The St. Mary's County Historical Society Farm Museum was established during Thurston
Baxter's term as President of the Society. Mrs. Aloysius Fenwick, at the suggestion of
Charles Fenwick, a Charter member of the Lexington Park Rotary Club, donated her late
husband's collection of antique farm tools and implements to the Historical Society. The
Society had no adequate space to display the Collection so it was placed in storage.
Col. Baxter, also a member of the St. Mary's County Fair Board, presented to that Board
a plan to house the collection in a Fairgrounds building, which the Fair Board approved.
The Collection was moved to the Fairgrounds, where the display became very popular,
continuing to expand.
Anticipating future need for more space, Col. Baxter provided in his will for a fund toward building a Farm Museum, providing that the fund be matched. After his death, when the fund became available, matching funds were donated by the St. Mary's (Lexington Park) Rotary Club, the St. Mary's County Historical Society, and the St. Mary's County Fair Board. The new Thurston H. Baxter Farm Museum Building of the St. Mary's County Historical Society was dedicated on October 17, 1993.
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