St. Mary's City, Colonial settlement museum in St. Mary's County, Maryland, US.
St. Mary's City is an outdoor history museum located on the original site of Maryland's first European settlement, featuring reconstructed colonial buildings and ongoing archaeological work. The museum spreads across multiple areas where visitors can see both original artifacts and recreated structures from that period.
Leonard Calvert founded St. Mary's City in 1634 as Maryland's first capital, bringing European settlers on two ships called The Ark and The Dove. The settlement became the center of early colonial government and regional development.
The site presents how colonial people conducted their daily lives, with costumed interpreters demonstrating traditional crafts and agricultural methods from that era. Visitors can watch how residents worked and lived, from farming activities to maritime work on the water.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM and offers guided tours and educational programs. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the grounds are expansive and require walking to explore the various areas.
This was the place where Mathias De Sousa became North America's first Black legislator and where Margaret Brent made the first recorded request for women's voting rights. These two moments reveal that the settlement produced forward-thinking voices earlier than many other locations.
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