Maryland Day 2016 celebration

Posted by tbnBBM On 03/11/2016

Celebrate Marylands Anniversary at Historic St. Mary’s City, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Joining us this year is the Pride II which will take part in Day commemorative events at Historic St. Mary’s City on Saturday, March 19, 2016, beginning at 1:00pm. A procession with the Liberty Tree cross will start at 12:45 aboard Pride II and end at the chapel on the grounds of Historic St. Mary’s City. The event will also feature the opening of a new exhibit in the chapel. This exhibit is of the three lead coffins that held the remains of Maryland’s founding family: Philip Calvert, his wife, Ann Wolsey Calvert, and an infant. The coffins will be visible through a glass floor so that visitors can see this extremely rare example of early Maryland history. Representatives from the Society of and The Dove will be on-hand as well as descendants of the Calvert family.

“Only five lead coffins from the 17th century are known to exist in North America, and all five are in St. Mary’s City,” says Maryland Historical Society President and CEO Mark B. Letzer. “We are proud to take part in this special observance, as well as mark the final resting place of these important people.”

The ceremony will feature the presentation of the museum’s prestigious Cross Botany Award to two of the premier Forensic Anthropologists in the United States. Dr. Douglas Owsley, chair of the Anthropology Department at the Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution and his assistant Ms. Kari Bruwelheide have studied the remains of Maryland’s founders excavated from the Chapel site for over 25 years. Their work has yielded important new discoveries about the first Marylanders and produced key clues regarding the people buried in the lead coffins which allowed them to be identification as members of Lord Baltimore’s family.

Two of the most significant founding documents of Maryland will also be on display: Father 's account of the voyage of the Ark and Dove in 1634 and a letter written by the first governor, . This marks the first time these documents have returned to St. Mary's City since they were dispatched to in 1634. Maryland Historical Society Chief Curator, Alexandra Deutsch, will provide remarks on these documents.

There will also be a Presentation of the Flags from fourth grade students from each county in Maryland, beginning with the newest and proceeding to the oldest county. Several of the state’s leading politicians are expected to attend. All events March 19 will be free and open to the public. This includes the procession and dock tours aboard Pride II and her maritime ancestor, the . It also includes the unveiling of the exhibit within the chapel.

For more information and directions to Historic St. Mary’s City, visit the Historic St. Mary's City homepage, www.HSMCdigshistory.org, or telephone a 1-800-762-1634.

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