Flag ceremony participants Tamia Chase, representing the Piscataway Conoy tribe and John Taft Bailey, representing St. Mary’s County.2018
ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Celebrate Maryland in the place where it all began! Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC) invites the community to commemorate the 385th anniversary of the founding on Saturday, March 23 by offering free admission for all!
Living history sites will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Plan to visit the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation to see heritage breed cows, pigs and chickens and the Woodland Indian Hamlet and learn about the people and culture that were here before Maryland. Step on board the Maryland Dove to imagine the risk taken on the original journey in 1634; explore the reconstructed Town Center, the place for all government business in the 1600s; and the St. John’s Site Museum, to examine what archaeology has discovered. Save time for lunch – Enso Kitchen will be serving delicious artisan breads and sandwiches on site. The Maryland Day ceremony will take place at the State House (47418 Old State House Road) at 1:00 p.m. Keynote speaker Travis Parno, HSMC Director of Research and Collections, will discuss the early years of our state with “Many People, One Place.” John McAllister, President of the Historic St. Mary’s City Foundation board will receive the museum’s highest honor, the Cross Bottony award, for his years of service to the institution. Music for the ceremony will be provided by the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and the Southern Maryland Gospel Choir. The program will close with the Ceremony of the Flags, a perennial crowd-pleaser, when children from across Maryland present their county colors.
Historic St. Mary’s City is a museum of living history and archaeology on the site of Maryland’s first capital in beautiful, tidewater Southern Maryland. For more information about the museum contact the Visitor Center at 240-895-4990, 800-SMC-1634, or info@DigsHistory.org.