Piney Point (also known simply as "The Point"), is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

in St. Mary's County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States. It is known for the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, houses along the beach, a lighthouse, and a museum. The Piney Point post office also serves St. George Island, which is connected to Piney Point by a short bridge.

Demographics

History

The scenic environment of Piney Point continues to be the summer getaway of many

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

notables. Named after the long-leaf

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...

and

loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

s lining the shores of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

, the Point provided a nature retreat for Presidents

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

, Franklin Pierce and Teddy Roosevelt. A number of other Capital figures such as Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

were frequent visitors to the Piney Point Hotel, which was shut down after a hurricane in 1933. In the early 1940s Piney Point was also home to the U.S. Navy Torpedo Test Range. The Navy base was situated on the property, which is now the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training. The small cottage-type homes located across from the maritime school were originally housing for Navy enlisted men and their families. The two-story homes along Stark Drive served as housing for Navy officers. The Navy base included a hospital, bowling alley, motor pool, and ships' dock. Many of the unmarried Navy members lived on large ships anchored in St. George Creek.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in St. Mary's County, Maryland Census-designated places in Maryland