CALVERT COUNTY, MARYLAND

HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY

1654, July 3. Calvert County formed by order in Council of Maryland. County originally encompassed most of Prince George's County, and parts of Anne Arundel and St. Mary's counties.

1669. Courthouse built by this date at Battle Town on north shore of Battle Creek.

c. 1678. Arthur Storer (c.1642-1686), America's first colonial astronomer, arrived in Calvert County from Lincolnshire, England.

1683. Battle Town renamed Calvertown.

1695. Prince George's County erected from parts of Charles and Calvert counties (Chapter 13, Acts of 1695, May session)

1725. County seat moved from Calvertown to Williams Old Fields.

1728. Williams Old Fields renamed Prince Frederick.

1731. First Courthouse under construction at Prince Frederick.

1732, Nov. 4. Thomas Johnson (1732-1819), Maryland’s first elected governor, born near St. Leonard’s Creek.

1748, April 20. Fire destroyed Courthouse at Prince Frederick.

1749. Second Courthouse at Prince Frederick authorized.

1777, March 17. Roger Brooke Taney (1777-1864), who served as U.S. Attorney General, 1831-33, Secretary of the Treasury, 1833-34, and Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1835-64, born in Calvert County.

1779, Jan. 14. Joseph Kent (1779-1837), Governor of Maryland, born in Calvert County.

1814, July 19. British burned Courthouse at Prince Frederick.

1814, July 4. British forces burned wharves and warehouses at Town of St. Leonard.

St. Leonard's Creek, Calvert County, Maryland, May 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

1819. Third Courthouse at Prince Frederick completed.

c.1870. Solomon's Island causeway built, connecting island to mainland.

1882, March 3. Courthouse, County records, and most of Prince Frederick destroyed by fire.

1883. Drum Point Lighthouse erected at Solomons.

1884. Fourth Courthouse built at Prince Frederick.

1886. Chesapeake Beach incorporated.

1886. First Calvert County Fair held at Smithville (now Dunkirk).

1886, June 6. Charles Whitley lynched at Prince Frederick.

1897. Chesapeake Beach Railway linked Washington, DC, to Chesapeake Beach.

1910. North Beach incorporated.

1925. Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons Island, started as research station by Reginald V. Truitt.

Calvert County Courthouse, 175 Main St., Prince Frederick, Maryland, November 2012. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

1941. Patuxent Naval Air Test Center constructed.

1942. At Solomons, nation's first naval amphibious training base established.

1949. Slot machines allowed by law in Calvert County (Chapter 13, Acts of 1948 Special Session).

1952. Benedict Bridge opened across Patuxent River, connecting Calvert and Charles counties.

1963. Legislation passed to outlaw slot-machine gambling.

1964, Dec. 6. Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland created.

1969. Baltimore Gas and Electric Company began construction of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant at Lusby.

1972, Aug. Construction began on lower Patuxent River bridge (now Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge).

1975, May. Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant began operation in Calvert County.

1977. Battle Creek Cypress Swamp leased to Calvert County as a public park.

1977, Dec. 17. Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge opened across Patuxent River, connecting Calvert and St. Mary's counties.

1980. Community College at Calvert County organized.

1984. Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum opened at St. Leonard.

2000, July 1. College of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick Campus began to function as community college.

2004, March 2. Electronic voting system used during primary elections at polling places and for absentee ballots in all counties and Baltimore City.

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