In 2003, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County authorized a rails-to-trails project in St. Mary's County, creating the Three Notch Trail as a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail on the former railroad right-of-way running south from Hughesville to Lexington Park. The trail provides recreation, tourism, economic, and transportation benefits for county residents and tourists, with sections extending from Baggett Park to MD 5, from MD 5 to MD Route 236 Thompson's Corner Road, from MD Route 236 Thompson's Corner Road to Northern Senior Center, and from Northern Senior Center to Deborah Drive. The route follows a rail line whose last Navy train ran on June 30, 1954, after which the Pennsylvania Railroad and contractors continued delivering supplies to Patuxent River Naval Air Station until the early 1960s, and the Pennsylvania Railroad then operated a weekly train in and out of the county until 1965. The railroad was declared excess government property in 1966, and in 1970 St. Mary's County Government purchased the right-of-way. John V. Baggett, the county's first Recreation and Parks Director from 1969 until his retirement in 1991, developed a system of regional, community, and neighborhood parks and waterfront public landings. Laurel Grove Park, a 47-acre park acquired in 1973 and developed in 1975 as one of the county's first parks, was renamed John V. Baggett Park on October 19, 2002, in honor of his vision and service.