A Park History Timeline

1790 – 1878 – farmland lines the southwest shore of Patuxent River’s mouth into the Chesapeake Bay. The area at the crossroads of Three Notch Road and Great Mills Road is known as Centerville
1878 -Centerville is renamed Jarboesville upon establishment of post office by first postmaster, Jefferson B. Jarboe.
1901 – Pearson Post Office commences at Great Mills Road and Three Notch Road among a cluster of roadside commerce including Hiram Millison’s store and bar, the Community Building and Bell Motor Company.
1932 – Jarboesville Post Office closes permanently, mail sent to Hermanville.
1941-1942 – U.S. Navy condemns 6,400 acres along this shore westward to Three Notch Road from Great Mills Road to Hermanville Road. The housing shortage reaches crisis proportions.
1942 – U.S. Navy hires renown architect and builder to construct Lexington Park – a 350-home community of tri- and duplexes completed in 1943. The community is named Lexington Park but is almost immediately and ever since known as The Flattops.
1943 – Federal Housing Authority oversees construction of Carver Heights (125 homes and 71 dormitory spots for African Americans who do not approach this capacity. FHA refuses to admit whites. Demolished and replaced with the Southhampton duplex-housing in the 1970s.
1944 – Millison Plaza is built and includes food stores, a variety store, a drug store, a barber shop, a beauty parlor, valet shop, bank and ultimately Lexington Park Post Office.
1944 – Cedar Park Trailer Camp with ultimately 200 trailers and 150 trailer spaces made available at the northwest corner of Three Notch Road and Great Mills Road.
1944 – Frank Knox School built by the Bureau of Aeronautics for children of military personnel and deeded to the county in 1953.
1946 – Pearson Post Office moves to community building at Tulagi Place. Replaced by Lexington Park Post Office in 1947 at the same address before moving to Millison Plaza property.
1947 – Patuxent Park was begun on 216 acres along Great Mills Road.
1950 – 1960s – Town Creek subdivision built off Three Notch Road
1953 – Lexington Park Elementary School built.
1953 – Safeway food store opened on Shangri La Drive and later relocated to Great Mills Road at South Essex Drive. (Closed in the early 1990s; currently office space.)
1958 – Carver Heights, an elementary-high school originally built for African American students, expanded in 1960, transitioned to a middle school in 1967 when St. Mary’s County public schools integrated and returned to use as an elementary school simply named Carver Elementary School in 1974.
1962 – The Flattops are sold to a private land management firm.
The community building located next to the current Three Notch Theatre continued in public use as a library, post office, sheriff’s headquarters, branch office of the St. Mary’s County Board of Education and a St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks programming space until razed in the late 1980s.
The Navy dormitory built on Coral Place converted into the Lexington Park Hotel , a movie theater named Park Theater and a row of small shops. This bank of buildings was condemned in the late 1980s and razed in the 1990s.
Mid 1960s – 1970s – South Essex subdivision built.
1966 – survey determines need for county airport leading to acquisition in 1968 of property north of St. Andrews Church Road off Three Notch Road. Airport remains within the Lexington Park Development District boundaries.
1966 – St. Mary’s County Planning Commission completes General Development Plan for the Central Business District of Lexington Park, Maryland. The plan projects commercial development into 1985.
1968 – Queen Anne Apartments built on Great Mills Road.
1978 – St. Mary’s County completes its first Comprehensive land-use plan and identifies an Urban Development District covering Lexington Park and Leonardtown west of Three Notch Road.
1988 – First update to the Comprehensive Plan severs the Lexington Park Development District from Leonardtown with a swath of rural zoning. The boundaries are inexact in this plan, but LPDD extends west of Indian Bridge Road and east of Three Notch Road. A small rural strip again separates LPDD from Hollywood although the boundary includes the county airport and the industrial park to its north.
1991 – Patuxent River Naval Air Station slated to expand following Base Realignment Consolidation. Again in 2001 Pax NAS expands resulting from realignment of naval aviation activities.
1994 – Lexington Park master plan launched by a county-hired consulting firm to address population boom and is completed in 1995. Citizens, property owners and the U.S. Navy are actively involved. The plan concentrates on the area depicted in the 1966 Central Business District map. The plan is adopted in 1999.
1995 – Construction begun of McKays store at Great Mills Road and Westbury Blvd.
1999 – Update to the Comprehensive Plan excludes area west of Indian Bridge Road from LPDD.
2004 – St. Mary’s County acquires the Flattops and in 2005 gives management of the property to the Community Development Corporation.
2005 – A comprehensive plan is written for the entire LPDD the boundaries roughly corresponding with those of the 8th District — clearly including California and Great Mills Zip codes. The 1999 Lexington Park master plan is incorporated.
2011 – LPDD update is launched by a county-hired consulting firm to engage property owners, citizens and county officials in process.
Stories:
- Fri, 1 Jul 2022 - Join Conversation & Cruise on July 16
- Thu, 30 Jun 2022 - Three Notch Presents ‘Something Rotten’
- Thu, 30 Jun 2022 - July 10 Next Airport Farmers Market
- Thu, 30 Jun 2022 - Power Companies Face Supply Crisis
- Wed, 29 Jun 2022 - Looking Back 50 Yrs. at Hurricane Agnes – Message From the Cap’n
- Wed, 29 Jun 2022 - Greenwell Offers Programs for Veterans
- Wed, 29 Jun 2022 - Female Draft in Congress Again
- Tue, 28 Jun 2022 - SMECO Members to Be Issued Credits
- Tue, 28 Jun 2022 - Local VFDs Win Grain Rescue Equipment
- Tue, 28 Jun 2022 - Future Unclear on Littoral Combat Ships
- Mon, 27 Jun 2022 - Reminder: AeroPark Update Thursday
- Mon, 27 Jun 2022 - Askey Welcomes New Partners
- Mon, 27 Jun 2022 - BAMS-D Aircraft Welcomed Back to Pax
- Sun, 26 Jun 2022 - Jazzy First Friday All Weekend in Town
- Sat, 25 Jun 2022 - Save the Date: HSMP Annual Meeting
- Fri, 24 Jun 2022 - Archaeologists to Share Discoveries at Newtowne
- Thu, 23 Jun 2022 - Wheeler Seeks Clerk of Circuit Court
- Thu, 23 Jun 2022 - Hoyer Tours New Emergency Shelter
- Thu, 23 Jun 2022 - Inflation Bonus Proposed for Troops
- Wed, 22 Jun 2022 - Lex Park Library Site for Summer Meals Program
- Wed, 22 Jun 2022 - Chronic Disease Prevention Team to Meet
- Wed, 22 Jun 2022 - Big Boost Proposed for DIU Budget
- Tue, 21 Jun 2022 - License-Free Fishing Day Set July 4
- Tue, 21 Jun 2022 - Shoreline Restoration in Piney Point Awarded Federal Funds
- Tue, 21 Jun 2022 - Kingsley New CO at NAS Patuxent River
- Mon, 20 Jun 2022 - Lex Park Business Assoc. to Meet June 23
- Mon, 20 Jun 2022 - Two Primary Candidate Forums Set
- Mon, 20 Jun 2022 - Morning Coffee Is Off the Burner
- Sat, 18 Jun 2022 - County Schedule for Juneteenth Holiday
- Fri, 17 Jun 2022 - Navy Museum Releases Aviation Artist’s 3-D Photo Book
- Thu, 16 Jun 2022 - Marines, Civilians Honored for Aviation Contributions
- Thu, 16 Jun 2022 - House Dems: No Inflation Add-On to $762B Defense Budget
- Wed, 15 Jun 2022 - There’s ‘Something Rotten’ at Three Notch
- Wed, 15 Jun 2022 - Loan Program Expanded for Small Businesses
- Wed, 15 Jun 2022 - A Mixed Week for Women
- Tue, 14 Jun 2022 - Save the Date for Feed St. Mary’s Event
- Tue, 14 Jun 2022 - Museums Part of Blue Star Program for Military Members
- Tue, 14 Jun 2022 - Aircraft ‘Safety Pause’ Ordered by Navy
- Mon, 13 Jun 2022 - Support NAACP Freedom Fund Brunch
- Mon, 13 Jun 2022 - Delegation Secures Vets Clinic Funding
- Mon, 13 Jun 2022 - New Helicopters Headed to Andrews
- Sat, 11 Jun 2022 - Join County’s Flag Day Festivities
- Fri, 10 Jun 2022 - Catch a Tagged Snakehead, Maybe Win a Prize
- Thu, 9 Jun 2022 - Deadline to Register to Vote: June 28
- Thu, 9 Jun 2022 - Homelessness Prevention Board Meets June 15
- Thu, 9 Jun 2022 - Autonomous Tanker Crosses Pacific
- Wed, 8 Jun 2022 - TPP to Present AeroPark District Update
- Wed, 8 Jun 2022 - Hoyer: Jobs Are Being Created, Wages Are Rising
- Wed, 8 Jun 2022 - US to Review Wind Project Off Ocean City
- Tue, 7 Jun 2022 - Next Farmers Market @ Airport June 12
- Tue, 7 Jun 2022 - Milley: Respecting Legacy of D-Day Soldiers
- Mon, 6 Jun 2022 - SMECO Awards Four Scholarships
- Mon, 6 Jun 2022 - Congressional Art Contest Winners Announced
- Mon, 6 Jun 2022 - Navy Setting Stage for RIMPAC 2022
- Sun, 5 Jun 2022 - Still Time to Enter DNR Photo Contest
- Fri, 3 Jun 2022 - Hoyer Announces Funds for Rapid Transit
- Fri, 3 Jun 2022 - Sirens on June 6. This Is Only a Test
- Thu, 2 Jun 2022 - Men’s Health Day Event Set June 4
- Thu, 2 Jun 2022 - Kitty Hawk Arrives at Final Port
- Wed, 1 Jun 2022 - Meet the ’22 Primary Election Candidates
- Wed, 1 Jun 2022 - NAACP 5K Run/Walk Accepting Registrations
- Wed, 1 Jun 2022 - Memorial Day Video ’22
- Tue, 31 May 2022 - Hoyer Earns ‘A’ Rating From Action Fund
- Tue, 31 May 2022 - Bad Crab Vibes for Upcoming Season
- Tue, 31 May 2022 - Lights, Camera, Action at NAS Pax
- Mon, 30 May 2022 - History Lecture Series Continues June 2
- Mon, 30 May 2022 - Water Monitoring at Public Beaches Continues
- Mon, 30 May 2022 - Morning Coffee Is Off the Burner
- Sun, 29 May 2022 - First Friday June 3 in Leonardtown
- Sat, 28 May 2022 - Memorial Day Schedule for St. Mary’s Govt.
- Thu, 26 May 2022 - Navy Signs Final EIS for Testing, Training Activities at Pax River Complex
- Thu, 26 May 2022 - Ostrow Seeks Commissioner Dist. 4
- Thu, 26 May 2022 - MD’s Bridges Get $400M for Repairs
- Wed, 25 May 2022 - Townsend Is Outstanding Young Scientist Award Winner
- Wed, 25 May 2022 - ’22 Lighthouse Award: Askey, Askey & Associates
- Wed, 25 May 2022 - Nat’l Cemeteries Open Memorial Weekend
- Tue, 24 May 2022 - Sponsors Sought for Summerstock 2022
- Tue, 24 May 2022 - Free Document Shredding on May 28
- Tue, 24 May 2022 - MedStar Unveils SMHC Behavioral Health Unit
- Tue, 24 May 2022 - Report: DoD Making Progress on Cybersecurity
- Mon, 23 May 2022 - SMECO Urges Safety Around Power Lines
- Mon, 23 May 2022 - Gowen Seeks Delegate Seat 29C
- Mon, 23 May 2022 - Blue Angels Fly Into Annapolis This Week
- Sun, 22 May 2022 - Violence, Injury, & Trauma Action Team Meets
- Sat, 21 May 2022 - Event in Lex Park to Celebrate Expecting Parents
- Fri, 20 May 2022 - Kindergarten Registration Opens in St. Mary’s
- Thu, 19 May 2022 - Head Start Program Awarded Federal Funds
- Thu, 19 May 2022 - CPA Hood to Lead Record-Keeping Workshop for Nonprofits
- Thu, 19 May 2022 - Local UAS Sets Continuous Flight Record
- Wed, 18 May 2022 - Airport to Host May 24 Open House
- Wed, 18 May 2022 - NAVAIR Building on Unfunded Priority List
- Tue, 17 May 2022 - Battle of the Bay Set Memorial Day Weekend
- Tue, 17 May 2022 - St. Mary’s Voting Districts Have Changed
- Tue, 17 May 2022 - Hogan: Maryland Is Cyber Capital of US
- Mon, 16 May 2022 - Homelessness Prevention Board to Meet
- Mon, 16 May 2022 - SMR Celebrates Flight Academy Opening
- Mon, 16 May 2022 - US Space Force Needs a National Guard
- Sun, 15 May 2022 - They’re Going Retro in Piney Point
- Fri, 13 May 2022 - Volunteers Sought for Lex Park Cleanup
- Thu, 12 May 2022 - DoD Seeks Hand in EU Arms Development