Great Mills, Maryland

Holy Face Church in Great Mills

Great Mills is an unincorporated community and populated place in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States.[1] It is located in southern St. Mary's County near Lexington Park and Naval Air Station Patuxent River.[2][3] Great Mills High School, located on Great Mills Road, opened in 1929 and is described by St. Mary's County Public Schools as the oldest high school in Southern Maryland.[4]

History

Great Mills is located near St. Mary's City, which was established in 1634 as Maryland's first capital.[5] St. Mary's County, established in 1637, was the first county in Maryland.[6]

The Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties records the Great Mills Farmhouse ruin, also known as the Medical College site, on Flat Iron Road in Great Mills. The Maryland Historical Trust describes the site as one of the earliest known sites associated with the study of medicine in St. Mary's County.[7]

Civil War and United States Colored Troops

St. Mary's County is associated with several Medal of Honor recipients from the American Civil War. James H. Harris, who served in Company B of the 38th U.S. Colored Infantry, is accredited by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to Great Mills.[8] William Henry Barnes, born in St. Mary's County, served in Company C of the same regiment and also received the Medal of Honor for actions in Virginia in 1864.[9]

The nearby United States Colored Troops Memorial Monument in Lexington Park honors Union soldiers and sailors from St. Mary's County, including Barnes and Harris.[10] St. Mary's County Government identifies the U.S. Colored Troops Interpretive Center as part of a trail between Lexington Manor Passive Park and John G. Lancaster Park that includes interpretive panels on Civil War-era African American history in the county.[11]

Community and government

Great Mills does not have a municipal government of its own.[1] In Maryland, municipalities are self-governing cities or towns, and St. Mary's County has one municipality, Leonardtown.[12][13] For much of Maryland, local government is typically provided at the county level.[14]

County planning documents identify the Lexington Park Development District as the principal growth area for St. Mary's County and describe the 2010 urbanized area as including Lexington Park, Great Mills, and California in St. Mary's County.[2] Naval Air Station Patuxent River, located near Lexington Park, is the county's largest employer and is home to the Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.[3]

Great Mills Road, also designated Maryland Route 246, connects Great Mills with Lexington Park and the entrance area of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.[15] Public facilities in the community include the Great Mills Swimming Pool on Great Mills Road and the Loffler Center at Chancellor's Run, located within Chancellor's Run Regional Park.[16][17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Great Mills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Lexington Park Development District Master Plan" (PDF). St. Mary's County Government. February 9, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Brief Economic Facts: St. Mary's County, Maryland" (PDF). Maryland Department of Commerce. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Great Mills High School". Great Mills High School. St. Mary's County Public Schools. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ "HSMC Archaeologist Discovers Location of 1634 St. Mary's Fort". Historic St. Mary's City. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  6. ↑ "St. Mary's County, Maryland: Government". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Great Mills Farmhouse, ruin". Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties. Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ "James H. Harris". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ "William Henry Barnes". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Colored Troops Memorial Monument". Southern Maryland Equity in History Coalition. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Explore Stories of Bravery, Sacrifice, and Service" (PDF). St. Mary's County Government. January 27, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Maryland Towns & Cities: Municipalities". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ "St. Mary's County, Maryland: Municipalities". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Maryland Counties, local government". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  15. ↑ "MD 5 Great Mills Improvement Project" (PDF). Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Great Mills Swimming Pool". St. Mary's County Government. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Loffler Center at Chancellor's Run" (PDF). St. Mary's County Government. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
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