Tales from 17th Century Graves

HISTORIC ST. MARY'S CITY - 3/7/2009

Dr. Doug Owsley reads bones for a living. On Saturday, March 21, Dr. Owsley, division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, will share some of the stories told by the skeletons he has studied. Tales from 17th Century Graves will take place at St. Mary’s Hall on the campus of St. Mary’s College of Maryland at 2 p.m. There is no charge to attend. 

Owsley is trained in the study of ancient skeletal remains, but he also has applied his expertise in the area of forensic anthropology.  Owsley is frequently asked to aid law enforcement officials across the country by evaluating remains in unsolved cases.  His work has been the subject of a book, a Discovery Channel documentary, and ABC’s "20/20."

Owsley recently led the development of the “Written in Bone” exhibit that opened at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in February. Historic St. Mary’s City’s director of research, Dr. Henry M. Miller, also participated in the development of this exhibit, which features the story of the lead coffins found at St. Mary's Brick Chapel of 1667.

St. Mary’s Hall is located on the campus of St. Mary’s College of Maryland at 47458 Trinity Church Road, St. Mary’s City.  For more information about this event or the museum, call (240) 895-4960, email hsmc@smcm.edu, or visit the museum website at www.stmaryscity.org.