Piney Point in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Fueling Progress
Steuart Petroleum Company
Photographed by Sean C Bath, November 28, 2021
1. Fueling Progress: Steuart Petroleum Company Marker
The Steuart Petroleum Company, established in 1904, was the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area's largest independent supplier of commercial and residential oil, lubricants and fuel. In 1949, Steuart Petroleum purchased a 320-acre farm bordering the Potomac River and Piney Point Creek and built a 1,200-foot pier. Here, domestic and foreign tankers unloaded their cargo of jet fuel, home heating oil, industrial fuel oil, and liquid asphalt. These already-refined products were pumped through a series of six pipelines, each approximately 5,200 feet long, to the storage and distribution facility across Piney Point Creek. Twenty-eight storage tanks held up to 500,000 barrels of fuel, making this facility one of the largest in the United States.
In 1995, Steuart Petroleum Company was sold to Support Terminals Operations Partnership (ST Services). Valero Energy L.P. bought ST Services in 2005 and reorganized in 2007 as NuStar Energy.
[Captions:]
(Above) Aerial view of Steuart Petroleum Company's pipeline and 320-acre tank farm circa 1960s. (Below) Steuart Transportation Company headquarters circa 1970s, now the location of
this page online
Erected by Commissioners of St. Mary's County; St. Mary's County Museum Division; Friends of the St. Clement's Island and Piney Point Museums; Southern Maryland Heritage Area; Maryland Heritage Area Authority (MHAA).
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.
Location. 38° 8.197′ N, 76° 31.746′ W. Marker is in Piney Point, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It is on Lighthouse Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Piney Point MD 20674, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Dory Boat (within shouting distance of this marker); Military Influence (within shouting distance of this marker); Potomac River Military Testing (within shouting distance of this marker); Bay Lights (within shouting distance of this marker); Osprey (within shouting distance of this marker); Map of Lower Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Piney Point Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Piney Point Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Piney Point.
Other markers no longer nearby. Piney Point Petroleum Terminal (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Potomac River Dory Boat (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Military Influence (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Natural Highways (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Piney Point Lighthouse (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Piney Point Lighthouse (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2022, by Sean C Bath of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 961 times since then and 70 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on August 2, 2022, by Sean C Bath of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
