St. Mary's County, Md.

St. Mary's County is named after St. Mary, the mother of Jesus. The county seat is Leonardtown, which is also the county's principal town. Lexington Park, near the Patuxent Naval Air Station, is another rapidly growing area. The first Europeans to settle in Maryland arrived in St. Mary's County in 1634.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, an estimated 30 Native American tribes occupied areas along both sides of the Maryland and Virginia shorelines. One of them was called the "Patawomeke," a powerful Algonquian Indian nation. The Patawomeke lived on the Virginia side of the river. The tribe joined with other Algonquian nations to form an alliance known as the Powhatan Confederacy, the same group of Native Americans associated with John Smith and Pocahontas. The Powhatan Confederacy was formed just prior to the arrival of the Virginia colonists in 1607. John Smith encountered the Powhatans in 1608 and was one of the first Europeans to record the name Potomac in his journal.

St. Mary's County is bounded on three sides by water: To the north is the Patuxent River; to the east is Chesapeake Bay; to the south is the Potomac. Charles County is to the west.

St. Mary's County Division of Tourism, P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Telephone: 800-327-9023.