Religious Freedom Byway

State: Maryland
Length: 195.0 mi / 313.8 km
Time to Allow: Allow 5 hours to drive the byway.

This byway, with several branches that reach toward the Potomac River, incorporates many of the nation's oldest churches, the site of the first Roman Catholic Mass held in English-speaking America, and Maryland's colonial capital, Historic St. Mary's City.

For some travelers, it is a spiritual pilgrimage; others simply admire the history. Either way, it is an inspirational journey through beautiful countryside, allowing you to commune with nature while traveling into the heart of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area.

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  Spirits of the Civil War at Point Lookout Lighthouse on the Religious Freedom Byway

  Updated Oct 24, 2012 in The American Civil War and The American Civil War: Battles and Beyond

  Enter into the spirit of the Civil War at Point Lookout State Park on the Religious Freedom Byway in Maryland. The park's many natural features make Point Lookout a prime destination. Visitors may encounter somber remnants of its former life as a Civil War military support facility.

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  Culture of Liberty on the Religious Freedom Byway

  Jun 17, 2010

  Did you know Maryland citizens were once legally prohibited from worshiping as they chose? Although Maryland was founded on the premise of religious freedom, citizens weren’t able to fully exercise this right until after the American Revolution. Take a trip on the Religious Freedom Byway and watch the struggle for religious freedom unfold.

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  1-Day Trip: The Quest for Religious Tolerance
  (Maryland)

  On this day-long tour of the Religious Freedom byway, you'll encounter sites that reflect the vision settlers of the fourth earliest colony brought...