Editing Cape St. Claire, Maryland (section)

== History ==
The area that was to become Cape St. Claire was mostly farmland until the 1940s. In the late 18th century, much of the land was operated as farmland by a couple of families. Two houses from this era remain—the "Stinchcomb House" located near the Cape St. Claire clubhouse, and Goshen Farm, located on a hill near the Cape St. Claire Elementary School.

In the early part of the 20th century, [[Hugh H. Young]], a prominent doctor on the staff of [[Johns Hopkins University]], began buying up the farmland with the intention of building a community. Dr. Young's first attempt, a community called Persimmon Point, was less than successful, with only a few lots being sold. This failure was brought on by the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], and the project was put on hold. Upon Dr. Young's death, his children created the River Bay Company to manage the property for development.

The River Bay Company platted the community of Cape St. Claire (incorporating the Persimmon Point property as part of the new community) on June 14, 1949. The community was envisioned and sold as a summer retreat for residents of [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Baltimore]]. To manage the affairs of the new community, the River Bay Company created and incorporated the Cape St. Claire Club, governed by a Board of Governors. The first meeting of the Board of Governors of the Cape St. Claire Club (renamed the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association on May 12, 1959) was held on June 30, 1949. The Board consisted of three representatives of the River Bay Company named in the Cape St. Claire Club certificate of incorporation: John G. Rouse, Jr.; James C. Morton, Jr.; and George W. Baker, Jr. James C. Morton was elected Chairman.

In April 1989, the Anne Arundel County Council approved the formation of the Cape St. Claire Special Community Benefits District.<ref>Anne Arundel County Code allows for the establishment of [http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Maryland/annearundelco_md/article4financetaxationandbudget/title7specialcommunitybenefitdistrictssh?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0#LPTOC2.1 Special Community Benefits Districts].</ref> The SCBD allows the community to establish a taxing district. The taxes are collected by the county government (as part of the property tax), which are then turned over to the Improvement Association to administer as voted on by the property owners in the community. This special benefits district has allowed the community to purchase additional common property, build a specially-designated fishing/crabbing pier, make improvements to community assets, and hire off-duty county police for additional security.