Maryland Route 244

Route map:
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Maryland Route 244 marker

Maryland Route 244

Map
Maryland Route 244 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length10.48 mi[1] (16.87 km)
Existed1927–present
Major junctions
West end MD 5 near Leonardtown
East end MD 249 in Valley Lee
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountiesSt. Mary's
Highway system
← MD 243→ MD 245

Maryland Route 244 (MD 244) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Medleys Neck Road, the state highway runs 10.48 miles (16.87 km) from MD 5 near Leonardtown south to MD 249 in Valley Lee. MD 244 parallels MD 5 in central St. Mary's County, serving several communities on Medleys Neck between Breton Bay and the St. Mary's River, including Beauvue. The state highway was constructed as part of three different state highways—MD 244 from Leonardtown, MD 250 from Valley Lee, and MD 251 through Drayden—between the late 1920s and late 1930s. MD 244 assumed the courses of MD 250 and MD 251 in the mid-1940s. The portion of MD 244 east of MD 249 was removed from the state highway system in the mid-1980s.

Route description[edit]

View north from the south end of MD 244 at MD 249 near Valley Lee

MD 244 begins at an intersection with MD 5 north of Leonardtown High School and Leonardtown Middle School and west of the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds. The state highway heads south from the Leonardtown area as two-lane undivided Medleys Neck Road through a forested area. After crossing Moldier Run, MD 244 passes by Foxes Point Lane, which leads to the Indian Village Archaeological Park. In the hamlet of Beauvue, the state highway intersects Breton Beach Road, which leads to a series of small beach resorts on Breton Bay and the Potomac River. MD 244 curves to the southeast and passes White Beach Beach Road, which leads to the namesake community. The state highway continues east, crossing Poplar Hill Creek before passing Mulberry Fields Road, which serves the namesake historic home. At Chingville Road, MD 244 curves to the south toward Valley Lee. In Valley Lee, the state highway turns east onto Blake Creek Road. MD 244 passes St. George's Episcopal Church before reaching its eastern terminus at MD 249 (Piney Point Road). A former section of MD 244, Drayden Road, heads east from MD 249 a short distance south of the MD 244 intersection. The county highway heads east toward the hamlet of Drayden and the historic homes Porto Bello and West St. Mary's Manor on the St. Mary's River.[1][2]

History[edit]

Maryland Route 250 marker

Maryland Route 250

LocationValley Lee
Existed1927–c. 1946

Maryland Route 251 marker

Maryland Route 251

LocationValley Lee–Drayden
Existed1928–c. 1946

MD 244 was constructed as part of three highways: MD 244 from the Leonardtown end, MD 250 from the Valley Lee end, and MD 251 along Drayden Road.[3] MD 244 was constructed from MD 5 to Beauvue in 1925 and 1926.[4][5] The state highway was extended east in 1-mile (1.6 km) segments in 1930, 1933, and 1934.[6][7][8][9] MD 244 was completed to near Chingville Road in 1939.[3][10] The first section of MD 250 was Blake Creek Road from MD 249 to the present right-angle turn onto Medleys Neck Road.[4][5] MD 250 was extended to near Chingville Road in two sections beginning in 1930 and completed in 1935.[6][7][8][9] MD 251 was constructed from MD 249 east to Cherryfield Road in Drayden in 1928 and east to Porto Bello in 1930.[6][11][12] The gap between MD 244 and MD 250 centered on Chingville Road was closed with the construction of 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of connecting highway around 1942.[13] By 1946, MD 244 was extended east over the lengths of MD 250 and MD 251.[14] MD 244 was reduced to its current length when the Drayden Road portion of the state highway was transferred to county maintenance around 1987.[15]

Junction list[edit]

The entire route is in St. Mary's County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Leonardtown0.000.00 MD 5 (Point Lookout Road) – Leonardtown, St. Mary's CityWestern terminus
Valley Lee10.4816.87 MD 249 (Piney Point Road) – St. George Island, CallawayEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  2. ^ Google (2010-12-13). "Maryland Route 244" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  3. ^ a b Maryland State Roads Commission (1939). General Highway Map: State of Maryland (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  4. ^ a b Mackall, John N.; Darnall, R. Bennett; Brown, W.W. (January 1927). Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1924–1926 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 36, 65. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  5. ^ a b Maryland Geological Survey (1927). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  6. ^ a b c Uhl, G. Clinton; Bruce, Howard; Shaw, John K. (October 1, 1930). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1927–1930 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 226–227. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  7. ^ a b Maryland Geological Survey (1933). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  8. ^ a b Byron, William D.; Lacy, Robert (December 28, 1934). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1931–1934 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 353. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  9. ^ a b Maryland Geological Survey (1935). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  10. ^ Whitman, Ezra B.; Webb, P. Watson; Thomas, W. Frank (March 15, 1941). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1939–1940 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 114. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  11. ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1928). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  12. ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1930). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  13. ^ Whitman, Ezra B.; Webb, P. Watson; Thomas, W. Frank (March 15, 1943). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1941–1942 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 95. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  14. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1946). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1946–1947 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  15. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1987). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.

External links[edit]

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