Tour of the Chesapeake, Part 2

The next stop on our tour was a place we'd heard of but had not taken the time to visit since it was a bit out of the way; it was a perfect stop for our leisurely tour.  We'd been told that it was very pretty but didn't know much else about it. 

The first thing I noticed as we approached the anchorage was a group of small sailboats that appeared to be doing figure-eight drills around bright red cones. I was concerned that they might make anchoring a challenge, but thankfully their turnaround point kept them out of our path. We learned later that St. Mary's College of Maryland sailing team dock was within a few hundred yards of our anchorage.

After anchoring, Steve and I started looking at Google Maps to see if there were any restaurants close by. There weren't. In fact, St. Mary's "City" is not a modern city but rather was a "city" back in the mid-1600's! This stop turned out to be a historical gem and one of my favorite places on our tour. Historic St. Mary's City is a "living museum" and consists of several structures which have been reconstructed in their original locations, often integrated with remaining foundations and walls. The self-guided tour was quite instructive and included a lot of information about the archeological techniques used in excavating St. Mary's City, as well as insight to construction practices of the day. 

We had learned at one of our previous stops that St. Mary's City was the home of a replica ship, the Sailing Vessel (S/V) Dove, that had been built at the working boatyard at St. Michael's Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Here, at St. Mary's City, we would learn more about the Dove and her history.

S/V Dove was one of two ships that were commissioned by George Calvert, the first Baron of Baltimore, before his death and was used by his son - the second Baron of Baltimore and future Lord Baltimore - to establish one of the original thirteen colonies in the Americas.  The larger ship, the Ark, carried 100 colonists and 40 sailors. The Dove, a much smaller vessel, was designed for a crew of seven and was a trading cargo ship that would be left with the colonists for their use.  The original blueprints from the actual Sailing Vessel (S/V) Dove were not found, but the replica was built using plans from similar ships from that era. Our docent, pictured below in period clothing, was a wealth of historical knowledge and an able seaman.

Replica of S/V Dove

Nav Station

Dove's Rigging

Anchor Winch

T/T Dove

Fog Bell

     

Cabin for the Crew

Galley

      

The Ark and Dove arrived in what is now Maryland in early 1634, landing on St. Clement Island. The island was too small to build the intended colony, but it served as a base of operations during the negotiation for the purchase of land from the Yaocomico, who were part of the Piscataway Indian Nation.

Depiction of Land Purchase Negotiations

In addition to the reconstructed buildings of the historical city, there were exhibits here reflecting the structures built by the original residents of this area, the Yaocomico, as well as demonstrations of the techniques used to build canoes and cure hides. The hut exterior is covered by overlapping sheets of tree bark to provide protection against rain. 

Exterior of Yaocomico Hut

A fire was kept burning inside the huts at all times to deter animals and insects from entering, in addition to its use for cooking, heat, and drying hides.

Fire was also used in the process of creating dugout canoes. A torch was used to char the wood and large oyster shells were used to remove the charred material.

Dugout Canoe

Interior of Yaocomico Hut

Two years after the colonists' arrival, in 1634, a fort was built here. The site is currently actively being excavated. 

In 1638, a chapel was built near Ridge, Maryland and was used by all colonists.  In 1642, the building was moved to St. Mary's. 

Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Mary's City

One of the hallmarks of St. Mary's City was its embrace of religious freedom which was driven by the Calvert's family belief that all people had a right to worship according to the tenets of their own religions. In fact, the city is known as the birthplace of freedom of religion in America. Catholics, Protestants, Quakers, Jews, and worshipers from a myriad of other faiths lived and worked together in the community. This is evidenced by the construction of a Jesuit Chapel built in 1667 in addition to the church that was already in existence. This period of religious tolerance would not be long-lived though, and in 1692 the right to vote was stripped from Catholics and they were no longer permitted to worship in public.

Jesuit Church

St. Mary's City was the original seat of government of Maryland, and a state house was built in 1676. The reconstructed building below was built in 1934. 

Reconstructed Maryland State House, 1636

Seat of Government in Maryland's First State House

Council Chambers, Maryland State House

In addition to the government building, homes and places of worship, inns called "ordinaries", were established for travelers, and it was required by law that no one be turned away, even if they couldn't pay for the meals and lodging. The innkeepers were paid by the government for those who had no means. 

Dining Table in the Ordinary

Mats, roughly the size of twin beds, were laid out on the floor for sleeping. Each mat accommodated six men, laying side by side with their heads on the mat. 

Kitchen in the Ordinary

Patrons of means could choose to stay at a private inn.  This photo below shows a replica of the "private lodging house" owned by Garrett Van Sweringen. Although guests normally didn't have a room of their own for sleeping, a very small private room was available for visiting dignitaries.

Fireplace at Van Sweringen's Private Lodging House

Furnishings at Van Sweringen's

In 1695, the Maryland legislature was moved to Annapolis and St. Mary's City was abandoned, marking the end of St. Mary's City's colonial period. The land was converted to farmland, where tobacco was the primary crop. The remains of St. Mary's City lay buried under the farmland until archaeological work began in the early 1900's.

The building in the photo is not a reconstruction, but rather the oldest standing agricultural building in Maryland.  It was built in the late 1700's and was used as a granary and tobacco barn.

Macall Barn (circa 1785)

It was very interesting to learn how details such as the joint designs or types of nails that were used and other features of the barn were used to determine when it was originally built, and which portions had been added or repaired.

Support Structure for Macall Barn

During the 18th century, each joint and interface was custom-fit, and carpenters used marks to ensure proper matching of adjoining pieces when the building was erected. The photo below shows the marks: - a Roman numeral II on the base piece and adjacent angled piece. 

Carpenters Marks 

The machine below is called a Tobacco Prize and was used to compress tobacco into compact "hogsheads". 

Tobacco Prize

This area continued to produce tobacco during the antebellum period, driving the import of slaves, and continued through the post-Civil War era. The land was owned by descendants of the original owners and worked by tenant farmers. 

In 1840 a seminary high school for women was established at the St. Mary's City site. The school was nondenominational in recognition of St. Mary's City's legacy of religious tolerance. Over the course of the 20th century, the school was converted to a junior college and opened to everyone - not only women - and then in 1966 was chartered as a four-year public institution named St. Mary's City College of Maryland. The campus of the college is quite lovely, and we enjoyed walking along the quiet, shady paths. We also got to see the sailing team in competition while we were there, racing Navy, College of Charleston, and Georgetown University.

Sailboat Race St. Mary's College of Maryland

After a few lovely days at St. Mary's City the winds were blowing in a favorable direction, so we hoisted Starry Night's sails and set out for Reedville, thus ending our 2023 tour of the Chesapeake.

Sailing from St. Mary's City to Reedville