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This is a sub project of Maryland counties, cities and towns
Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Calvert County, Maryland.
Official Website
History
First colonized as part of Charles County circa 1650, it was originally named Patuxent County. Patuxent County was established in 1654 by an Order in Council. In 1658, the county was renamed Calvert County.
British troops invaded Calvert County in 1780, during the Revolutionary War. A second invasion took place during the War of 1812, when Calvert County became a battleground, both on land and sea. The battle of Barney's flotilla at the mouth of St. Leonard's Creek is an exciting and important point in county history. Recently divers discovered the remains of that famous flotilla at the bottom of the creek where Barney's men scuttled their barges to keep them from falling into British hands. During this engagement, the county courthouse and jail were burned.
The main crop in Calvert County was tobacco, a labor-intensive crop that resulted in a reliance on slavery to make it profitable. This made the county very vulnerable to the forces that tore at the nation, resulting in the Civil War. Although Maryland was officially aligned with the North, many countians sympathized with the Confederate cause. A prison camp for captured southerners was built at the mouth of Battle Creek, near the site of Calvertown.
When slavery ended, profound changes swept the countryside. Out of necessity, the economy of the county turned away from large plantations dependent on cheap labor and to the livelihood available in the waters. In 1867, Captain Isaac Solomon established a commercial fishery in the southernmost part of the county, which became known as Solomon's Island. A cannery and a fishing fleet combined with boat building to create a bustling economy.
The Second World War brought real change to Calvert County. In 1942, Solomons became the training site for Navy and Marine detachments, with the establishment of an Amphibious Training Base at Dowell. The invasion of Normandy was simulated on the lower Cliffs of Calvert. This influx of personnel and dollars brought a new prosperity to the county.
Adjacent Counties
- Anne Arundel County
- Prince George's County
- Charles County
- Dorchester County
- Talbot County
- St. Mary's County
Towns & Communities
- Broome's Island
- Calvert Beach
- Chesapeake Beach
- Chesapeake Ranch Estates
- Drum Point
- Dunkirk
- Huntingtown
- Long Beach
- Lusby
- North Beach
- Owings
- Prince Frederick (County Seat)
- St. Leonard
- Solomons
Links
National Register of Historic Places
Calvert County Historical Society
