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In 1665, the Governor of
Maryland set aside all land lying between Mattawoman Creek and
Piscataway Creek as an Indian Reservation. In that area lies the
town that over the years had been called variously Indian Point,
Indian Headlands, and Indian Head Point before it acquired its
final name, Indian Head. The fact that the town lies on a “head”
of land where the last Indian settlement in Southern Maryland
was organized seems to be a reasonable explanation of the origin
of the name. However, an Algonquin Indian legend tells how a
young brave’s head came to be mounted on a post as a warning to
others against attempting to carry off the chief ’s daughter.
In 1890, the U.S. Navy relocated its proving grounds from
Annapolis to Indian Head, and during the next 100 years the
Navy’s presence in the town grew continuously. Today, the Naval
Surface Warfare Center, located on the west side of town, is one
of the nation’s premier military facilities and the largest
place of employment within Charles County.
In 1920, the citizens of the Indian Head area living adjacent
to the Naval Center voted to incorporate as a town with its own
government. The town’s first commissioners were Frederick Shaw,
Frank E. Mattingly, and Thomas Norman. In 1925, electricity was
installed; in 1928, running water and telephones arrived; a
sewer system was welcomed in 1934. By the year 1947, the town
had about 140 homes, five churches, and 22 public or commercial
buildings within its borders—about triple the size at which it
started in 1920. At the end of the 20th century, Indian Head had
a population of about 4,000.
The town of Indian Head recently has begun an ambitious
community and economic revitalization and redevelopment program
with substantial support from the State of Maryland. A “Downtown
Indian Head Market Analysis and Audit” was completed in April
1997. It is now being used as a blueprint for progress.
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