Maryland's Earliest Colonial Settlement Found In St. Mary's

ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MD — Archaeologists in Maryland have found what is believed to be the state's earliest colonial settlement, dating back to the early 1600s, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Using ground-penetrating radar, archaeologists with Historic St. Mary’s City found the remains of a fort the size of a football field in an empty meadow about a half-mile from St. Mary’s River in southern Maryland. The fort was built in 1634 by the state’s first English settlers, who were fleeing religious persecution in their home country.

Its location was thought to have been lost for almost 400 years, and attempts to search for it had been ongoing since the 1930s, the Post reported. Excavation of the site unearthed remains of fencing that made up the fort’s perimeter, a brick cellar, a musket piece and an arrowhead that's at least 4,500 years old.

Gov. Larry Hogan lauded the discovery, according to WTOP News, saying it coincides with the state's 400th anniversary.

“Finding the location of Maryland’s original settlement is truly exciting news for our state and will give us an opportunity to reconnect with our pre-colonial and early colonial years,” he said.

Travis Parno, director of research and collections at Historic St. Mary's City, told the Post that the 150 settlers of St. Mary's arrived to Maryland on two ships, the Ark and the Dove, in March 1634.

Their arrival came 14 years after the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock and nearly 30 years after the founding of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown.

The settlers eventually abandoned the fort sometime in the 1690s and relocated to Annapolis, according to the paper.

Although archaeologists found several dwellings inside the fort that appear to be Native American in origin, Parno told the Post it is unknown whether some of the state's indigenous people lived together with colonists or if the settlers decided to build their fort around existing structures.

“You come off this ship after months, and you need a place to lay your head, and you want something that’s covered and warm,” Parno told the paper.

Read Michael E. Ruane's complete story about the fort's discovery by visiting The Washington Post's website.