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Coordinates: 38°12′40″N 76°44′44″W / 38.21111°N 76.74556°W / 38.21111; -76.74556
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{{Short description|State park in St. Mary's County, Maryland}}
{{Infobox_nrhp | name =St. Clement's Island Historic District
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
| nrhp_type =
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
| image = Cross and Blackistone Lighthouse Sept 09.JPG
{{Infobox park
| caption = Commemorative Cross and Rebuilt Blackistone Lighthouse, September 2009
| name = St. Clement's Island State Park
| nearest_city= [[Coltons Point, Maryland]]
| photo = Cross and Blackistone Lighthouse Sept 09.JPG
| lat_degrees = 38
| photo_caption = Commemorative cross <br />and rebuilt [[Blakistone Island Light|Blackistone Lighthouse]]
| lat_minutes = 27
| photo_alt = Monument
| lat_seconds = 0
| map = USA Maryland
| lat_direction = N
| map_caption = Location in Maryland
| long_d = 76
| map_width = 280
| long_minutes = 45
| relief = 1
| long_seconds = 6
| label = St. Clement's Island State Park
| long_direction = W
| location = [[Saint Mary's County, Maryland]], United States
| locmapin = Maryland
| coordinates = {{coord|38|12|40|N|76|44|44|W|display=inline,title}}
| area =
| coords_ref = <ref name=gnis />
| architect=
| area = {{convert|62|acre|abbr=on}}<ref name=acreagereport/>
| architecture=
| elevation = {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|594914|Saint Clements Island}}</ref>
| added = April 10, 1972
| established = 1962
| governing_body = State
| free_label =
| refnum=72001484
| free_data =
<ref name="nris">{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designation = [[List of Maryland state parks|Maryland state park]]
}}
| administrator = [[Maryland Department of Natural Resources]]
{{Infobox Protected area
| visitation_num =
| name = St. Clement's Island State Park
| iucn_category = V
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| map = MD-state-park-St-Clements.png
| map_caption =
| status =
| website = {{Official website}}
| locator_x = 171
| locator_y = 121
| embedded =
{{Infobox NRHP
| location = [[St. Mary's County, Maryland]], [[United States|USA]]
|embed = yes
| nearest_city = [[Leonardtown, Maryland|Leonardtown, Maryland]]
| name = St. Clement's Island Historic District
| lat_d = 38
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| nocat = yes
| image = St Clements Island Marker Sept 09.JPG
| lat_NS = N
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| caption =
| nearest_city = [[Leonardtown, Maryland]]
| long_s = 40
| area = {{convert|1499|acre}}<ref name=mht2/>
| long_EW = W
| architect =
| area = 40 acres (160,000 m²)
| established =
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| added = April 10, 1972
| governing_body = [[Maryland Department of Natural Resources]]
| refnum = 72001484
| visitation_num =
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}}


'''St. Clement's Island''' lies in the [[Potomac River]] near [[Coltons Point, Maryland|Colton's Point, Maryland]], in the [[United States]]. The uninhabited island has been designated '''St. Clement's Island State Park'''.
'''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 [[Coltons Point, Maryland|Colton's Point]], [[St. Mary's County, Maryland|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]].<ref name=mdnr/> 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.<ref name=mht/>


==History==
The park preserves the site of the [[March 25]], [[1634]], landing of [[Province of Maryland|Maryland's]] first colonists, commemorated as [[Maryland Day]]. The island served as a convenient and non-threatening temporary base of operations for the 150 settlers, as they negotiated with the [[Yaocomico]] Indians for land for a permanent settlement. It was the site of perhaps the first [[mass (liturgy)|mass]] celebrated in that part of the world, said by [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] Father Andrew White on the day of the landing.<ref name="mht">{{cite web|url=http://www.marylandhistoricaltrust.net/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=84&COUNTY=Saint%20Marys&FROM=NRCountyList.aspx?COUNTY=Saint%20Marys |title=St. Clement's Island Historic District|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places listings|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust}}</ref> St. Clement's Manor, including the Island, was the first Manor granted by Lord Baltimore and its lord, Thomas Gerard (Gerrard), played a significant role in 17th century Maryland history. They named the island in honor of [[Pope Clement I|Pope Saint Clement I]], patron of mariners. The island became owned the Blackistone family in 1669, remained in that family for 162 years, and was named Blackistone Island. It was renamed St. Clement's Island in 1961, when the property was leased to the state of Maryland.
[[File:St Clement's Manor plaque.JPG|thumb|left|St Clement's Manor plaque at St Clement's Island State Park]]
The park preserves the site of the March 23, 1634, landing of [[Province of Maryland|Maryland's]] first colonists, who had sailed from [[Cowes]] on the [[Isle of Wight]] in [[England]] four months earlier.<ref name=carr/><ref name=istg/> On March 25, the colonists celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival and this date is commemorated annually as [[Maryland Day]].<ref name=statearchives/><ref name=day/> The island was a convenient, temporary base of operations for the 150 settlers as they negotiated with the [[Yaocomico]] [[Native Americans in the United States|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 (liturgy)|Mass]] celebrated in the [[British colonization of the Americas|British-American colonies]], said by [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] Father [[Andrew White (missionary)|Andrew White]].


The island measured "not above 400 acres" at the time of the settlers' landing, according to White's account of the journey.<ref name=white/> Five years later, in 1639, the Surveyor General measured the island and found that it was about 80 acres.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/chroniclesofcolo00thom|title=Chronicles of Colonial Maryland: With Illustrations|last=Thomas|first=James Walter|date=1913|publisher=Eddy Press Corporation|language=en}}</ref> It formed part of St. Clement's Manor, which was granted by the [[Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore|Second Lord Baltimore]] to [[Thomas Gerard (colonist)|Thomas Gerard]] in 1639.<ref name=dames/> 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.<ref name=mht2/>
A water ferry leaves from the St. Clement's Island-Potomac River Museum near Colton's Point. A 40- foot stone cross stands on the island, in memory of the first settlers. In 1934, to celebrate Maryland’s 300th birthday, Governor [[Albert Ritchie]], dedicated the cross recognizing this site as the location where religious toleration in America had its foundation.<ref name="smc">{{cite web|url=http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate/museums/stclementsisland.asp |title=St. Clement's Island|date=2009-09-05|work=Recreation And Parks Museum Division listings|publisher=St Mary's County}}</ref> The park is administered by [[Point Lookout State Park]]. The St. Clement's Island Historic District was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on [[April 10]], [[1972]].<ref name="nris"/>


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.<ref name=uscg/> 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.<ref name=smc/> The name change was made official by the Board of Geographic Names in 1965.<ref name=gnis/>
For many years the island, then known as Blakistone Island, was the site of a [[Blakistone Island Light|lighthouse]]. Through the efforts of the St. Clement's Hundred, a local community organization created for the preservation of St. Clement's Island, a replica of the Blackistone Lighthouse was constructed and completed in June of 2008.<ref name="smc"/>


==Features==
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]].<ref name=smc/>


A replica of the [[Blakistone Island Light]] was completed in 2008 through the efforts of the St. Clement's Hundred community organization.<ref name=smc/> The original lighthouse occupied the island from 1851 until 1956 when it was destroyed by fire.<ref name=uscg/>
== Gallery ==

<gallery>
==Activities and amenities==
Image:St Clements Island Marker Sept 09.JPG|St. Clement's Island Historic Marker, September 2009
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.<ref name=smc/> Activities on the island include hiking, picnicking, fishing, and hunting.<ref name=mdnr/>
Image:St Clements Island Museum Sept 09.JPG|St. Clement's Island-Potomac River Museum, Colton's Point, MD, September 2009
Image:Cross from Ground Sept 09.JPG|Commemorative Cross, September 2009
Image:Cross from Lighthouse Sept 2009.JPG|View of Commemorative Cross from Blackistone Lighthouse, September 2009
Image:Munitions Shed and Lighthouse Sept 09.JPG|Munitions Shed and Lighthouse, St. Clement's Island, September 2009
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=acreagereport>{{cite web|url=https://dnr.maryland.gov/land/Documents/Stewardship/CurrentAcreageReport.pdf |title=DNR Lands Acreage Report |publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources |access-date=October 9, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=mdnr>{{cite web |url=http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/southern/stclements.aspx |title=St. Clement's Island State Park |publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources |access-date=November 29, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=carr>{{cite web |url=http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2200/sc2221/000003/000000/pdf/25328.pdf |title=Maryland... at the beginning |author=Lois Green Carr |author2=Russell R. Menard |author3=Louis Peddicord |publisher=Hall of Records Commission, Department of General Services |date=March 25, 1984 |access-date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=white>{{cite web |url=http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000552/html/am552--18.html |title=A Briefe Relation of the Voyage Unto Maryland |author=Andrew White |publisher=Maryland State Archives |page=18 |date=March 25, 1984 |access-date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=istg>{{cite web |url=http://www.immigrantships.net/v2/1600v2/ark_dove16340325.html |title=Sister Ships Ark and Dove |publisher=Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild |access-date=November 29, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=day>{{cite web |url=http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/mday.html |title=Maryland Day |work=Maryland Manual On-Line |publisher=Maryland State Archives |access-date=November 29, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=dames>{{cite web |url=http://crosstrailsdames.weebly.com/thomas-gerard.html |title=Dr. Thomas Gerard |publisher=[[National Society Colonial Dames 17th Century]] Cross Trails Chapter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203061215/http://crosstrailsdames.weebly.com/thomas-gerard.html |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=November 29, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=mht>{{cite web |url={{MHT url|id=84}} |title=St. Clement's Island Historic District |series=Maryland's National Register Properties |publisher=Maryland Historic Trust |access-date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=mht2>{{cite web|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-82.pdf |title=St. Clement's Island Historic District |series=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form |date=November 18, 1970 |author=Mrs. Preston Parish, Keeper of the Maryland Register |publisher=Maryland Historical Trust |access-date=January 1, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=uscg>{{cite web |url=https://media.defense.gov/2018/Jul/09/2001940171/-1/-1/0/LHMD.PDF#page=3 |title=Historic Light Station Information: Maryland |publisher=U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office |page=3 |access-date=February 2, 2020}}</ref>

<ref name=smc>{{cite web |url=https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/Recreate/Museums/StClementsIsland/ |title=St. Clement's Island Museum |publisher=St Mary's County Government |access-date=October 9, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=statearchives>{{cite web |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/shcaucusrm_ark_dove.html |series=The Maryland State House |title=State House Caucus Room: ''The Landing of the Maryland Colonists from the Ark & the Dove, St. Clement’s Island, March 25, 1634'' |publisher=Maryland State Archives |access-date=June 12, 2024}}</ref>
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|St. Clement's Island State Park}}
*[http://www.marylandhistoricaltrust.net/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=84&COUNTY=Saint%20Marys&FROM=NRCountyList.aspx?COUNTY=Saint%20Marys St. Clement's Island Historic District, St. Mary's County, Inventory No.: SM-123], including photo in 2002, at Maryland Historical Trust website
*[http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/southern/stclements.aspx St. Clement's Island State Park] Maryland Department of Natural Resources
*{{MHT url|id=84|title=St. Clement's Island Historic District, St. Mary's County}}, including photo from 2002, at Maryland Historical Trust

{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland}}
{{Protected areas of Maryland}}


{{authority control}}
{{Maryland-NRHP-stub}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Protected Areas of Maryland}}


[[Category:Islands of Maryland|Saint Clement's Island]]
[[Category:English-American culture in Maryland]]
[[Category:Islands of the Potomac River|Saint Clement's Island]]
[[Category:State parks of Maryland]]
[[Category:Maryland state parks|Saint Clement's Island]]
[[Category:Parks in St. Mary's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Maryland|Saint Clement's Island]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland]]
[[Category:St. Mary's County, Maryland|Saint Clement's Island]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in St. Mary's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Historic districts in the United States]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1962]]
[[Category:Chesapeake Bay]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in Maryland]]

Latest revision as of 05:38, 6 January 2025

St. Clement's Island State Park
Monument
Commemorative cross
and rebuilt Blackistone Lighthouse
St. Clement's Island State Park is located in Maryland
St. Clement's Island State Park
St. Clement's Island State Park
Location in Maryland
LocationSaint Mary's County, Maryland, United States
Coordinates38°12′40″N 76°44′44″W / 38.21111°N 76.74556°W / 38.21111; -76.74556[1]
Area62 acres (25 ha)[2]
Elevation10 ft (3.0 m)[1]
Established1962
Administered byMaryland Department of Natural Resources
DesignationMaryland state park
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
St. Clement's Island Historic District
Nearest cityLeonardtown, Maryland
Area1,499 acres (607 ha)[3]
NRHP reference No.72001484
Added to NRHPApril 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.[4] 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.[5]

History

[edit]
St Clement's Manor plaque at St Clement's Island State Park

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 Wight in England four months earlier.[6][7] On March 25, the colonists celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival and this date is commemorated annually as Maryland Day.[8][9] 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.[10] Five years later, in 1639, the Surveyor General measured the island and found that it was about 80 acres.[11] It formed part of St. Clement's Manor, which was granted by the Second Lord Baltimore to Thomas Gerard in 1639.[12] 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.[3]

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.[13] 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.[14] The name change was made official by the Board of Geographic Names in 1965.[1]

Features

[edit]

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.[14]

A replica of the Blakistone Island Light was completed in 2008 through the efforts of the St. Clement's Hundred community organization.[14] The original lighthouse occupied the island from 1851 until 1956 when it was destroyed by fire.[13]

Activities and amenities

[edit]

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.[14] Activities on the island include hiking, picnicking, fishing, and hunting.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Saint Clements Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "DNR Lands Acreage Report" (PDF). Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mrs. Preston Parish, Keeper of the Maryland Register (November 18, 1970). "St. Clement's Island Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "St. Clement's Island State Park". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  5. ^ "St. Clement's Island Historic District". Maryland's National Register Properties. Maryland Historic Trust. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  6. ^ Lois Green Carr; Russell R. Menard; Louis Peddicord (March 25, 1984). "Maryland... at the beginning" (PDF). Hall of Records Commission, Department of General Services. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Sister Ships Ark and Dove". Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  8. ^ "State House Caucus Room: The Landing of the Maryland Colonists from the Ark & the Dove, St. Clement's Island, March 25, 1634". The Maryland State House. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Maryland Day". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  10. ^ Andrew White (March 25, 1984). "A Briefe Relation of the Voyage Unto Maryland". Maryland State Archives. p. 18. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  11. ^ Thomas, James Walter (1913). Chronicles of Colonial Maryland: With Illustrations. Eddy Press Corporation.
  12. ^ "Dr. Thomas Gerard". National Society Colonial Dames 17th Century Cross Trails Chapter. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  13. ^ a b "Historic Light Station Information: Maryland" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. p. 3. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d "St. Clement's Island Museum". St Mary's County Government. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
[edit]
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