One of the oldest
communities on the
East Coast, Port Tobacco first existed as the
Native American settlement of
Potopaco and was
colonized by the
English as early as 1634. Port Tobacco became a major
seaport during the late 1600s and was the original
Charles County government seat. In addition to being a hot spot for
confederate conspiracy and a part of
John Wilkes Booth’s escape route, Port Tobacco suffered from local
conflict as well. A vote was taken to move the
county seat to
La Plata where the
railroad industry was becoming more resourceful than the
seaport of Port Tobacco, but the vote did not pass. Then in 1892, the center part of the
courthouse was
burned in a mysterious
fire and the
county seat was moved to
La Plata.
Sites to visit include the reconstructed Port Tobacco Courthouse that is furnished as a 19th century courtroom and has exhibits on tobacco and archeological finds located upstairs; Catslide House, one of the four surviving 18th century homes in the area; the restored One-Room Schoolhouse built in 1876 and used until 1953; Chandler's Hope, the first Charles County settlement and where the Carmelites first took residence in America; and Thomas Stone National Historic Site, the plantation home of one of the four signers of the Declaration of Independence.