Bel Alton, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Bel Alton is an unincorporated community
in Charles County
, Maryland
, United States
.It is marked by old-style motels, a popular "bikers'" tavern, and other small businesses along U.S. Highway 301
catering to local residents and interstate travelers. Bel Alton is much smaller than its name in dark bold print on some road maps would suggest. A series of interpretive signs on a side road mark various spots where, in April 1865, John Wilkes Booth
stopped to hide during his flight south after shooting President Abraham Lincoln
. St. Ignatius Church
and cemetery, the oldest continuous Roman Catholic parish in the United States (although this claim is contested by another church in New Mexico
), is two miles west of Bel Alton on a beautiful, scenic bluff overlooking a wide inlet of the Potomac River
. The county fairgrounds are also nearby. The former Bel Alton African American
high school building is now used for community activities. Before 1891 Bel Alton was known as Cox's Station after a local resident. The area is poised for growth as construction has started on a housing development, "Stagecoach Crossing", two miles north.
Rich Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.It is marked by old-style motels, a popular "bikers'" tavern, and other small businesses along U.S. Highway 301
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland...
catering to local residents and interstate travelers. Bel Alton is much smaller than its name in dark bold print on some road maps would suggest. A series of interpretive signs on a side road mark various spots where, in April 1865, John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
stopped to hide during his flight south after shooting President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. St. Ignatius Church
St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church (St. Inigoes, Maryland)
St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church located at St. Inigoes, St. Mary's County, Maryland. It and its adjacent cemetery are situated on about two acres of land that are enclosed within a late-19th century iron fence. The church was constructed between 1785 and...
and cemetery, the oldest continuous Roman Catholic parish in the United States (although this claim is contested by another church in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
), is two miles west of Bel Alton on a beautiful, scenic bluff overlooking a wide inlet of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. The county fairgrounds are also nearby. The former Bel Alton African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
high school building is now used for community activities. Before 1891 Bel Alton was known as Cox's Station after a local resident. The area is poised for growth as construction has started on a housing development, "Stagecoach Crossing", two miles north.
Rich Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975.