| St. Clement's Island State Park | |
|---|---|
Commemorative cross
and rebuilt Blackistone Lighthouse | |
  Location in Maryland | |
| Location | Saint Mary's County, Maryland, United States |
| Nearest town | Coltons Point, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 38°12′40″N 76°44′44″W / 38.21111°N 76.74556°W / 38.21111; -76.74556[2] |
| Area | 62 acres (25 ha)[3] |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m)[2] |
| Designation | Maryland state park |
| Established | 1962 |
| Administrator | Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
| Website | St. Clement's Island State Park |
St. Clement's Island Historic District | |
 | |
| Nearest city | Leonardtown, Maryland |
| Area | 1,499 acres (607 ha)[4] |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001484 |
| Added to NRHP | April 10, 1972 |
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.[5] 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.[6]
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 WightinEngland four months earlier.[7][8] On March 25, the colonists celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival and this date is commemorated annually as Maryland Day.[9][10] 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.[11] Five years later, in 1639, the Surveyor General measured the island and found that it was about 80 acres.[12] It formed part of St. Clement's Manor, which was granted by the Second Lord BaltimoretoThomas Gerard in 1639.[13] 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.[4]
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.[14] 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.[15] The name change was made official by the Board of Geographic Names in 1965.[2]
The 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.[15]
A replica of the Blakistone Island Light was completed in 2008 through the efforts of the St. Clement's Hundred community organization.[15] The original lighthouse occupied the island from 1851 until 1956 when it was destroyed by fire.[14]
The 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.[15] Activities on the island include hiking, picnicking, fishing, and hunting.[5]
