mary's County faced several challenges, including conflicts with Native American tribes and religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants. In 1695, the capital was moved to Annapolis, leading to a decline in St. Mary's City's importance. By the early 18th century, the county's economy shifted away from tobacco towards agriculture, lumber, and fishing.
In the 20th century, St. Mary's County experienced significant growth due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and the establishment of naval and research institutions. During World War II, the Patuxent River Naval Air Station was established in St. Mary's County, which played a crucial role in the development and testing of naval aircraft. In recent decades, the county's economy has diversified with the growth of technology and defense industries, including the establishment of the St. Mary's County Technology and Industrial Park. Today, St. Mary's County is known for its rich historical heritage, beautiful waterfront scenery, and thriving aerospace and defense sectors.
St. Mary's City quickly grew into a bustling colonial capital and served as the seat of Maryland's government for over 60 years. It was a center for trade and commerce, with tobacco being the primary cash crop grown in the county. The colonists also established Maryland's first Catholic parish, St. Mary's Catholic Church, which still stands today as a historic landmark.
During the 17th century, St. Mary's County faced several challenges, including conflicts with Native American tribes and religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants. In 1695, the capital was moved to Annapolis, leading to a decline in St. Mary's City's importance. By the early 18th century, the county's economy shifted away from tobacco towards agriculture, lumber, and fishing.
In the 20th century, St. Mary's County experienced significant growth due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and the establishment of naval and research institutions. During World War II, the Patuxent River Naval Air Station was established in St. Mary's County, which played a crucial role in the development and testing of naval aircraft. In recent decades, the county's economy has diversified with the growth of technology and defense industries, including the establishment of the St. Mary's County Technology and Industrial Park. Today, St. Mary's County is known for its rich historical heritage, beautiful waterfront scenery, and thriving aerospace and defense sectors.
St. Mary's County Timeline
This timeline provides a condensed summary of the historical journey of St. Mary's County, Maryland.
- 1634: St. Mary's County is established as one of the original counties in the Maryland colony.
- 1635: The first English settlement, known as St. Mary's City, is founded by colonists led by Leonard Calvert.
- 1649: The Maryland Toleration Act is passed in St. Mary's County, guaranteeing religious freedom for all Christians.
- 1689: St. Mary's City is abandoned as the capital of Maryland and the government moves to Annapolis.
- 1812-1815: St. Mary's County experiences significant economic growth during the War of 1812.
- 1837: The Great Mills Post Office is established, becoming an important local landmark.
- 1865: Slavery is abolished in St. Mary's County following the end of the American Civil War.
- 1942: Patuxent River Naval Air Station is established in St. Mary's County and becomes a major economic and military center.
- 1969: St. Mary's College of Maryland is founded in St. Mary's City, becoming the state's public honors college.
- 1980s: St. Mary's County experiences rapid population growth and development, with the establishment of new residential and commercial areas.