Saint Marys County
Maryland

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.

Amish and Old Order Mennonite community
St. Mary’s County is home to an Amish community in the Mechanicsville area in the northern part of the county that consists of eight church districts and about 1,000 people. The Amish first came to the area in 1940 after some members left the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania over a conflict with schooling. The Amish in St. Mary’s County maintain dairy and produce farms along with small Amish businesses. There is also an Old Order Mennonite community in the county that stretches as far south as Loveville. In recent years, increasing development has threatened the Amish community.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 105,151 people, 37,604 households, and 27,084 families residing in the county.The median income for a household in the county was $80,053 and the median income for a family was $89,385.