At the time of the arrival of the first colonists, the area was inhabited by tribes of the Piscataway Indian Nation, including the Yaocomico, Mattawoman, Pamunkey, Mattaponi and Nanjemoy.

The Piscataway Nation, although fragmented, still exists today, and has small communities and cultural centers in other parts of the county.

Before the establishment of the Patuxent Naval Air Station, there were tobacco farms in what is now Lexington Park, or the base proper, and also crabbing, fishing and oyster harvesting communities in the waterfront areas.

Many were pushed out by eminent domain land seizures during World War Two, in order to create the new military base.

The economic boost brought by the base was welcome, but many never felt sufficiently compensated for the loss of their centuries-old homes, landholdings and fishing and farming community.

In 1977 the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge spanning the Patuxent River linked the area to Calvert County and Solomons, Maryland.

In recent years several aerospace and high-tech companies have located in the area bringing additional jobs.

Lexington Park in seaside St. Mary's County is one of the nation's fastest-growing "micropolitan" areas, expanding by 14.6 percent since 2000, largely on the strength of military growth.

The Paul Hall Center for Maritime Studies (a merchant marine academy) is only about 20 minutes away.

The United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue is located in Lexington Park.

It is a nationally recognized memorial to the more than 700 African-American soldiers and sailors from St. Mary's County who served in the Union forces during the Civil War.

[4] Historic St. Mary's City, seven miles south of Lexington Park, is the site of the founding of the Maryland colony as well as being recognized as the birthplace of religious freedom in America.

The complex shows what colonial life was like in what is now Lexington Park as well as both areas were originally part of the same settlement.