On March 25th, Historic St. Mary’s City celebrated the 373rd Anniversary of the Founding of Maryland with music and ceremony.   

The Patuxent River Naval Air Station Color Guard presented the American Flag and Paul Willoughby a member of the St. Mary’s City Militia, flourished the gold and black colors of Lord Calvert. Music was performed by the Great Mills High School Symphonic Winds. 

In 1997, the Maryland General Assembly established the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission with block grant funding and a strong connection to St. Mary’s College. Over the past ten years, the historical site has flourished. Many families took advantage of the warm weather and clear skies to enjoy the day’s events and participate in the Kite Festival.

Dr. Martin Sullivan, Executive Director of Historic St. Mary’s City, praised the relationship that has developed between the college and the historic site. Margaret McFarland and Jeanne Chandler were each recognized for their contributions to the preservation of Historic St. Mary’s City with a Cross Bottony Award.

The hallmark of Maryland Day was the Ceremony of the Flags.  Fourth graders from across the state presented county flags and the flag of Baltimore City, in reverse order of their founding.  These children were the honorary flag bearers because public school 4th grade curriculum encompasses much of Maryland’s History.  St. Mary’s plays a vital role in the state’s founding. Last year, nearly 30,000 students visited the historic site of Maryland’s first capital.

Maryland Day was also the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-constructed Nuthead Print House. The building stands on the same exact location as the original structure with the same techniques used in 1684.  

William and Dinah Nuthead were English immigrants to Virginia, where they hoped to establish a print shop. They were forbidden from doing so by the King of England.  Lord Baltimore’s freedoms, however, allowed the Nutheads to move to Maryland and establish their print shop in St. Mary’s City. Also nearing completion at the site is a replica of a brick chapel, again built using the methods of the era

Dignitaries who took part in the Maryland Day Celebrations included Richard Moe, Chairman of the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission, State Delegate John Bohannon, Vice-President at Large of the Washington Post Ben Bradlee, Provost of St. Mary’s College Larry Vote, as well as the County Commissioners and other local dignitaries. State Senator Barbara Mikulski also sent her greetings in a letter.

For more information on Historic St. Mary’s City, visit www.stmaryscity.org.

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TheBayNet.com staff reporter Christopher Rodkey covers events & education issues in St. Mary’s County.  
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