Historic St Mary's City

Colonists founded St. Mary’s City in 1634 and it became Maryland’s first capital. However, in 1695 the colonial capital was moved to Annapolis, and St. Mary’s City was eventually abandoned and allowed to deteriorate. Portions of the original capital still lie buried beneath the earth, although the location has been reimagined as an outdoor museum—Historic Saint Mary’s City. Exhibits provide a glimpse of life in 1667 and include recreations of the colonial State House and one of the region’s Yaocomaco hamlets, along with a reconstruction of the city’s brick chapel, built around 1667. The museum is also home to the longest-running historical archaeology field school in the country, established in 1971.