Visit Maryland's Colonial Past at Historic St. Mary's City

Chartered in 1632, Maryland was a unique colony from the beginning. As a proprietary colony, Maryland was governed by Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who had a vested interest in promoting religious toleration. St. Mary's City's chapel was the first Catholic place of worship built in the English colonies. St. Mary's City was Maryland's capital until 1698, when a group of Protestant colonists overthrew the colony's government and established a new capital in Annapolis.

Maryland's colonial beginnings are part of almost every American history textbook. As the only American colony founded by a Catholic, and one of only a few to permit even a limited kind of freedom of worship, Maryland was special from the beginning.

Historic St. Mary's City has several distinct areas. The Maryland Dove, a replica of the merchant ship that brought the original settlers' supplies to St. Mary's City, is a great place to start your journey into Maryland's past. Helpful crewmen will show you around the ship and teach you how to work the bilge pump. Clamber down belowdecks and investigate the crew's cramped berthing area and kitchen space. Lean over the rails and watch sea nettles - small white jellyfish - pulse through the river water. If you look closely, you may see a pikefish or two. Stick around for the "gun show"; it's loud, but worth the noise.

The State House was the heart of St. Mary's City's government. You can visit a replica, built in 1934, and perhaps even watch as a trial takes place. Near the State House, investigate the Town Center's buildings, which currently include a storehouse called Cordea's Hope and an inn, Smith's Ordinary.

As you walk the pathways of Historic St. Mary's City, you'll notice several wooden building frames. These frames, which stand on the sites of original buildings, are meant to give visitors an idea of the sizes and locations of colonial-era structures. At St. Mary's City, archaeologists are constantly at work, excavating building sites and searching for clues that will reveal more details of Maryland's colonial past.

Beyond the Town Center, you can explore a Yaocomaco Indian village, complete with wigwams and cooking fires. The colonists had little difficulty with the Yaocomaco Native People when they landed; apparently inter-tribal warfare represented a larger security threat, from the Yaocomacos' perspective.

Although it is a good 15-minute walk (or short drive) from the Visitor Center, don't miss the Godiah Spray Plantation. Here, you'll time-travel to Maryland's past and meet Rebecca Spray or her indentured servant. They will show you around the plantation, explaining how tobacco is grown and prepared for shipment. You can pet Betony, the cat, or one of the chickens. You'll discover that Mrs. Spray, alive and well in 1661, doesn't understand how you can afford to wear so many red garments because red dye is quite expensive. She will tell you how she "made an arrangement" with Mr. Spray, agreeing to marry him and move to Maryland in order to provide for her two children from an earlier marriage. You can sniff fresh herbs and investigate the sleeping loft.

Reconstruction of the Catholic chapel is currently under way. When the chapel is complete, it will be an authentic replica of the first English Catholic chapel in the American colonies.

Although it's about a two-hour drive from the Baltimore area, St. Mary's City is well worth a visit. You can bring a picnic lunch or eat at St. Mary's College, just two blocks away. Wear comfortable shoes. Most areas are wheelchair accessible.