Richard Sandidge was born on April 16, 1939 in Lynchburg, VA. His family moved to Lexington Park in 1944 when his father accepted a job at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Before moving into the Flat Tops, his family lived at Cedar Park Trailer Town, a government-run trailer park where Days Inn stands today. They lived at 46 Coral Place until 1958 when they moved to Hollywood following Richard’s graduation from Great Mills High School.
Richard discusses the development of Lexington Park and the surrounding area in detail, including some shopkeepers and business owners. Soda fountains were the main youth hang-outs, and after school Richard would order sodas and hamburgers from the drug store in what is now Tulagi Place. He would often attend movies at the local theaters once they opened. Richard and his friends used to play baseball, hopscotch, and hide-and-seek throughout the Flat Tops and surrounding woods.
One of his fondest memories is going frog hunting with his friends in the woods. When he turned 16, he joined the Fire Department and was promptly elected fireman of the year. The duplex unit that he lived in at 46 Coral Place is one of two that St. Mary’s County has preserved.
Text Courtesy of "An Oral History of Lexington Park/Lexington Manor (also known as “Flat Tops”) MHT/OHC 028 (SM-LXM)" Master Report created by the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners. Copyright protected by the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners 2007. Reproduced with permission.