Autre-St. Mary’s Park

Features

Autre-St. Mary’s Park is a 1.4-acre haven featuring a historic cemetery and nature trails. Bring your pup along – dogs are welcome on a leash!

The headstones in the cemetery are all that remain of a family graveyard started by Caleb Litton and his descendants on a 472 acre farm. The park’s name comes from the farm’s original name, Autre St. Marie, which was named after the Litton family’s ancestral home in Devon, England. The family received 405 acres named “Autra” or “Autry” in 1720, with the other 67 acres being named “St. Mary’s” in 1727. The original property was bounded by Rock Creek to the east, what is today Veirs Mill Road to the south, Baltimore Road to the north, and extended to Rockville Pike to the west.

Although current headstones are no longer legible, in 1917, the following names were visible: Mary and Charles Crabb, Tomac Linstid, John L. Summers, J.N. Summers, and Ann Marie Wilson. The cemetery is also believed to be where Caleb Litton was buried following his death in 1763.