St. Clement's Island State Park is a publicly owned historic preservation and recreational area that encompasses St. Clement's Island, an uninhabited Potomac River island lying one-half mile southeast of Colton's Point, St. Mary's County, Maryland. The state park features a 40-foot stone cross dedicated to the beginnings of freedom of religion in the United States as well as a reconstruction of the historic Blakistone Island Light.[4] It is the central feature of the St. Clement's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[5]
| St. Clement's Island State Park | |
|---|---|
 Commemorative cross and rebuilt Blackistone Lighthouse | |
  St. Clement's Island State Park Location in Maryland | |
| Location | Saint Mary's County, Maryland, United States |
| Coordinates | 38°12′40″N 76°44′44″W / 38.21111°N 76.74556°W[1] |
| Area | 62 acres (25 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m)[1] |
| Established | 1962 |
| Administered by | Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Maryland state park |
| Website | Official website  |
St. Clement's Island Historic District | |
 | |
| Nearest city | Leonardtown, Maryland |
| Area | 1,499 acres (607 ha)[3] |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001484 |
| Added to NRHP | April 10, 1972 |
History
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The park preserves the site of the March 23, 1634, landing of Maryland's first colonists, who had sailed from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England four months earlier.[6][7] On March 25, the colonists celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival and this date is commemorated annually as Maryland Day.[8][9] The island was a convenient, temporary base of operations for the 150 settlers as they negotiated with the Yaocomico Native Americans for land for a permanent settlement. They named the island in honor of Pope Clement I, patron saint of mariners. It was the site of the first Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in the British-American colonies, said by Jesuit Father Andrew White.
The island measured "not above 400 acres" at the time of the settlers' landing, according to White's account of the journey.[10] Five years later, in 1639, the Surveyor General measured the island and found that it was about 80 acres.[11] It formed part of St. Clement's Manor, which was granted by the Second Lord Baltimore to Thomas Gerard in 1639.[12] Gerard subsequently became a major landholder and political figure in Maryland and Virginia. After the island became the property of Gerard's daughter Elizabeth, the wife of Nehemiah Blackistone, it became known as Blackistone Island.[3]
After the Blackistone family took ownership in 1669, the island remained in the family for 162 years. It was taken over by the US Navy in 1919, at which time a landing strip and piers were built and the island's buildings and trees were removed.[13] In 1962, the property was designated as a state park when it was leased from the Federal government and its name reverted to St. Clement's Island.[14] The name change was made official by the Board of Geographic Names in 1965.[1]
Features
editThe island's 40-foot stone cross was erected in 1934 in celebration of Maryland's 300th anniversary, recognizing the location as one of the foundation sites of religious toleration in the United States.[14]
A replica of the Blakistone Island Light was completed in 2008 through the efforts of the St. Clement's Hundred community organization.[14] The original lighthouse occupied the island from 1851 until 1956 when it was destroyed by fire.[13]
Activities and amenities
editThe island is only accessible by private boat or via a water taxi that operates seasonally from the St. Clement's Island Museum in Colton's Point.[14] Activities on the island include hiking, picnicking, fishing, and hunting.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Saint Clements Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "DNR Lands Acreage Report" (PDF). Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Mrs. Preston Parish, Keeper of the Maryland Register (November 18, 1970). "St. Clement's Island Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- ^ a b "St. Clement's Island State Park". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- ^ "St. Clement's Island Historic District". Maryland's National Register Properties. Maryland Historic Trust. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ Lois Green Carr; Russell R. Menard; Louis Peddicord (March 25, 1984). "Maryland... at the beginning" (PDF). Hall of Records Commission, Department of General Services. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ "Sister Ships Ark and Dove". Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- ^ "State House Caucus Room: The Landing of the Maryland Colonists from the Ark & the Dove, St. Clement's Island, March 25, 1634". The Maryland State House. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "Maryland Day". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- ^ Andrew White (March 25, 1984). "A Briefe Relation of the Voyage Unto Maryland". Maryland State Archives. p. 18. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ Thomas, James Walter (1913). Chronicles of Colonial Maryland: With Illustrations. Eddy Press Corporation.
- ^ "Dr. Thomas Gerard". National Society Colonial Dames 17th Century Cross Trails Chapter. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- ^ a b "Historic Light Station Information: Maryland" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. p. 3. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "St. Clement's Island Museum". St Mary's County Government. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
External links
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- St. Clement's Island State Park Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- St. Clement's Island Historic District, St. Mary's County, including photo from 2002, at Maryland Historical Trust