Grant County was formed in 1866 from Hardy and was named for General Grant, later President. At its northwestern corner is the Fairfax Stone, which established the limits of the lands of Lord Fairfax. The county has many mountain peaks and beautiful scenery. Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I, who gave a royal charter to Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, in 1632. Its first settlement was at Saint Mary’s City in 1634, and it was one of the 13 original colonies.