ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. — Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC) has officially signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with four distinguished partners: the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), Kiplin Hall and Gardens (United Kingdom), the Colony of Avalon Foundation (Canada), and the Society of The Ark and The Dove (USA). The agreement establishes a transatlantic framework for collaboration across research, education, interpretation, and programming related to the early history of Maryland and the broader Atlantic world.
The five institutions are now working together on exhibitions, archaeological research, educational initiatives, digital resource sharing, and coordinated public events – particularly in preparation for Maryland’s 400th anniversary in 2034.
“We’re very excited to formalize a productive and growing partnership between five organizations that share an important goal: exploring and interpreting for the public the early transatlantic exchanges,” says John Seidel, PhD, CEO and Executive Director of Historic St. Mary’s City. “These interactions helped to form our world and remain critically important today.”
“This agreement reflects our shared belief in the power of public history to connect people across borders and centuries,” says Rear Admiral Timothy L. Heely, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Chair of the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission. “By working together, we strengthen our ability to educate, inspire, and preserve the stories that shaped the world we live in.”
The agreement outlines areas of collaboration that include:
- Joint research in history, archaeology, and material culture
- Sharing of digital and educational resources
- Coordinated interpretive strategies and exhibitions
- Staff and student exchanges
- Planning of milestone commemorations and public events
Each partner contributes unique strengths to the collaboration:
- HSMC, the site of Maryland’s first capital and home to one of the nation’s most significant archaeological collections
- MCHC, a leading repository and storyteller of Maryland’s diverse history
- Kiplin Hall, a historic estate in North Yorkshire that bridges heritage across the Atlantic
- The Colony of Avalon, a Canadian site dedicated to 17th-century colonial archaeology
- The Society of The Ark and The Dove, connecting descendants of Maryland’s founding families
The MOU will remain in effect for five years with the possibility of renewal and is designed to welcome additional like-minded organizations into future collaborations.
To learn more about Historic St. Mary’s City and its programs, visit www.hsmcdigshistory.org.
ABOUT HISTORIC ST. MARY’S CITY
Historic St. Mary’s City is located on the St. Mary’s River, in a beautiful tidewater landscape of water, rolling hills, farmland, and forest. The 835-acre living history and archaeology museum is on the site of Maryland’s first capital (1634-1695). Our team is fortunate to build upon decades of cutting-edge research, with recreated structures in the historic town center, a Woodland Indian hamlet, a tall ship, and a tobacco plantation staffed by costumed or uniformed interpreters who help visitors understand the stories of Maryland’s history. Ongoing archaeological excavations continue to reveal new information about life in the past, and a new visitors center, the Maryland Heritage Interpretive Center, will come online in 2026. Since its inception, the department has identified more than 300 archaeological sites within the St. Mary’s City National Historic Landmark (NHL) and curates more than 6.5 million artifacts representing millennia of human history.
The museum is one of Southern Maryland’s leading tourism attractions and hosts an active school tour program. Its collections are a resource for professional archaeologists, scholars, and college students. The HSMCC Field School in Historical Archaeology, one of the longest running field schools in the nation, attracts students from all over the United States, as well as from other countries. The museum is overseen by the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission (HSMCC), which is an independent agency of the State of Maryland, under the Office of the Governor.