2018 Discover St. Mary's County Visitors' Guide - 8

RELIGIOUS HERITAGE SITES

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE SITES

Maryland's first colony is where the concepts of religious toleration and separation of Church and State were introduced to the
New World. Follow the Religious Freedom National Scenic Byway
through St. Mary's and Charles counties. The byway brings together
natural beauty, recreation, inspirational stories and amazing places.

Indentured servant Mathias de Sousa was among the first colonists
to set foot in Maryland and so was the first Marylander of African
descent. Monuments, historic sites and museums illuminate our rich
African-American history.

ST. CLEMENT'S ISLAND

21744 South Coral Dr., Lexington Park, MD 20653
www.ucaconline.org
Located at Freedom Park (corner of Route 235 and Tulagi Place), the monument recognizes African Americans who have made significant contributions to
the county.

ELMER BROWN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MONUMENT

In March of 1634, Father Andrew White stepped ashore at St. Clement's
Island with the first Maryland colonists and celebrated the first Catholic mass
in the English speaking colonies. (See Museums and Historic Sites listing.)

ST. IGNATIUS CHURCH

End of Villa Road, St. Inigoes, MD 20684
GPS Coordinates: 38.150379, -76.423851
The first chapel of St. Ignatius was built in 1641. In 1704, the colony's early
policies of religious toleration were abolished and the chapel was closed and
the church was dismantled. In 1785, the present day St. Ignatius Church
was built.

PATHWAY THROUGH HISTORY MARKERS

THE BRICK CHAPEL OF 1667

CARDINAL GIBBONS INSTITUTE MEMORIAL PARK
AND MONUMENT

John G. Lancaster Park, 21550 Willows Road, Lexington Park, MD 20653
www.ucaconline.org
Wayside interpretive signs mark milestones and challenges experienced by the
African American community from the end of the Civil War until World War II.
(See U. S. Colored Troops Memorial Monument, Civil War Sites.)

The Roman Catholic Chapel, built by the Jesuits in 1667 at St. Mary's City,
served as the focal point of the Catholic Faith in Maryland. Visit the amazing
recreation. (See Museums and Historic Sites listing.)

48913 Seaside View Road, Ridge, MD 20680
301-475-4200 ext. 1800 * www.stmarysmd.com/recreate
A monument marks the site of this vocational institute established in 1924 and
operated by educators from the Tuskegee Institute. Hours: dawn to dusk.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH

16855 Point Lookout Road, St. Mary's City, MD 20686
www.trinitysmcmd.com
Originally established in 1638. The present-day church adjacent to Historic
St. Mary's City was built in 1829 using brick salvaged from the colony's
State House.

DRAYDEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN SCHOOLHOUSE

18287 Cherryfield Road, Drayden, MD 20630
301-994-1471 * www.stmarysmd.com/recreate
One of the best preserved African-American schoolhouses in the country,
built in the late 1800s. Interpretive markers on the grounds. Tours by advance
arrangement.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH

21110 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650
www.stfrancisxavierchurch.org
Built in 1731, St. Francis Xavier Church replaced the
original Newtown Chapel of 1662. Site of an early Jesuit
mission in Maryland.

ct country church.
Chaptico's postcard-perfe

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SITES

Underground Railroad-Network to Freedom sites
include Sotterley Plantation and the Old Jail Museum as well as Point Lookout State Park.

www.facebook.com/SMCTourism

http://www.ucaconline.org http://www.ucaconline.org http://www.stmarysmd.com/recreate http://www.trinitysmcmd.com http://www.stmarysmd.com/recreate http://www.stfrancisxavierchurch.org http://www.facebook.com/SMCTourism

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018 Discover St. Mary's County Visitors' Guide