St. Mary's County, Maryland

History

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 (the anniversary of this landing being annually celebrated as Maryland Day). The passengers arrived in two vessels, the Ark and the Dove, which had set sail from the Isle of Wight on November 22, 1633.

St. Mary's County was the first county established in Maryland, in 1637, probably by an order of the Governor.

The county seat and state capital was St. Mary's City.

St. Mary's County is where Francis Scott Key, the author of a poem which became The Star Spangled Banner, and professional wrestler Scott Hall grew up. St. Mary's County was the birthplace of Dashiell Samuel Hammett.

Geography

The county has a total area of 1,582 km² (611 mi²). 847 km² (327 mi²) of it is land and 734 km² (284 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 46.43% water.

The county is largely bordered by water: the Patuxent River, the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River, and the Wicomico River.

Adjacent Counties

• Calvert County (north)
• Charles County (northwest)

Cities and towns

Saint Mary's County includes one municipality, classified as a town under Maryland law: Leonardtown, the county seat (incorporated 1858).

Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau, the United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:

1. California
2. Charlotte Hall
3. Golden Beach
4. Lexington Park
5. Hollywood
6. Mechanicsville

Government

County Government

St. Mary's County is governed by a board of 5 elected commissioners. The County Seat is located in Leonardtown, Maryland.

State Government

The county is within legislative district 29 and subdivided into three sub-districts: 29A, 29B, and 29C. District 29 is also share by small portions of Charles and Calvert counties.

The State Senator for District 29 is Roy P. Dyson.

The three delegates are:

• District 29A: John F. Wood, Jr. (D)
• District 29B: John L. Bohanan, Jr. (D)
• District 29C: Anthony J. O'Donnell (R)

Federal Government

Maryland is represented in the United States Senate by Barbara A. Mikulski (D) and Benjamin Cardin (D). Southern Maryland falls within the 5th Congressional District which is represented by Steny Hoyer (D). Hoyer also serves as the House Majority Leader, second in command to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D) of California.

Colleges and universities

• St. Mary's College of Maryland, located in St. Mary's City.
• College of Southern Maryland, Leonardtown Campus
• Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, located by the Airport in California, Md. SMHEC serves as host to several colleges and universities which offer programs geared towards the logistics, engineering, and technology community which serves the Naval Air Station Patuxent River and her tenant commands.

Churches

For a list of all churches, see http://somd.com/worship/.

Museums

1. St. Clements Island - Potomac River Museum
2. Old Jail Museum
3. Patuxent River Naval Air Museum

Military Bases

The county houses the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, which plays a significant role in the local economy. The Naval Air Station also has an annex at Webster Field in St. Inigoes.