Historic St. Mary’s City will host the Ceremony of Return on September 20, 2025, to reinter human remains from Maryland’s colonial era, including those of Philip Calvert, the fifth governor of Maryland, his wife Anne Wolseley Calvert, and their infant son. The free public event, set in the Brick Chapel Exhibit, culminates decades of archaeological research and collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and descendant communities. Organizers expect the Ceremony of Return to draw visitors interested in Maryland’s founding history, with proceedings starting at 10 a.m. in St. Mary’s City.
The Ceremony of Return begins with a formal procession from the reconstructed State House to the Brick Chapel Exhibit, led by a horse-drawn hearse. Participants include Calvert family descendants, members of the Ark and Dove Society, St. Maries Cittie Militia, and historical interpreters in period dress. Museum visitors and ceremony guests may join the procession to honor the founders of colonial Maryland. Cannon fire from the Maryland Dove, a reconstructed tall ship representing one of the vessels that brought settlers in 1634, will open the event. The ship recently returned from Washington, D.C., carrying a Maryland flag to be featured in the Ceremony of Return.
At the Brick Chapel Exhibit, speakers including historians, archaeologists, and Dr. Douglas Owsley, curator of biological anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, will deliver remarks. A rite of reinterment follows, returning the remains to their original locations. The exhibit offers limited first-come, first-served seating, with a live-stream viewing tent available outdoors. After the Ceremony of Return, attendees can join a reception at the Margaret Brent Pavilion for light refreshments.
“This is one of the most significant events in the museum’s history,” said Dr. Travis Parno, Interim Executive Director, Historic St. Mary’s City. “The Ceremony of Return allows us to honor the individuals who played a role in Maryland’s earliest colonial history and ensure they are respectfully laid to rest once again.”
The Ceremony of Return stems from the Lead Coffins Project, initiated after archaeologists uncovered three lead coffins in 1990 beneath the 17th-century Brick Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City. Lead coffins were rare in colonial America, reserved for high-status individuals. All five known lead coffins in North America are in St. Mary’s City, with three from the chapel and two from nearby Trinity Churchyard. The chapel coffins contained remains identified as Philip Calvert, Anne Wolseley Calvert, and an infant. Over three decades, a team of archaeologists, historians, and Smithsonian scientists studied the coffins to reveal details about early Maryland life, health, diet, and funerary practices.
Forensic analysis by Smithsonian experts, including Dr. Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide, determined the infant was about six months old at death, suffering from rickets, scurvy, and iron deficiency. The child likely had feeding issues, and swaddling practices limited sunlight exposure needed for vitamin D production. DNA testing in 2016 confirmed the infant as Philip Calvert’s son, though historical records lack details on the birth or death. Anne Wolseley Calvert, too old and in poor health, could not have been the mother, suggesting the child’s connection through Philip’s second marriage.
Philip Calvert, son of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, served as chancellor and governor, playing a key role in Maryland’s early governance. The remains of 56 other individuals, buried between 1634 and 1730 around the chapel, will also be reinterred during the Ceremony of Return. Their identities remain less known, but studies provide insights into colonial health and society.
St. Mary’s City, founded in 1634 as Maryland’s first European settlement and capital until 1695, holds significance as the site of religious freedom in English America, offering haven for Catholics and Protestants. The area declined after the capital moved to Annapolis, but archaeological efforts since the 1930s have revived its history. Recent discoveries, such as the 1634 St. Mary’s Fort location by Dr. Parno in 2021, underscore ongoing research at the site.
The Ceremony of Return marks the project’s conclusion, returning all remains to the reconstructed Brick Chapel, an important Catholic site in English America. Parking is available at 18751 Hogaboom Lane for the chapel and 47418 Old State House Road for the State House. The event aligns with Historic St. Mary’s City’s mission to preserve Maryland’s origins through education and archaeology.
Historic St. Mary’s City, an outdoor museum in southern Maryland, attracts visitors with living history exhibits, including a Woodland Indian hamlet, tobacco plantation, and printing press. The Ceremony of Return emphasizes respectful stewardship of archaeological finds, bridging past and present for local residents familiar with the region’s tidal rivers and colonial landmarks.
