Add Some County History to First Friday Visit to Leonardtown

The Old Jail Museum, a well-known landmark in Leonardtown, will continue to be open to the public for extended hours on Leonardtown First Fridays in addition to regular daily visitation hours.

Visitors are encouraged to take a tour of this unique and fascinating historic site. The museum is open for regular hours daily, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free for all ages. The museum will also be open for special hours during Leonardtown First Fridays from 10am to 7pm, on the first Friday of each month.

The only days during the year that the museum is closed is Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Staff will be on-hand to showcase the Old Jail and its interesting story. A special exhibit regarding Benjamin Hance, a young African American man who was held at the Old Jail in 1887 and later killed by a local mob, will be on display. Hance is the only documented lynching victim recorded in St. Mary’s County.

The Old Jail Museum is one of three sites in St. Mary’s County on the National Park’s Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and features stories and exhibits related to that era.

The location also serves as the Leonardtown Visitor Center, where visitors to town can find information about things to do in Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County, and the Southern Maryland region.

The Old Jail Museum is at 41625 Court House Drive on the grounds of the courthouse, a short walk from the Square.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/TheOldJailMuseum.

Learn more about history from the St. Mary’s County Historical Society

Headquartered in historic Tudor Hall in Leonardtown, the Historical Society is open Wednesdays through Friday from 11am to 4pm and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.

The St. Mary’s County Historical Society is the repository of a unique collection of Maryland memorabilia and museum pieces displayed on the first floor of Tudor Hall and in the Old Jail Museum. The 18th-century Tudor Hall also serves as headquarters of the society and houses the Historical Society’s Research Center.

To learn more about the St. Mary’s Historical Society, visit its Leader member page.