Scotland in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
From Buoys to Barracks
The Coast Guard on the Point
During World War II (1941-1945), the U.S. Coast Guard assigned a crew of young male recruits to Point Lookout to assist the keepers in their duties and to monitor bay traffic. The crew detachment remained at Point Lookout for several years. Keepers suddenly went from working in isolation to struggling to keep a group of young men busy. To accommodate the crews, portions of both coal and buoy sheds were converted into living quarters.
[Captions:]
The Coast Guard crew pose with longtime assistant keeper Zadock Sturgis [center, in civilian clothes], ca 1950
The Hartzel faoly, ca 1960
By the 1960s, a porch swing was added to the buoy shed and hung near where you stand now. Here, the last keeper's family, the Hartzels, relax on the swing.
Living quarters in the coal shed, ca 1960
This image shows the wharf in its last days before being demolished in 1962. By then, the coal shed (right) was converted to living quarters that featured a screened-in porch. The buoy shed often doubled as car-port.
Erected by Maryland Park Service; Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications
this page online
Location. 38° 2.316′ N, 76° 19.331′ W. Marker is in Scotland, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It can be reached from Point Lookout Road (Route 5) 2½ miles south of 3rd Way, on the right when traveling east. The marker hangs in the open-air shed. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10344 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland MD 20687, 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, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. 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: Point Lookout Radio Room (here, next to this marker); The Bay Is a Sunken River (here, next to this marker); The Wooden Spar Buoy (here, next to this marker); New Buoy Technology (here, next to this marker); Rough Treatment (a few steps from this marker); It Takes More Than Lighthouses (a few steps from this marker); Keeping the Buoys Seaworthy (a few steps from this marker); The Buoy & Coal Sheds (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scotland.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 14, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
