Leonardtown is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of St. Mary's County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Historic Leonardtown includes both a large public high school and a public middle school Leonardtown Middle School as well as a

Catholic high school Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 201 ...

and an elementary school Leonardtown Elementary School, offices of the county government, and St. Mary's Hospital which serves the healthcare needs of the county. The College of Southern Maryland maintains a growing satellite campus within city limits, including an aquatic center. An upscale home development located in the Breton Bay area is just outside town, notable for both its country club golf course and swimming pool. Leonardtown's population has grown significantly since 1990 as a result of the town's proximity to Patuxent River Naval Air Station and the Washington metro area.

Geography

Leonardtown is located at (38.295332, -76.637939). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Transportation

The primary method of travel to and from Leonardtown is by road, and three state highways serve the town directly. The most prominent of these is

Maryland Route 5 Maryland Route 5 (MD 5) is a long state highway that runs north–south in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Point Lookout, Maryland, Point Lookout in St. Mary's County, Maryland, St. Mary's County north to the Washington, ...

, which follows Point Lookout Road through Leonardtown. Heading north, MD 5 provides connections to U.S. Route 301 in Waldorf and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

/ Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway) near

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Heading south, MD 5 eventually reaches Point Lookout. The other two state highways serving the town directly are Maryland Route 245, which connects Leonardtown to

Maryland Route 235 Maryland Route 235 (MD 235) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Three Notch Road, the state highway runs between its southern intersection with Maryland Route 5, MD 5 in Ridge, Maryland, Ridge and i ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, and Maryland Route 243, which passes Compton before ending at Newtowne Neck State Park. Although not directly serving Leonardtown, MD 5 also has junctions with

Maryland Route 4 Maryland Route 4 (MD 4) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Maryland Route 5, MD 5 in Leonardtown, Maryland, Leonardtown north to Southern Avenue (Washington, D.C.), Southern Avenue in Suitland, Maryland, S ...

and Maryland Route 234 just outside the town limits.

History

Early history

Records indicate that by 1654, county court was conducted at the house of John Hammond in the area known as "Newtown" or "Newtowne Hundred". During the late 17th century, it appears that court was held at various homes throughout Newtown, and that it was only in 1708 that an official town with a designated courthouse was established. It was during this same year that Phillip Lynes, then Mayor of St. Mary's City, Maryland's colonial capital, designated fifty acres of land at the head of "Brittons Bay" to be divided into 100 lots. He further ordered that one lot be set aside for a county courthouse to be built at an expense not to exceed 12,000 pounds of tobacco. At this time, Newtown was promptly renamed Seymour Town in honor of Governor John Seymour. Nearly 20 years later, Seymour Town was renamed again to Leonard Town in honor of Benedict Leonard Calvert, who was Maryland's governor during this period. In the decades that followed, Leonard Town became the place where local residents conducted their official business with the colony. Farm products were regularly shipped through the port. LeonardtownSign

The 19th century

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

blockaded the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. 1,000 British Marines invaded the town. This crippled the Tidewater economy and subjected areas to repeated British plundering and destruction. By 1860, the town had approximately 35 dwellings within these corporate limits. It was home to the county's newspaper, two hotels and several stores. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, a Union Naval contingent occupied Leonardtown, searching all houses for weapons and supplies intended for shipment across the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Southern Maryland Southern Maryland, also referred to as SoMD, is a geographical, cultural and historic region in Maryland composed of the state's southernmost counties on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. According to the state of Maryland, the region incl ...

and the town's sympathies lay with the Confederacy. Leonardtown served as a busy port and

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

landing. Until the passing of the steamboat era, steamboats carried goods and passengers all over the Chesapeake Bay area well into the 20th century, and a floating theater docked each year at the port, providing entertainment.

The 20th century to the present

Historic Leonardtown remains the only incorporated municipality in St. Mary's County with its own elected mayor and town council. The town is experiencing a renaissance of its downtown as witnessed by recent openings of several new restaurants and businesses, some of which are located in historic buildings. An old order

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

farming community is located a few miles to the northwest, where community members sell furniture, crafts, produce, and other homemade/home grown products. A large, modern public library and seniors center opened in 2021. The Leonardtown Wharf waterfront park opened as a public attraction for both locals and tourists in May 2008. Facilities for boating, kayaking and canoeing are also planned. The Naval Air Base located at

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeas ...

has boosted the economy in Leonardtown significantly. Many families have relocated to Leonardtown as a result of the base. LeonardtownWarf

St. Andrew's Church and Tudor Hall were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1973. The United States National Oyster Festival, which hosts an annual oyster shucking competition, has been held annually in Leonardtown since 1967.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,930 people, 1,067 households, and 614 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,156 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 77.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 14.9%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 3.6% of the population. There were 1,067 households, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the town was 40.8 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,896 people, 598 households, and 367 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.78%

, 26.00%

, 0.11% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 598 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were

living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.80. In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 30.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,563, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $25,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,614. About 12.9% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Leonardtown website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1708 Towns in Maryland Towns in St. Mary's County, Maryland County seats in Maryland Maryland populated places on the Chesapeake Bay 1708 establishments in Maryland