Southern Maryland facts for kids

Southern Maryland is a special part of Maryland located on the "Western Shore" of the Chesapeake Bay. It includes all of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties. Sometimes, parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties are also considered part of Southern Maryland. Even though Maryland has counties further south on the Delmarva Peninsula, they are usually not called "Southern Maryland."

Southern Maryland counties. Those shaded in red are considered part of Southern Maryland, while those in pink may or may not be considered in Southern Maryland, depending on the source.

History of Southern Maryland

Native Americans and First English Contact

Long ago, the Piscataway Indians lived in Southern Maryland. In 1608 and 1609, Captain John Smith explored this area.

In 1634, St. Mary's City became Maryland's first colonial settlement. It was also the first English settlement in North America where people could practice the Roman Catholic faith freely. Today, much of the original site is a large living history museum and research area. The rest is now the campus of St. Mary's College of Maryland.

The Early Maryland Colony

The colony first focused on growing tobacco, which was very successful. However, many settlers faced diseases.

St. Mary's City is known as the birthplace of religious freedom in North America. The colony started with a rule of religious tolerance. This was important because England at the time was not very tolerant of different religions. Even with this rule, there were disagreements about religion in St. Mary's City. This led to one of the first laws requiring religious tolerance in North America. It was written and passed by the Maryland colonial assembly there. It's also believed that the first woman to ask for a vote in English-speaking North America did so in St. Mary's City.

The Fall of St. Mary's City

St. Mary's City was Maryland's capital for 61 years. But then, an uprising by Protestants ended religious tolerance. They overthrew the old Catholic leaders and moved the colonial capital to Annapolis. This also led to the end of colonial St. Mary's City as a major settlement.

Plantation Economy and Slavery

Even though St. Mary's City was no longer the capital, tobacco and later wheat farms grew across Southern Maryland. These farms often used slavery.

The system of large plantations may have caused poverty in the area. It limited other types of economic growth and made it hard for local workers to find jobs. This led to a lack of education and widespread poverty, except for a few wealthy plantation owners.

Civil War Times

During the American Civil War, people in Maryland had mixed feelings. Southern Maryland, however, strongly supported the South. But from the start of the war, many Union troops were in the area. Union gunboats patrolled the rivers. This stopped Maryland from joining the Southern states. Still, some people smuggled goods across the Potomac River to Virginia at night. After killing President Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth was helped by some people in Southern Maryland as he tried to escape.

Moving Towards Modern Times

Southern Maryland used to be a rural region. People mostly worked in agriculture, oyster fishing, and crabbing. Steamboats carried passengers and goods on the Chesapeake Bay and major rivers until the 1930s. Then, highways were built, including the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge on U.S. Highway 301. Weekend boats also took people from Washington D.C. to small amusement parks along the shore. From the 1940s to 1968, the region was known for its poverty and slot machine gambling.

Raley's Campaign to Modernize St. Mary's County

There was a lot of rural poverty back then. The gambling became seen as a problem. Finally, Governor J. Millard Tawes and the state government made it illegal. A local politician from St. Mary's County, J. Frank Raley, Jr., led a group of candidates. Their goal was to challenge the old political system and help the region escape its long-standing poverty.

Raley helped end the region's isolation. He pushed for new bridges and wider roads to become highways. Many people credit Raley with helping to develop modern St. Mary's County.

He was wrongly accused of trying to stop gambling completely, which led to his political defeat. However, he had supported letting voters decide on gambling. Even after his defeat, he continued to work for economic development in Southern Maryland for the rest of his life.

Population and Economy

Recently, Southern Maryland has seen more suburban growth. This happened as the Washington suburbs expanded south. This growth was mainly in Prince George's County, and around Waldorf (a shopping center) and St. Charles (a planned community in Charles County). Growth also happened in Lexington Park (St. Mary's County) and Prince Frederick (Calvert County). However, much of the area is still rural with low population density.

Many people in Southern Maryland work at Andrews Air Force Base, the U.S. Census Bureau, or at Patuxent River Naval Air Station and related businesses. Other industries include a nuclear power plant and a liquified natural gas terminal (both in Lusby). There's also a Naval ordnance test ground at Indian Head, and electric power plants. An oil terminal is located at Piney Point. The beautiful towns of Solomons Island and Chesapeake Beach are popular tourist spots on weekends. Maryland International Raceway and Budds Creek Raceway near Chaptico attract many fans of auto and motocross racing.

Even though steamboats are gone, more than three-quarters of the land is still rural. It's a mix of forests and farms. Growing tobacco, which used to be a main crop, has greatly decreased. This is because the state government bought out many tobacco farms in the 1990s.

St. Mary's County is home to Amish and Mennonite communities. Also, two state-recognized Piscataway Native American tribes live along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Fishing, boating, and crabbing are popular activities here. Large marinas are found in the Solomons Island and North Beach areas. However, pollution and environmental issues threaten the fish and other marine life. You can find many ancient marine fossils at Calvert Cliffs.

Geography

The northern border of Southern Maryland runs through Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County, east of Washington. The Chesapeake Bay forms its eastern border. The Potomac River, which is Maryland's border with Virginia, forms its southern and western boundaries.

Food and Cuisine

One of the most famous dishes from Southern Maryland is stuffed ham. This dish is made by chopping cabbage, kale, onions, spices, and seasonings. This mixture is then stuffed into deep cuts made in a whole, corned ham.

Seafood is very popular in Southern Maryland because it's right on the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. Steamed crabs and crab cakes are considered special foods. This is because many blue crabs are caught from the bay. Oysters are also popular. They were once caught in large numbers from the bay and served fried, raw, or stuffed. Rockfish is one of the most prized fish dishes in Southern Maryland.

Towns and Communities

Here are some towns and places in Southern Maryland:

Anne Arundel County:

• Deale
• Shady Side

Calvert County:

• Chesapeake Beach
• Dunkirk
• Huntingtown
• Lusby
• North Beach
• Prince Frederick (county seat)
• Port Republic
• St. Leonard
• Solomons

Charles County:

• Bel Alton
• Bryans Road
• Bryantown
• Cobb Island
• Dentsville
• Indian Head
• Hughesville
• La Plata (county seat)
• Nanjemoy
• Pomfret
• Potomac Heights
• St. Charles
• Waldorf
• White Plains

Prince George's County:

• Accokeek
• Brandywine
• Cheltenham
• Clinton
• Eagle Harbor
• Fort Washington
• Piscataway
• Upper Marlboro (county seat)

St. Mary's County:

• California
• Charlotte Hall
• Hollywood
• Leonardtown (county seat)
• Lexington Park
• Loveville
• Mechanicsville
• Ridge
• St. Mary's City

Notable People from Southern Maryland

• Rep. Steny Hoyer is a member of the Democratic Party. He used to be the House Majority Leader in the United States House of Representatives. He represents Southern Maryland and lives in Mechanicsville.
• Jerome Adams, who was the Surgeon General of the United States, was born in Mechanicsville. He graduated from Chopticon High School.
• Two former first ladies came from Southern Maryland: Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, who was married to John Quincy Adams, and Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, who was married to Zachary Taylor.
• Television journalists Ted Koppel, Judy Woodruff, Al Hunt, newspapermen Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn, and weatherman Doug Hill all have homes in St. Mary's County.
• Dr. Robert Ulanowicz, a theoretical ecologist, lived in Calvert County before he retired in 2008. He worked at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons.
• Roger B. Taney, who was the Chief Justice of the United States and oversaw the Dred Scott decision, was born in Calvert County near Prince Frederick.
• Former Comptroller of Maryland Louis L. Goldstein lived in Calvert County. A part of MD 2/MD 4 in Calvert County was named after him.
• Arthur Storer, the first astronomer in the American colonies and the original namesake for Halley's Comet, lived the later part of his life in Calvert County. A planetarium in Prince Frederick is named after him.
• Thomas Johnson was the first elected governor of Maryland and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge connecting Calvert and St. Mary's counties is named in his honor.
• Television and film writer and producer Alfred Gough is from Leonardtown in St. Mary's County.
• Former Maryland State Senator and Patuxent River supporter Bernie Fowler lives in Calvert County. Every year, in Broomes Island, Fowler holds a "wade-in" with other public officials to check how clear the Patuxent River water is.
• Singer Christina Milian once lived in Waldorf.
• Joel and Benji Madden from the band Good Charlotte grew up in Waldorf.
• Turkey Tayac was a Piscataway tribal leader and herbal medicine man.
• Senator and astronaut John Glenn trained at Patuxent River Naval Air Station many years ago, as did Alan Shepard and other future astronauts.
• Dashiell Hammett, who wrote detective novels like "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Thin Man," was born in St. Mary's County.
• Danny Gatton, a guitarist, lived in Accokeek and Newburg.
• Eva Cassidy, a singer and guitarist, lived in Oxon Hill and Bowie.
• Link Wray, a pioneering rock guitarist, lived in Accokeek.
• Professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall was born in St. Mary's County.

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