English colonists founded St. Mary’s City in 1634, and it was one of the first English settlements in the Americas. Inspired by George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, St. Mary’s City was named for the Queen and populated by English Catholics who practiced religious toleration. It served as the capital of Maryland until 1695, when the capital was moved to Annapolis. St. Mary’s City quickly reverted to farmland, where tobacco was the cash crop, and by 1740 it was all but forgotten. For more than 200 years the city site was plowed, obliterating the remains of the first capital and creating an immensely rich archaeological site with remarkable preservation below the plow zone. Limited testing took place in the 1930s, and in the 1960s, St. Mary’s City was rediscovered as a critical part of Maryland’s and the nation’s history. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1969, and professional excavations began in 1971. They continue to this day. (See “A New Take On Maryland’s Oldest City” in this issue.)
In this remarkable volume, seventeen distinguished authors provide sixteen essays describing the past fifty years of archaeological research at St. Mary’s City. Topics cover the 1634-95 colonial capital city, plus more modern sites in the area, including plantations with slave quarters, and St. Mary’s Female Seminary. They reveal the stories of Native Americans, European colonists, and enslaved Africans who provide the bulk of the labor.
This volume is a reference for modern historical archaeology, and many new techniques were developed in the past fifty years at St. Mary’s City. The variety of sites that have been explored is extraordinary, and the evidence recovered is allowing archaeologists and historians to recreate the lost city. The artifact collections are especially rich and varied.
Editors Henry M. Miller and Travis G. Parno are the chief historian and researcher, respectively, at St. Mary’s City. They have produced a volume that is both insightful and entertaining. The work that is summarized here is not just valuable for this project, but contributes to the development of the relatively new disciplines of historic archaeology and heritage development. In the years ahead, St. Mary’s City will continue to provide invaluable information about colonial life in America and related topics.
