St. Mary’s County Arts Council, through support from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Southern Maryland Folklife Center, and in conjunction with the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation & Parks, has embarked on a project to create a site-specific mural design using themes and ideas from community stakeholders.

This mural will commemorate Tulagi Place - a historic landmark from the time Lexington Park, Maryland, was created to support the community associated with the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

Tulagi Place was the commercial and community center of the “instant city” of Lexington Park. The purpose of this artwork is to beautify the southern, exterior wall of the Three Notch Theatre facing into the Lexington Manor Passive Park and to celebrate the community’s past, present, and future. 

The Lexington Park community dates back to the 1940s when the post-Pearl Harbor military response resulted in the US rapidly building military installations. Previous to the arrival of the US Navy to the area, a small, rural and water-industry community already existed, but the instant expansion dramatically changed St. Mary’s County, catapulting it into industrial prosperity.

Tulagi Place was the town center where families shopped, dined, and found postal and library services. Today, Lexington Park is one of the most diverse areas in St. Mary’s County, with residents who remember the area before NAS Pax River as well as populations who have settled since.

Once the center of commerce and community, Tulagi Place has since been sold to a developer and will be razed to make way for a Royal Farms service station.

This mural will commemorate the history and important role that Tulagi Place played in the lives of Lexington Park residents throughout the years. 

The adjacent Lexington Manor Passive Park is the cornerstone of the revitalization effort to improve the Lexington Park community. The park hosts festivals, events, a disc-golf course, walking paths featuring fitness stations, and a community garden.

The Passive Park is also a designated “Arts Park”, and this mural project will be one in a series of art installations intended to re-center the space as a community jewel and point of pride.

Local artist Tom Rogers of Flying Rabbit Art has been selected to create the mural. Each letter will include a QR code for scanning to links to historical and other relevant resources for the area.

Although some funding has been procured for this public art project through grants, additional support is still needed. We are kindly seeking corporate sponsorships and donations from individuals for the completion of this historical project.

There are opportunities to donate at various tiered levels and also at any other amount. Every dollar counts and is appreciated!

Click here for the donation page and additional details. All donations are tax-deductible per current IRS guidelines.

We thank you in advance for considering this cause and invite you to be part of preserving the valuable history of our community!

Links of Interest:

Lexington Manor Passive Park

Park History - a Historical Timeline - the Lexington Park Leader

Tulagi Place History Remembered - by Caleb M. Soptelean/Southern MD News