One of the oldest communities in the East, Port Tobacco first existed as the Native American settlement of "Potopaco." (The similarity between this Native American name—meaning "the jutting of water inland"—and the name for the plant that was to become a cornerstone of the region's economy is purely coincidental.) Potopaco was colonized by the English in 1634, and later in the century emerged as the major seaport of Port Tobacco. The historic district includes the reconstructed early-19th-century courthouse; Catslide House, one of the area's four surviving 18th-century homes; and a restored one-room schoolhouse, dating to 1876 and used as such until 1953.
Unlike the restoration in St. Mary's City that has a town with dining and lodging amenities, Port Tobacco is remote. Plan on eating or staying in a nearby location.
