Hollywood is an unincorporated community located within St. Mary's County, 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...

. It was named in 1867, when a storeowner at Thompson's General Store near the Uniontown section of Hollywood required a name for the post office inside the store. The storeowner was inspired by the gigantic holly

Holly

Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....

 tree planted in front of the store and named the post office Hollywood.

History

Hollywood is home to distinctive landmarks such as the congregation of St. John Francis Regis Catholic Church, which was founded in 1690. The area also includes the nationally renowned Sotterley Plantation on the banks of the Patuxent River

Patuxent River

The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...

. Sotterley was founded in 1703 by James Bowles

James Bowles

James Bowles is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Newtownshandrum and was a substitute on the Cork senior inter-county team in the early 2000s.-References:...

, a wealthy planter, eventually changing hands to former Maryland Governor George Plater

George Plater

George Plater was an American planter, lawyer, and statesman from Saint Mary's County, Maryland. He represented Maryland in the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1780, and briefly served as the sixth Governor of Maryland in 1791 and 1792.-Early life and education:Plater was born on the family...

 and through the 20th century to Louisa Satterlee and her husband. She was the daughter of J.P. Morgan. The town is also home to a recently demolished manor house, Resurrection Manor

Resurrection Manor

Resurrection Manor was a historic home located near Hollywood, St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. It was built amidst a farm granted to Thomas Cornwaleys in 1650. It was an example of early brick architecture in the United States dating from about 1660 to 1720. It was originally built...

, which was thought to have been built in 1640 by Thomas Cornwalleys, the grandfather of the General Lord Cornwallis who surrendered to George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

 at the Battle of Yorktown during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

Economy

The contemporary community of Hollywood now serves as a small rural community with extensive farms that produce soybean

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

, corn

Corn

Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...

, hay

Hay

Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

, grain

GRAIN

GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...

s, wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

s, and formerly tobacco. It currently hosts an industrial park where corporations such as Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...

 have branch offices. There is a training/conference center for engineers attached to the nearby Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Numerous roads lead to the shore of the Patuxent River

Patuxent River

The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...

. Hollywood is not an incorporated town, residing under the direct authority of the St. Mary's County Commissioners.

Schools

Hollywood is home to Hollywood Elementary Schoolhttp://www.smcps.k12.md.us/schools/elem/hes/index-hes.htm on Joy Chapel Road, which is divided into multiple "houses" that each emphasize a different culture from around the world.
Hollywood is also the home of St. John Regis Catholic School. St. John's School was opened on September 12, 1923 under the leadership of Rev. Joseph M. Johnson, S.J. The first four grades were taught in the sacristy of the church and grades five through eight were held in a second story room over the sacristy.

From the 1920s until the 1980s, the school was staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky. On May 20, 1924 the white frame section of the school was completed as a four-room school building. On June 15, 1952 a brick addition of two classrooms, auditorium and full basement were completed. Later, part of the auditorium was partitioned to make two additional classrooms and the remaining auditorium space was converted to a library.

Socks the cat

Socks

Socks (cat)

Socks was the pet cat of U.S. President Bill Clinton's family during his presidency. An adopted stray cat, he was the only pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration, and his likeness hosted the children's version of the White House website...

, the cat of President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 and Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...

, lived in Hollywood after the Clintons left the White House in 2001. Socks, who lived with Bill Clinton's secretary Betty Currie

Betty Currie

Betty Currie is the former personal secretary for Bill Clinton...

, was euthanized in 2009.