In 1788, the King family bought large amounts of land west of St. Mary's. The Kings named the plantation Woodlawn. John King's grandson, William Henry King, later built a home on "King's Land." In 1893 the first passenger train rolled into Camden County and right across King Property. As Mr. William King's house was the only one in site, the railroad company named the area King's Land.

With the coming of the railroad, people from all areas began to build in and around Kings Land, now known as Kingsland.