The scenic environment of Piney Point continues to be the summer getaway of many
Washington D.C. notables. Named after the long-leaf
yellow and
loblolly pines lining the shores of the
Potomac River, the Point provided a nature retreat for Presidents
James Monroe,
Franklin Pierce and
Teddy Roosevelt. A number of other Capital figures such as
Henry Clay,
John C. Calhoun and
Daniel Webster were frequent visitors to the Piney Point Hotel, which was shut down after a hurricane in 1933. In the early 1940s Piney Point was also home to the U.S. Navy Torpedo Test Range. The Navy base was situated on the property, which is now the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training. The small cottage-type homes located across from the maritime school were originally housing for Navy enlisted men and their families. The two-story homes along Stark Drive served as housing for Navy officers. The Navy base included a hospital, bowling alley, motor pool, and ships' dock. Many of the unmarried Navy members lived on large ships anchored in St. George Creek. ==References==