Story by Tina Wagner and Photography by John Kite

All Saints Oakley Parish in Avenue celebrates its 370th birthday this year. That’s a lot of candles on a cake, but it also means that this small country Episcopal parish, established in 1642, has stood the test of time and more.

Story by Barbara Elizabeth Graf and Photography by August Selckmann

Lighthouse lovers from all over the world – many of whom have toured Maryland’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse at Cove Point – will now be able to stay overnight in the former lighthouse keeper’s home, just footsteps away from the forty-foot high brick tower. Originally constructed in 1828, the lighthouse keeper’s home has undergone many transformations in its nearly 200 years of existence. The latest renovations to the two-and-one-half story duplex have turned the once dingy and dated abode into a cozy and stylish oasis times two: a perfect spot for a week-long vacation or a weekend getaway not only for lighthouse enthusiasts, but for anyone seeking relaxation on the Chesapeake Bay.

Story by Judy Colbert and Photography by August Selckmann

If you are looking for a unique place to spend your next vacation or weekend getaway, then check out the great selection of local bed and breakfasts.  You won’t find the standard cookie cutter rooms found in most hotels, and you will be treated to a very personalized stay. Fortunately, independently owned and operated bed and breakfast establishments and their kin (farm and breakfasts, bed and fix-your-own breakfasts, cottages) shine like lighthouse beacons in the night, providing individual décor and down-home hospitality. Most of the places were built long enough ago that they don’t have to try to create a link to local history and industry. Yet most are totally modern and allow you to connect to the electronic world, or not, as you wish.

Story by Jacqueline Zilliox

With the Charter of 1633 promoting unity of spirit in hand from the King of England, the mixed religious factions in the Colony of Maryland shared a chapel for worship. In 1638, however, the first Trinity Church, then part of the Church of England, was built on Trinity (Smith) Creek. It later moved to St. Mary’s City, and in 1789, the congregation became a New Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA.

Story by Edna Troiano

St. Mary’s City, the first settlement in Maryland, is now a historical tourist attraction, and Southern Maryland’s economy is no longer based on tobacco farming and fishing. Although much of our early history is just that, one flourishing remnant of colonial Southern Maryland remains – foxhunting.

Story by George Newman

If you’re looking for a guide to the scenic beauty of Southern Maryland, you couldn’t find a better one than Captain John Smith. Never mind that Smith died 380 years ago. And never mind that his name has been mostly associated with Virginia, where he played a leading role in settling Jamestown in 1607, more than a decade before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock. Even more, he’s remembered for his association with Pocahontas, the Indian maiden who supposedly saved his life. Historians today cast doubt on the Pocahontas legend, but no one disputes Smith’s prowess as an explorer. He traveled some 3,000 miles as the first European to conduct systematic expeditions on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. In recent years, the National Park Service has mapped out Smith’s routes, enabling visitors to follow his explorations on water and land.

One of the greatest rewards of home ownership is the ability to create spaces which truly reflect our personal style through the way we choose to decorate them. So what happens when you are a military family who relocates every few years and has to turn temporary quarters into a place that feels like home?

Today as the U.S. Navy prepares for the upcoming Centennial of Naval Aviation, which will begin in January 2011, the story of how Southern Maryland’s once fertile farmlands and homesteads gave rise to Naval Air Station Patuxent River-the nation’s primary center for naval air technology research, development, testing, evaluation and support, as well as the site of the preeminent Navy Test Pilot School-is one in which we can all take pride.

It seems that spas are the rage these days: mud baths, body wraps, and hot stone massages to name just a few luxurious procedures. Years back, however, treatments like these were medicinal rather than cosmetic. The ill and infirmed flocked to healing places in hopes of curing a myriad of sicknesses. And sometimes, they sought out these places because they were desperate to save a life.