St. Mary's City - Maryland's First Settlement
Our trip to St. Mary's City was unbelievable! It was a long day, but well worth the time! St. Mary's City is divided into four major sections:
1. Native American Village - At this recreated Yaocomico (the name of the local tribe of Algonquian Indians) hamlet, students visited two longhouses, or witchotts. We observed and discussed how the Natives lived based on the clues in the longhouse. We looked at different types of deerskin and observed the clothing of the natives. The second witchott had been owned by settlers. We compared the different tools and furniture in each witchott and commented on the different lifestyles of the natives and the settlers.
2. Master Godiah Spray's Tobacco Plantation - In this section, we visited with two of Godiah Spray's indentured servants. We learned about the roles of the different plantation members and the importance of tobacco to the colonists.
3. Town of St. Mary's - Here we made four stops: the printer, the ordinary, the storehouse, and the site of Governor Calvert's home. We used the printing press to create a contract of indenture and learned that an ordinary is an inn for travelers. We learned that the storehouse only received new goods once a year and people used to buy items on credit. Since tobacco was used as money, most farmers paid for their purchases once a year, at harvest time. We visited the foundation of Governor Calvert's home. It was built of brick, not wood like the other buildings in the city.
4. The dock and the Dove - This was perhaps our favorite part of the trip. We couldn't wait to see the replica of the Dove, the supply ship that traveled with the Ark to bring the first settlers to Maryland. It was so small! Most shocking was the bedroom for the sailors - it was so small, there was no way anyone could stretch out comfortably.
The trip was incredible and I took quite a few pictures. Sit back and relax...enjoy the show!
Each of the five sections below is a slideshow of pictures I took during that stop on the tour. Click PLAY on the first picture of each section and the slideshow will advance.
For more information, check out their website -
https://www.stmaryscity.org/History.html
1. Native American Village - At this recreated Yaocomico (the name of the local tribe of Algonquian Indians) hamlet, students visited two longhouses, or witchotts. We observed and discussed how the Natives lived based on the clues in the longhouse. We looked at different types of deerskin and observed the clothing of the natives. The second witchott had been owned by settlers. We compared the different tools and furniture in each witchott and commented on the different lifestyles of the natives and the settlers.
2. Master Godiah Spray's Tobacco Plantation - In this section, we visited with two of Godiah Spray's indentured servants. We learned about the roles of the different plantation members and the importance of tobacco to the colonists.
3. Town of St. Mary's - Here we made four stops: the printer, the ordinary, the storehouse, and the site of Governor Calvert's home. We used the printing press to create a contract of indenture and learned that an ordinary is an inn for travelers. We learned that the storehouse only received new goods once a year and people used to buy items on credit. Since tobacco was used as money, most farmers paid for their purchases once a year, at harvest time. We visited the foundation of Governor Calvert's home. It was built of brick, not wood like the other buildings in the city.
4. The dock and the Dove - This was perhaps our favorite part of the trip. We couldn't wait to see the replica of the Dove, the supply ship that traveled with the Ark to bring the first settlers to Maryland. It was so small! Most shocking was the bedroom for the sailors - it was so small, there was no way anyone could stretch out comfortably.
The trip was incredible and I took quite a few pictures. Sit back and relax...enjoy the show!
Each of the five sections below is a slideshow of pictures I took during that stop on the tour. Click PLAY on the first picture of each section and the slideshow will advance.
For more information, check out their website -
https://www.stmaryscity.org/History.html
These pictures were taken at the Indian hamlet.
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These pictures were taken at Master Godiah Spray's plantation.
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Enjoying lunch on this beautiful day.
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These pictures were taken in the town of St. Mary's.
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And that was our trip. It was a wonderful learning experience and we can't wait to go back with our families.
Hear that, Mom and Dad? |