Maryland Route 225
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 225 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. Known as Hawthorne Road, the state highway runs 10.59 miles (17 km) from MD 210
in Potomac Heights east to U.S. Route 301
(US 301) in La Plata
. MD 225 connects La Plata, the county seat
of Charles County
, with Indian Head
in the northwestern part of the county, which is home to Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center. The state highway was designated one of the original state roads by the Maryland State Roads Commission
and constructed in the mid 1910s. MD 225 was reconstructed in the early 1950s, shortly after the highway's western terminus was moved to Potomac Heights following the completion of Indian Head Highway during World War II.
, where the highway intersects the Indian Head Rail Trail and intersects MD 224 (Livingstone Road). The two highways join in a concurrency
to cross the creek into the hamlet of Mason Springs, where MD 224 diverges to the west toward Marbury
and MD 225 passes the historic home Araby
. MD 225 heads southeast along the southern edge of Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area
to the community of Ripley
, where the highway curves east. At the hamlet of Marshalls Corner, the state highway intersects Marshall Corner Road, which heads north to Pomfret
, and Rose Hill Road, which provides access to Thomas Stone National Historic Site
. MD 225 passes the historic home Locust Grove
before intersecting Valley Road and Mitchell Road at the corner of the Hawthorne Country Club. Valley Road heads north toward a trio of historic homes—Linden
, Mount Carmel Monastery, and Thainston
— and the La Plata campus of the College of Southern Maryland
. MD 225 enters the town of La Plata, passing through a residential area before reaching its eastern terminus at US 301 (Robert Crain Highway). The roadway continues east as Hawthorne Drive, the old alignment of MD 225, east to Washington Avenue, the old alignment of US 301.
and later US 301. MD 225 originally extended west along Strauss Avenue through Indian Head to the entrance to U.S. Naval Proving Ground. The state highway was supplanted by Indian Head Highway as the main access to the military base when that highway was constructed from Washington
to Indian Head during World War II. MD 225 was relocated from Strauss Avenue to its present terminus western terminus in Potomac Heights in 1950. The state highway was widened to a 24 feet (7.3 m) road with a bituminous-stabilized gravel surface from La Plata to Ripley in 1949 and 1950 and from Ripley to Potomac Heights in 1951. MD 225 was resurfaced again in 1953 and 1954. MD 225's eastern terminus was rolled back from Washington Avenue to US 301 around 1956.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Potomac Heights
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=2|Mason Springs
|1.23
|
|West end of concurrency with MD 224
|-
|1.63
|
|East end of concurrency with MD 224
|-
|La Plata
|10.59
|
|Eastern terminus
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. Known as Hawthorne Road, the state highway runs 10.59 miles (17 km) from MD 210
Maryland Route 210
Maryland Route 210 , or Indian Head Highway, is a state highway in Prince George's and Charles counties in Maryland. At its northern end, MD 210 starts from the end of South Capitol Street in Washington, D.C., connecting the U.S. Capitol with Indian Head, Maryland...
in Potomac Heights east to U.S. Route 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...
(US 301) in La Plata
La Plata, Maryland
La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.-History:...
. MD 225 connects La Plata, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of 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....
, with Indian Head
Indian Head, Maryland
Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose and smokeless powder began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900...
in the northwestern part of the county, which is home to Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center. The state highway was designated one of the original state roads by the Maryland State Roads Commission
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
and constructed in the mid 1910s. MD 225 was reconstructed in the early 1950s, shortly after the highway's western terminus was moved to Potomac Heights following the completion of Indian Head Highway during World War II.
Route description
MD 225 begins at an intersection with MD 210 (Indian Head Highway) in Potomac Heights. The state highway heads south as a two-lane road, descending into the forested bottomlands of Mattawoman CreekMattawoman Creek
Mattawoman Creek is a coastal-plain tributary to the tidal Potomac River with a mouth at Indian Head, Maryland, downstream of Washington, D.C. It comprises a river flowing through Prince George's and Charles counties and a tidal-freshwater estuary in Charles County...
, where the highway intersects the Indian Head Rail Trail and intersects MD 224 (Livingstone Road). The two highways join in a concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
to cross the creek into the hamlet of Mason Springs, where MD 224 diverges to the west toward Marbury
Marbury, Maryland
Marbury is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland. It has been designated the zip code of 20658.It is 6.3 miles from Indian Head on Maryland Route 224....
and MD 225 passes the historic home Araby
Araby (Mason's Springs, Maryland)
Araby is a historic home located near Mason Springs, Charles County, Maryland. It was the home of William and Sarah Eilbeck, whose daughter Anne married George Mason. George Washington recorded many visits to Araby. It is a mid-18th century house that was extensively altered in the mid 19th century...
. MD 225 heads southeast along the southern edge of Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area
Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area
Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area is a Wildlife Management Area in Charles County, Maryland.-External links:*...
to the community of Ripley
Ripley, Maryland
Ripley is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It was named after a local family, and has a large Baptist church....
, where the highway curves east. At the hamlet of Marshalls Corner, the state highway intersects Marshall Corner Road, which heads north to Pomfret
Pomfret, Maryland
Pomfret is a small crossroads in Charles County, Maryland. Maurice J. McDonough High School is nearby and has a Pomfret mailing address. The active historic Catholic church established by Father George Hunter, S.J. in 1763 is located in Pomfret. The current structure dates from 1849...
, and Rose Hill Road, which provides access to Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
The Thomas Stone National Historic Site, also known as Habre de Venture or Thomas Stone House, is a United States National Historic Site located about 25 miles south of Washington D.C. in Charles County, Maryland. The site was established to protect the home and property of Thomas Stone, one of...
. MD 225 passes the historic home Locust Grove
Locust Grove (La Plata, Maryland)
Locust Grove, also known as Beech Neck, is a historic home located at La Plata, Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is a two story, three bay Federal style frame house, with a fine view of the Port Tobacco Valley...
before intersecting Valley Road and Mitchell Road at the corner of the Hawthorne Country Club. Valley Road heads north toward a trio of historic homes—Linden
Linden (Port Tobacco, Maryland)
Linden is a historic home located near Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is a rambling frame house, consisting of a -story main block with wings, embodying many traditional characteristics of Tidewater architecture. The house is situated on the crest of a hill overlooking...
, Mount Carmel Monastery, and Thainston
Thainston
Thainston is a farm complex and national historic district in La Plata, Charles County, Maryland, United States. The main house is a two-story, L-shaped brick house built in 1865 and enlarged early in the 20th century. It was designed by Eben Faxon, a Baltimore architect, and constructed under the...
— and the La Plata campus of the College of Southern Maryland
College of Southern Maryland
The College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, Maryland, is a public, regional community college, serving Southern Maryland Charles County, St. Mary's County, and Calvert County.-History:...
. MD 225 enters the town of La Plata, passing through a residential area before reaching its eastern terminus at US 301 (Robert Crain Highway). The roadway continues east as Hawthorne Drive, the old alignment of MD 225, east to Washington Avenue, the old alignment of US 301.
History
The La Plata–Indian Head road was one of the original state roads marked for improvement by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. A short section of pavement had already been laid as a state aid road in Potomac Heights by 1910. The highway was constructed as a 14 feet (4.3 m) gravel road from Indian Head to Mason Springs in 1913 and from La Plata to Ripley in 1915. The gap between Mason Springs and Ripley was filled by 1919. In La Plata, the highway's eastern terminus was originally Washington Avenue, which was the original alignment of MD 3Maryland Route 3
Maryland Route 3, also part of Robert Crain Highway, is the designation given to the former alignment of U.S. Route 301 from Bowie, Maryland, USA, to Baltimore. It is named for Robert Crain of Baltimore.-Route description:...
and later US 301. MD 225 originally extended west along Strauss Avenue through Indian Head to the entrance to U.S. Naval Proving Ground. The state highway was supplanted by Indian Head Highway as the main access to the military base when that highway was constructed from Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to Indian Head during World War II. MD 225 was relocated from Strauss Avenue to its present terminus western terminus in Potomac Heights in 1950. The state highway was widened to a 24 feet (7.3 m) road with a bituminous-stabilized gravel surface from La Plata to Ripley in 1949 and 1950 and from Ripley to Potomac Heights in 1951. MD 225 was resurfaced again in 1953 and 1954. MD 225's eastern terminus was rolled back from Washington Avenue to US 301 around 1956.
Junction list
The entire route is in Charles CountyCharles 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....
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Potomac Heights
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=2|Mason Springs
|1.23
|
|West end of concurrency with MD 224
|-
|1.63
|
|East end of concurrency with MD 224
|-
|La Plata
La Plata, Maryland
La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.-History:...
|10.59
|
|Eastern terminus