In your county seat, be it Calvert, Charles, or St. Mary's you can take care of business from registering your will to recording your land ownership. We decided to help you get to know more about your county government in hopes that we can help you get things done!

Prince Frederick
Calvert County Seat
Story By: Jill Malcolm

The catch phrase 'one-stop shop' has been used to describe a place where consumers can shop and buy whatever they need. On both the east and west sides of Route 4 in Prince Frederick, residents can purchase products and dine to their hearts content at nationally known stores and locally owned small businesses. But the one stop shopping philosophy applies to all things governmental as well, as the Calvert County seat of Prince Frederick provides an all-inclusive location for Calvert constituents to tend to their legal and community matters.

Prince Frederick's old town center is where the business of the county gets done. Located just east of the flow of the major traffic artery of Route 4, the town is the heart of Calvert County. From the courthouse to the county commissioners, Motor Vehicle Administration to the Maryland Cooperative Extension, citizens and employees can park once and walk to every office in the governmental complex.

Long ago, county planners understood the value of keeping the government business of Calvert County in one central location. In colonial times, transportation was limited, most being made via the waterways so having land records, courthouse, and taxation offices all in one place made sense. Because traveling in colonial times was difficult at best, a trip into town was not a frequent event so when citizens made the trek they tended to want to stay a while. The town of Prince Frederick grew up around the courthouse as lodging, services, and supplies were added for the convenience of county residents.

Prince Frederick has served as the county seat for nearly 300 years. But it wasn't the original county seat, Calvert Town or what was sometimes called Battle Town served as the home of the county courthouse from the early 1600s. Battle Town was situated at the entrance to Battle Creek on the Patuxent River. But by the early 1700s the courthouse was in bad condition and the location proved inconvenient for the growing number of colonists settling toward the northern borders of Calvert County. A new location was sought that would be more centrally located. Though Huntingtown petitioned for the county seat, another site was chosen.

A tract was laid out at Williams Old Fields with the courthouse -which was not completed until 10 years later, at the town center. The county seat was named in honor of Prince Frederick, the eldest son of King George II, as the region was still firmly under British rule. The Maryland General Assembly approved the new town location and name in 1728 and Prince Frederick, Maryland was officially established.

Over the years, fire destroyed a succession of courthouse buildings. During the War of 1812, British troops burned the original courthouse on their march toward Washington, following the battle with Commodore Joshua Barney and his flotilla at St. Leonard Creek. In 1882, the courthouse burned during a devastating fire that destroyed all but a few buildings in the town of Prince Frederick

The current courthouse building was constructed after the great fire in Prince Frederick and has been renovated and expanded many times over the last 100 years. Additional buildings were added to make the Prince Frederick government town center what it is today. Four main buildings form a hub around the county courthouse on Main Street and include the County Services Plaza, the Annex, Louis L. Goldstein Building, and the Maryland State Police Headquarters.

The County Services Plaza has multiple levels and houses both county and state offices including the Election Board, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Planning and Zoning, Inspection Permit office, and the Southern Maryland Office of the Red Cross. The Annex, just across the street from the courthouse, is home to professional offices and attorneys that work in the county legal system. It is also home to the Calvert County Economic Development and Tourism offices.

The Louis L Goldstein-Multi-Service Center on Duke Street is the largest building in the county seat. The building, named for one of Calvert's most recognized politicians and residents, is the office for the public defender and state's attorney and where you will find the District Court. On the lower level are the social services and the Motor Vehicle Administration offices. But don't come on a Friday to get your driver's license renewed. The small satellite office is only open on Mondays and Tuesdays for limited services, so call before you go.

Speeding though the Prince Frederick government complex is generally not a problem for the Maryland State Police headquarters sits right on Main Street. Traffic flows easily though the tiny town center on brick-lined streets. Motorists making their way through town are reminded to stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks. It's the law!

Today's stately brick courthouse building houses the county courts and judges offices, the county commissioners hearing room and offices as well as a number of other county and state service offices. Pay taxes, get a marriage license, get divorced and register a will all under the same roof. Now that's a one-stop shop for all the stages of life for a Calvert County citizen.

La Plata
Charles County Seat
Story By: Michelle Brosco-Christian

ome things are drastically different in Charles County's town seat of La Plata from the days when Frances Winkler walked from her parent's home past the bustling train station in the heart of town. But other things, such as the town's steady growth, remain the same.

The town seat is still a bustling municipality; automobiles buzzing through town have replaced its daily freight delivery train. "It was a busy place," said Winkler, now in her mid-80s, of the La Plata Train Station in the 1930s. "You might see crates of baby chicks there or a rug that someone had ordered."

La Plata's development from a whistle stop to the present-day town was slow but steady and today there are approximately 7,000 residents. Visit the downtown area and you can still find the quaint train station and a large red brick courthouse surrounded by a unique serpentine wall.

It's unlikely that today's residents visit La Plata to pick up a crate of baby chicks at the train station; more likely, it's official business that draws people to downtown. Building permits, marriage licenses, jury duty and payment of water and sewer bills are all possible reasons for a visit to the county courthouse or government complex on Charles Street, which runs through the center of town.

Since the 2002 tornado damaged much of the downtown area, town officials began working harder to incorporate elements of their comprehensive plan to create a pedestrian-friendly town center. The town hall's official place of business is currently in transition from Charles Street to La Grange Avenue. This change is due to the proposed expansion of the county's hospital (Civista Medical Center). Construction is literally around nearly every corner in the county seat, with major buildings going up on Charles Street/US 301 and on Centennial Street, where the Charles County Chamber of Commerce will soon be located.

Obviously, official county and town business has been a mainstay in the county seat, but other businesses and services have sprung up around the area offering residents everything from a cozy coffee shop, bakery, and high-end restaurant, to many office buildings housing doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects.

Another of La Plata's main attractions includes a branch of the public library and the Port Tobacco Players Theatre, which is currently undergoing a major renovation of its own. Farther out from the center of town are the county's central offices for the Board of Education and several schools are located within town limits.

Originally, the county seat was located on the busy Port Tobacco River, but a series of events, which included a suspicious fire at the Port Tobacco Courthouse, lead voters to rebuild the courthouse in La Plata near the train station and thus the county seat moved from river side to rail side in 1895.

Freight delivery was once frequent and critical to the small town, recalled Winkler, because "not many people had cars and so they had to order things they needed, or go to Washington, DC." The whistles of today's trains are well known to La Plata residents as well, but these trains are full of coal, not baby chicks and rugs.

Leonardtown
St. Mary's County Seat
Story By: Christine Basham

For nearly three centuries, Leonardtown has been the center of St. Mary's County life. It's a bustling town of restaurants, unique shops, and old-fashioned charm. Though Leonardtown has plenty of opportunities for relaxation and fun, it is most importantly the county seat of St. Mary's. Many governmental, non-profit, and service organizations can be found between "the Square," surrounding Washington and Fenwick Streets, and Governmental Center, just a short distance away across Route 5.

The five-member board of County Commissioners, with offices in the Governmental Center in Leonardtown, recommends new laws to the Maryland General Assembly.

The Department of Social Services is a clearinghouse for information and assistance regarding childcare, foster care, child support enforcement, emergency food providers and emergency and transient shelter.

The Health Department provides birth and death certificates, permit information, and can answer other general health questions. The department also runs a hot line for information about bioterrorism, emergency planning, and the West Nile virus.

The St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks organizes personal enrichment and exercise classes, sports teams, before-and-after school care for students and summer camps for children and the disabled. They also sponsor Family Skate Nights, at the Leonard Hall Drill Hall. This school year, they will also sponsor daytime skating sessions during selected school holidays.

St. Mary's County boasts the first sheriff's office in Maryland, providing law enforcement, court security, process services, and corrections. Leonardtown is also headquarters for a full-service Maryland State Police Barracks.

Administrative Judge Honorable Marvin S. Kaminetz, and Judges Honorable C. Clarke Raley, and Honorable Karen Abrams preside over the Circuit Court for St. Mary's County in downtown Leonardtown. The courthouse also houses the clerk's office, the office of the State's Attorney and office of the Public Defender.

St. Mary's County has the resources to help you live well and feel your best. Get the care and support you need from people you can trust, right here in the county.  St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown is a full-service hospital accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) including a new Women's Health Center.

Health Connections Center, adjacent to the main hospital, offers health and wellness classes, programs and screenings and an outreach program.   Hospice of St. Mary's, at the corner of Washington and Fenwick Streets, offers pain and symptom management, physical, emotional, and spiritual support for terminally ill patients and their families.

St. Mary's Hospital Laboratory Center at the Belmont Building provides laboratory services right in St Mary's.

People with disabilities can get the support they need without having to trek to the city. The following organizations offer information, support, training and other assistance to people with a wide range of disabilities, and for their families, teachers, and employers. All have offices in and around Leonardtown.

The ARC of Southern Maryland at St. Mary's provides support for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities and their families.

Maryland State Department of Education Division of Rehabilitation Services Coach Me Now! Program (Coordinated Approach to Comprehensive Help to achieve Meaningful Employment, Now!) is a return-to-work program for people with disabilities on public assistance.

The retirement years don't require a move to Florida anymore. More and more elderly people are deciding to stay near family and friends here in St Mary's. Leonardtown's small-town atmosphere makes things easy for residents of all ages. Facilities like the 212-bed St Mary's Nursing Center and Cedar Lane Apartments give mature adults a place to stay without all the hassles of a lawn, and with assistance and medical care if necessary.

St. Mary's County Public Schools main offices in Leonardtown direct parents to information needed to establish children in a local public school. It's also a great place to praise a teacher or administrator who helps your child learn and grow.

On the other hand, you can contact Kay Wach to request the county's homeschool registration packet through the Department of Pupil Services.

College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has campuses across Southern Maryland. The Leonardtown campus has quickly become a lively landmark.

Interested in St Mary's County history? Take a tour of the Old Jail Museum, just outside the county courthouse. Tudor Hall, a Georgian mansion on nearby Tudor Place, houses a research center, library, and book store for history buffs, and lovely composed gardens.

Leonardtown's small town structure makes it possible to reach all the important offices, and get your business done, while enjoying a stroll, catching up on Southern Maryland history, and stopping for a quick meal or a little retail therapy along the way. It's a vibrant, charming, and growing county seat.

Related Links:

1. Southern Maryland Government Guide