historic st. mary's city

Thank you for coming to visit Historic St. Mary's City. We agree the history is worth knowing and are sorry that you happened to come when our living history sites are closed. The exhibits in our Visitors Center are open and you can also tour the St. John's Museum where you can see an open excavation pit of a seventeenth century house; this alone is worth a trip. All the sites will reopen on March 17th with a full season of exhibitions, programs, and events. You are correct that the exhibit buildings are much younger than they look. More than forty years of research and archaeological investigation helped us reconstruct them with traditional methods on their original sites. If you visit the museum for Tidewater Archaeology weekend in July, you will be able to see a working excavation and learn how archaeology helps us understand what life was like in the early colony.

We are sorry Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC) was not open when you planned to visit. The museum’s living history sites close for the winter; most people simply do not want to spend much time touring outside in the cold! In 2015, HSMC’s season will run from March 17 through November 28. In season, the museum is always open on Saturdays and hundreds of people enjoy visiting then. Next summer we’ll be open both Saturday and Sunday, expanding opportunities for weekend visitors. We hope you will plan on visiting again when the museum is open.

Thanks for your review. Our costumer does a lot of research to insure interpreters' period attire, right down to the fabrics, is as authentic as possible. The living history exhibits close during January, February, and March -- not very many people are interested in spending time at an outdoor living history museum during the winter. We'll open up again mid-March. Most of our visitors spend over four hours touring and many say they wish they had more time. So, while HSMC is relatively small - with just under 200 acres of exhibits (four living history sites (including a tall ship), an archaeology museum, and exhibits in the Visitor Center) - plan to spend an entire day!

This is a nice area to go take some pictures on the water. There are also a few historic buildings you can check out.

You should not miss a visit to history St. Mary's City; this is the "birthplace" first settlement in Maryland. It adjoins the grounds of St. Mary's College. St.Mary's historic city is an outdoor living museum complex; as it would be in the 17th century when it was founded. First, be sure to see Trinity Church, dating from 1829 - it was built with the bricks of the first State House. Then, walk along and see the State House, Smith's Ordinary (a reconstructed inn), Cordea's Hope (a mercantile), the Van Sweringen site exhibit, the print house, the Maryland Dove (a replica of the original Dove that landed at St. Clement's Island with the Ark. You will see archeologists working and take time to walk down to the original Brick Chapel. Behind the Visitor Center is the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation. The college was founded in 1840 as a female seminary; it is now a co-ed (although men cannot live in the dorms) four year college.

There are four living history sites and an archaeology museum, the St. John's Site Museum, to explore at HSMC. "Only one thing to see" might reflect the writer's opinion that the waterfront is their favorite site. Others might tell you the Indian Hamlet, Plantation, Town Center, or St. John's Museum is the only thing to see and they'll have good reasons why. We hope you will visit and form your own opinion!

St. Mary's City was settled in 1634 and was the first but short lived capital of Maryland. For 200+ years it was forgotten and even today remains isolated geographically which gives it much of its' present day charm. I appreciated the careful and ongoing research that is beautifully presented to the visitor much of which is geared to families. We visited on a quiet day but the property was adequately staffed for us to get an idea of what the buildings were used for. Allow yourself three hours or more to fully explore the village.

We've been visiting a lot of historic recreation sites lately, and this is definitely my favorite. First and foremost because of the staff. Super friendly and super knowledgeable. One fellow made sure we knew where we were going, and even told us a short cut to get there. And everywhere we went, we were made to feel welcome and free to ask questions. Secondly - the ship. Awesome recreation of The Dove. The folks around the ship knew their stuff and then some. Although I come from a boating family, I learned things. (And the cannon is great!) Thirdly, the gift shop is great and has very reasonable prices, along with some basic food for lunch. And the nature, at least in August, is great. (I saw a flock of goldfinches along the walk!) All in all, the staff, the history, the nature, the architecture is great. Just don't expect the tourist trap sort of atmosphere. But if you want to learn stuff and get a feel of life in the 1600s, this is the place.

Reconstructed city that includes a church, an inn, a boat, and State House. You could really immerse yourself here in a time that was at least 200 years ago.

Everyone knows of Jamestown, the horrible, starving winter, the brutal leadership, the death of the young girl. But before Jamestown was st. Mary's City, where the colonist worked to live with they native neighbors, women suffrage was almost considered, and freedom of worship was truly considered.

This is a last minute addition to our Southern Maryland trip, as I wanted to show my kids a little Maryland history. It's a little primitive still, so don't expect the Colonial Williamsburg experience. You pick up your map and schedule and then drive over to the "city", where the rest of the exhibits are easy walks. The staff was very nice and knowledgeable, especially at the printer and at the church. There are events scheduled for most of the areas to give more information about the colonial days, so we attended the printer, plantation, and boat, where they fire a cannon. The kids were able to help plant some of the plantation gardens. The gift shop prices are very reasonable. If you have time, make sure to go see the St. John's site over at the college. The cafeteria over there is also great.

We enjoyed our day long visit here to this scenic site. We learn so much about the early days of settling here in MD from the period dressed re-enactors.

My son and I love this place. There is always something neat to see. My son is a huge fan of the ship. The employees are always very friendly and knowledgeable. They hold lots of special events. Their Little Explorers program for children is wonderful.

This is a site that everyone in the area should visit. Education in living and creative ways - from the Dove (boat) to the Ordinary (inn) to the Printer's Shop and the Indian Hamlet. The interpreters are great - and I learn something new and different each time I go. They are dedicated to the site, to the history, and to sharing information with visitors.Don't miss this - it's a national treasure!

We are sorry you were disappointed with your visit to Historic St. Mary's City. Over the years, the museum has used both first person interpretation (where interpreters become a 17th-century persona) and third person interpretation (where interpreters talk about the colonists as other people). We have a strong educational mission and consensus was that more learning occurred with the third person interpretation. Yet many people enjoyed meeting the colonists, so we offer both!