Amish Community

Amish Community. Three Notch Trail. The Amish community in St. Mary’s is the largest of three Amish settlements in Maryland. The community is located primarily along MD Routes 6 and 236 in New Market, Charlotte Hall and neighboring Charles County. The Amish moved to the area in 1940 from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to escape statewide educational changes and pressure from development., The Amish community thrives today along these rural roadways. Farmers grow tobacco, grain, vegetables, and raise poultry and dairy cows. Handwritten signs advertise produce and, services such as chair caning, blacksmithing, quilting and woodworking., Visitors may also venture south to the Loveville and Oakville areas for similar products offered by the county’s Mennonite community which immigrated to St. Mary’s from Pennsylvania about the same time as the Amish., Rail History 1872, A rival railroad, the Washington City and Point Lookout Railroad, was organized in 1872 and the following year a compromise was reached that called for the new railroad not to be constructed south of Brandywine Junction and to change its name to Washington and Chesapeake Railroad Company. The Southern Maryland Railroad was to be built from Brandywine to Mechanicsville., In 1886, the railroad was purchased by the Washington and Potomac Railroad Company and hope was renewed that the railroad would be extended south to the St. Mary’s River and Pt. Lookout. Some of the grading for the project was done; however, due to financial problems, the company was unable to extend the line.