St. Mary's County, Maryland

Settlement The settlement of Lord Baltimore's Maryland began with the arrival of passengers from England at St. Clement's Island in the Potomac River in what is now southwestern St. Mary's County on March 25, 1634, and the annual anniversary of this landing is celebrated as Maryland Day. The passengers arrived in two vessels, the Ark and the Dove that had set sail from the Isle of Wight on November 22, 1633. The county is the site of the first Catholic Mass celebrated in one of the original thirteen colonies (after they had become English colonies). Earlier dates of masses being said were during 1526–1527 at San Miguel de Gualdape. Due to the small size of the island and its lack of resources, there was no intention to make a permanent settlement on the island. Instead St. Clement's was used as a base for the settlers while scouting for a more suitable site. This was how a bluff overlooking the nearby St. Mary's River was chosen for numerous reasons, and became the site of the first permanent settlement. It would soon be named, "St. Mary's City". St. Mary's City, Maryland is the site of the first Maryland Capitol and remained so for more than 50 years, until 1695, when the state capital was moved to Annapolis. Today Historic St. Mary's City is a major attraction in Maryland with four museums, a reconstructed colonial village, and the reconstructed Maryland Dove settlers ship. It also has become one of the top archeological research sites in North America. St. Mary's County was the first county established in Maryland, in 1637, probably by an order of the governor. In 1649, Lord Baltimore, with the Maryland General Assembly, passed the Maryland Toleration Act, which provided religious freedom for any (Christian) sect and which was the first law of its kind in the New World. There is a statue in St. Mary's City commemorating this event, along with extensive museums, a reconstructed Colonial town, living history actors, and a replica of the Maryland Dove. Historic buildings St. Mary's County has some of the oldest extant buildings in English North America. Many of these properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings range through many historical periods, from the 1600s to the 1800s. There are notable buildings of the early twentieth century, as well. Memorial The United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue is a memorial to the more than 700 African-American soldiers and sailors from St. Mary's County who served among the Union forces during the American Civil War. The memorial site includes an educational display and special celebrations are held there each year. ==Politics and government==

In presidential elections, St. Mary's County leans strongly toward the Republican Party. No Democrat has won the county since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. In 2020, Donald Trump received the lowest percentage for a Republican candidate since Bob Dole in 1996. St. Mary's County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. Board of commissioners County executive The county commissioners exercise such executive powers as exist in the government of the county. Circuit Court judges • Hon. Kevin R. Hill • Hon. Amy D. Lorenzini, • Hon. Joseph M. Stanalonis, Administrative Judge Law enforcement St. Mary's County has the oldest documented sheriff's office in Maryland and one of the oldest in the United States. In 1637, James Baldridge was appointed sheriff. Since 1776, sheriffs in St. Mary's County have been determined by election. Steven A. Hall is the current sheriff. He was sworn in on December 5, 2022. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Maryland by total area. Located on the St. Mary's Peninsula, St. Mary's County is largely bordered by water: the Patuxent River (northeast), the Chesapeake Bay (east), the Potomac River (southwest), and the Wicomico River (west). Its coastline has many coves, tidal creeks, bays, and inlets. Many coastal areas are made up of mixed clay-and-sand cliffs and bluffs, which protect many parts of the county from storm surges, however, there are low-lying coastal areas with coarse sand or gravel beaches or tidal marshlands, as well. The county has a tiny exclave on the other side of the Potomac river due to the Maryland-Virginia border cutting through a beach near the little wicomico river. The interior of much of the county is hilly to varying degrees, with forests and agricultural fields. There also are coastal plain areas, much of which are under agriculture or under new development. Residential development has been increasing steadily for decades. The county's very extensive waters are mostly brackish, ranging from significant degrees of saltwater in tidal areas that are on or near the Chesapeake Bay, to a greater predominance of freshwater and lower-salt-concentrations in its interior tidal waterways and also further up its bordering rivers. Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, the county has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) According to the Trewartha climate classification, the climate is Cf or oceanic (Do) depending on whether eight or seven months average above ,) respectively. Average monthly temperatures in Leonardtown range from 36.3 °F in January to 78.1 °F in July. Adjacent counties • Calvert County (northeast) • Charles County (northwest) • Somerset County (southeast) • Northumberland County, Virginia (South) • Westmoreland County, Virginia (southwest) • Dorchester County (east) St. Mary's County borders Virginia, across the Potomac River. St. Mary's County waters also are bordered by Virginia's territorial waters in Potomac tributary mouths on the Virginia side, Sometimes, water rights in all of these areas are still disputed. Core-based statistical area Over time, St. Mary's County has been within several core-based statistical areas, as delineated by the Office of Management and Budget. Since July 2023, the Lexington Park, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area has consisted of St. Mary's County and Calvert County. From 2013 to 2023, the California-Lexington Park, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area was coterminous with St. Mary's County, and prior to that, the Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area was conterminous with the county. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 113,777 and a median age of 37.1 years, with 24.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 13.5% age 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and among adults age 18 and over there were 97.4 males per 100 females. 43.3% of residents lived in urban areas while 56.7% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 72.0% White, 14.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 8.2% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.8% of the population. There were 41,845 households in the county, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present; about 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 41,282 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.6% white, 14.3% black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.8% of the population. Of the 37,604 households, 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.0% were non-families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 36.0 years. 2000 census As of 2010, there were 105,000 people in St. Mary's County, up from 84,000 in the year 2000. families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 34,081 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.57% White, 13.92% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population. 14.8% ==Education==

marching band at a 2016 4th of July parade in Fairfax, Virginia St. Mary's County has multiple post-secondary education facilities, including: • St. Mary's College of Maryland is in St. Mary's City, Maryland and has been ranked "6th in the nation" under the category, " Public Liberal Arts Colleges", by the U.S. News & World Report 2014 University and College Rankings report. • The College of Southern Maryland is located in Leonardtown, Maryland, along with additional campuses in neighboring Calvert and Charles counties. • University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland is located in California, Maryland. • Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education is a Merchant Marine school in Piney Point, Maryland. The area public school district is the St. Mary's County Public Schools system. The county's three public high schools are: • Chopticon High School, Morganza • Great Mills High School, Great Mills • Leonardtown High School, Leonardtown Additionally, St. Mary's Ryken High School is a private high school in Leonardtown. ==Naval bases==

The county has three naval bases: • "Pax River", officially called the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, is the largest of the naval bases in the county. It is in Lexington Park, Maryland, and includes the headquarters of the Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Test Pilot School, both of which play a significant role in the local economy, and trained many test pilots who went on to become astronauts, such as Alan Shepard, the first American to reach space, and John Glenn, the first American to reach orbit. • "Webster Field" is a smaller naval annex and secondary airfield and it is located in Saint Inigoes. It is used for avionics engineering testing and development. • Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes (also in Saint Inigoes), technically two bases because it comprises two separate areas, however, it is all under the same command. ==Transportation==

Numerous state highways serve St. Mary's County, including: • Maryland Route 4 • Maryland Route 5 • Maryland Route 6 • Maryland Route 234 • Maryland Route 235 • Maryland Route 236 • Maryland Route 237 • Maryland Route 238 • Maryland Route 239 • Maryland Route 242 • Maryland Route 243 • Maryland Route 244 • Maryland Route 245 • Maryland Route 246 • Maryland Route 247 • Maryland Route 249 • Maryland Route 470 • Maryland Route 471 • Maryland Route 472 • Maryland Route 489 • Maryland Route 520 • Maryland Route 584 • Maryland Route 712 • Maryland Route 863 • Maryland Route 868 • Maryland Route 944 • Maryland Route 945 Limited local buses are provided through St. Mary's Transit and commuter bus service to Washington, D.C. is provided by MTA. Southern Maryland Express shuttle services daily schedules to Baltimore (BWI), Dulles (IAD), and Ronald Reagan (DCA). The nearest commercial airports are Reagan National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia and Baltimore Washington International Airport in suburban Baltimore. St. Mary's County also is served by a general aviation airport, Captain Walter Duke Regional Airport near California, Maryland ==Communities==

Town • Leonardtown (county seat) Census-designated places The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county: • California • Callaway • Charlotte Hall • Golden Beach • Lexington Park • Mechanicsville • Piney Point • St. George Island • Tall Timbers • Wildewood Unincorporated communities • Abell • Avenue • Beachville-St. Inigoes • Beauvue • Bushwood • Chaptico • Clements • Coltons Point • Compton • Dameron • Drayden • Great Mills • Helen • Hollywood • Hopewell • Huntersville • Hurry • Loveville • Maddox • Morganza • Oakley • Oakville • Oraville • Park Hall • Ridge • St. Inigoes • St. Mary's City • Scotland • Spencers Wharf • Valley Lee ==Notable sites==

• Point Lookout State Park, a nationally recognized natural area and historic site, features a former Civil War prison camp, beaches, fishing, and camping • St. Mary's City, the site of first settlement in the Maryland colony, includes four museums, a reconstructed colonial town, and a living history center • United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue, in Lexington Park, honors and tells story of 700 African-American soldiers and sailors from St. Mary's County who served in the Union forces during the American Civil War • Patuxent River Naval Air Museum features Naval aviation history, the history of test pilots and naval aviation development at PAX River NAS, and many aircraft on display • Solomons Island Naval recreation facility in nearby Solomons Island Maryland, accessed by bridge, is used by military and DOD personnel and families only. It is a guarded facility and ID is required • Sotterley Plantation is a reconstructed antebellum plantation with a history museum that features pre-Civil War history • USS Tulip monument and federal grave site for Civil War sailors who died in the explosion of a Union gunship in area waters in 1864 • Point Lookout Light House • Piney Point Lighthouse and Museum • Cecils Old Mill museum, art gallery, and artists co-op in nearby Great Mills, Maryland • National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Mary's County, Maryland many buildings in the county are listed, dating to the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s • Tudor Hall, St. Mary's County Historical Society (limited hours) ==Notable residents==

• Jerome Adams: served as the twentieth surgeon general of the United States from September 5, 2017, until January 20, 2021. • Richard H. Alvey: chief justice of the Maryland Supreme Court, a federal judge in the 1870s and 1880s, born and raised in St. Marys County • William H. Barnes: Medal of Honor recipient for valor in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, was a free African American farmer from St. Mary's County • Margaret Brent: English immigrant to the first Colony of Maryland who lived in St. Mary's City, was an early (indirect) advocate for women's rights by asserting her own right to run an estate and vote, and was the first woman in the English North American colonies to appear before a court of the Common Law • Leonard Calvert: leader of the first English settlers in Maryland and first governor of the Maryland Colony, lived in St. Mary's City • Charles Calvert: 3rd Baron Baltimore (1637–1715), second long-term governor of the Maryland Colony (his Uncle Philip Calvert also governed before him, but only very briefly), lived in St. Mary's City • Mary Chapin Carpenter: Grammy winning folk, country, and rock singer and songwriter who composed a song about St. Mary's County and has lived in St. Mary's County at various times • Betty Currie: personal secretary to the president of the United States (Bill Clinton), personal secretary to the director of the Peace Corps • Norton Dodge: economist, collector of dissident Soviet era art, smuggled thousands of Soviet dissident paintings, prints and sculptures out of communist Russia over a series of visits and at great risk to his own life and amassed one of the largest collections of Soviet-era art outside the Soviet Union, taught at St. Mary's College in St. Mary's City • John Dorsey: also known as Johnny Dorsey, general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs professional football team, NCAA College Football winner, and professional football player whose pro football career was cut short due to injuries, born in Leonardtown • William P. Duvall, U.S. Army major general, born on St. George Island • Benedict Joseph Fenwick: Catholic Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846, born in Leonardtown • Henry Fowler: former member of the Maryland House of Delegates and of the Wisconsin State Assembly • Michael Glaser: poet, educator, literary editor, the Poet Laureate of the State of Maryland from 2004 through 2009, was awarded the Andrew White Medal for contributions to intellectual and artistic life in Maryland, taught at St. Mary's College, and lives in St. Mary's County • Alfred Gough: screenwriter and author of scripts for numerous Hollywood films, born and raised in Leonardtown • Scott Hall: professional wrestling star and professional wrestling entrepreneur, born and raised in St. Mary's County, Maryland • Dashiell Hammett: American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories, was born in St. Mary's County • James H. Harris: Medal of Honor recipient for heroism in the Battle of Chaffin's farm during the Civil War, an African American Union soldier who grew up as a free Black tenant farmer in Great Mills • Joseph B. Hayden, Medal of Honor recipient for actions during the American Civil War on the USS Ticonderoga, born in St. Mary's City • Robert E. Hogaboom: four-star Marine Corps general, chair of the Historic St. Mary's City Commission and advocate for decades for the reconstruction and development of Historic St. Mary's City • Steny Hoyer: former State Senator and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives • Louise Daniel Hutchinson: noted historian of African American history, was born in Ridge, Maryland • Francis Scott Key: composer of the Star Spangled Banner, grew up in St. Mary's County • Ted Koppel: journalist and former host of the news show Nightline, lived in Southern St. Mary's County • William and Dinah Nuthead: established the first printing house in the Southern Colonies at St. Mary's City, Maryland • J. Frank Raley: State Senator and state representative, trustee of St. Marys College of Maryland, credited for helping to establish St. Mary's College as a four-year institution and playing key roles in its development into a nationally top-ranked public college, born and raised in St. Mary's County • Tubby Smith: college basketball coach, grew up in Scotland, Maryland • William C. Somerville: author, historian, diplomat, War of 1812 soldier, born and raised in St. Mary's County • Norwood Sothoron: athlete, soldier, commandant of Charlotte Hall Military Academy, inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1972, born and raised in Charlotte Hall, Maryland • Sylvester Stallone: award-winning actor and director who attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy and boarding school in St. Mary's County as a teenager • Father Andrew White: Jesuit priest and settler on first voyage to establish the new Maryland colony, one of the founders of the first Catholic mission and parish in North America, was instrumental in negotiating peace and territory deals with the Piscataway Indian tribes in St. Marys County, lived in St. Marys City, Maryland ==In popular culture==

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a song about St. Mary's County, entitled, "Down in Mary's Land", in 1989 She is known for having great affection for St. Mary's County. An expansion pack for the 2008 video game Fallout 3, entitled Point Lookout, is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the titular State Park and its surrounding areas. ==See also==