By John Cowgill
St. Mary’s City, Maryland is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. When it was settled, it was the capital of what would become the state of Maryland. St. Mary’s City was thriving with trade and commerce, but when the capital was moved to Annapolis, St. Mary’s City began to die. A thriving city was overtaken by farms. The city was no more.
Then there was a discovery.
Archeologists discovered foundations of old buildings. In the 1990s, structures were being reconstructed. Historic St. Mary’s City was reborn into a living history museum. When you visit Historic St. Mary’s City, you will go back to the days of the old city. You can tour a small plantation, walk through a small farm, step into a church, visit the Old State House, an Indian village, a print shop, a general store, and you can climb aboard the Maryland Dove. As you walk around, you may wonder if St. Mary’s City ever died at all.
Historic Saint Mary’s City in located in Southern Maryland off Maryland Route 5 at 18751 Hogaboom Lane in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. It is open from March to November. (Hours and days vary by time of season.) You can learn more at hsmcdigshistory.org/.
The Church
Old State House
John Cowgill (johnbcowgill1@gmail.com) loves to visit historic places to include lesser known sites. He loves taking road trips, and he loves railroads. You can also follow him on Facebook at ‘John Cowgill: Photographic Journeys’ and John Cowgill: DC Railroad Examiner. You can also check out ‘John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad’ at johncowgillstoriesoftherailroad.com.
