Christ Episcopal Church – Chaptico . KEY DESTINATIONS [1] Point Lookout State Park 11175 Point Lookout Rd., Scotland 301-872-5688, dnr.maryland. gov/publiclands/pages/southern/ pointlookout.aspx [2] Leonardtown Wharf Public Park 22510 Washington St., Leonardtown 301-475-9791 leonardtown.somd.com [3] Tudor Hall 41680 Tudor Pl., Leonardtown 301-475-2467 [4] Charlotte Hall Historic District Charlotte Hall Rd., Charlotte Hall [5] Christ Episcopal Church-Chaptico 37497 Zach Fowler Rd., Chaptico 301-884-3451 cckqp.net [6] St. Ignatius Catholic Church-St. Thomas Manor 8855 Chapel Point Rd., Port Tobacco 301-934-8245, chapelpoint.org [7] Sotterley Plantation 44300 Sotterley Ln., Hollywood 301-373-2280, sotterley.org [8] Calvert Marine Museum 14200 Solomons Island Rd., Solomons 410-326-2042 calvertmarinemuseum.com [9] Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum 10515 Mackall Rd., St. Leonard 410-586-8501, jefpat.org [10] Maxwell Hall Park 6680 Maxwell Hall Drive, Hughesville 301-932-3470 (Charles Co. Dept. of Public Works), www.charlescountyparks.com/parks/ maxwell-hall-park To the west, two churches were impacted by the war. At Chaptico’s Christ Episcopal Church [5] , which was built on land donated by Francis Scott Key’s grandfather, an organ was smashed and grave vaults were desecrated during a British raid. Chapel Point’s St. Ignatius Catholic Church-St. Thomas Manor [6] , poised on a 90-foot hill overlooking the confluence of the Port Tobacco and Potomac rivers, was used by the U.S. Navy as an observation post. Visit the 300-year-old Sotterley Plantation [7] , a property in Hollywood where the British drove off 300 U.S. militiamen, burned a tobacco warehouse and took away dozens of slaves. At the mouth of the Patuxent River, the marina-rimmed fishing village of Solomons has one of the Chesapeake Bay’s best natural harbors. Travelers can get their bearings at the Solomons Visitor Center or head straight for the Calvert Marine Museum [8] , which has an electronic map showing British troop movements through the area. The museum is known for its small-craft collection, fossil-filled Discovery Room, river otter habitat and lighthouse tour. It also displays artifacts recovered from a U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla vessel that had been scuttled 30 miles away and discovered in 1978 near the Route 4 Hills Bridge. The flotilla vessel was one among a fleet of 18 lightly armed, shallow-draft barges under the command of Revolutionary War hero Joshua Barney, who was pulled out of retirement to be commissioned a commodore in the U.S. Navy. Barney’s troops and his “Mosquito Fleet” were tested during naval battles that took place in the shallow waters of St. Leonard Creek in June 1814, near what is now Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum [9] . Informational panels in the park recount how Barney’s cornered flotilla managed to thwart the superior British forces and then, in a surprise attack a few weeks later, slip past British blockaders. Learn about “Farmers, Patriots and Traitors: Southern Maryland and the War of 1812” at the park’s Exhibit Barn, and feel the excitement during a Battle of St. Leonard Creek reenactment as part of Jefferson Patterson’s annual 1812 Fair. In addition, the park is found on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic ©TIM TADDER Star-Spangled Banner Travel Guide | 15 SOUTHERN MARYLAND
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