Archaeologists at Historic St. Mary’s City reported progress on December 15, 2025, in ongoing excavations at the Leonard Calvert House site, revealing evidence of human activity spanning thousands of years. The work focuses on brick foundations from the mid-1630s structure known as the Country’s House, with recent efforts shifting to the western side after completing much of the eastern half.
The site, located within the outdoor museum of living history and archaeology in St. Mary’s City, shows layers from indigenous pottery to 19th-century fence posts associated with the nearby Brome-Howard House. Built in the mid-1630s as the private residence of Maryland’s first governor, Leonard Calvert, the building evolved through multiple renovations in the 17th century. It served as the governor’s home, the colony’s governmental seat, and later a public ordinary or inn.
All photographs courtesy of Historic St. Mary’s City
Excavations began in the 1980s, identifying and testing the site, but current efforts mark the first comprehensive examination of all structural remains together. Researchers used a small backhoe to remove fill from prior units, exposing unexcavated soils on the western portion. Early finds include decorative pipe stems, a Bartmann jug neck, a horseshoe, and an iron stirrup, offering insights into daily life and trade.
These artifacts highlight personal items from residents and visitors during the colonial period. Bartmann jugs, stoneware vessels from Germany often featuring bearded face motifs, were common imports for storing liquids. Decorated clay tobacco pipe stems reflect popular 17th-century smoking habits, with patterns aiding in dating layers. The horseshoe and stirrup point to equestrian activities essential for travel and work in the early settlement.
Historic St. Mary’s City, on the banks of the St. Mary’s River, preserves Maryland’s first capital founded in 1634 by settlers aboard the Ark and Dove. Led by Leonard Calvert, brother of proprietor Cecil Calvert, the colony emphasized religious tolerance, attracting both Catholics and Protestants fleeing persecution in England. The Leonard Calvert House stood central to political and social life until the capital moved to Annapolis in the late 1690s.
The site later became agricultural land, with the 19th-century Brome-Howard plantation house built nearby, preserving underlying colonial features undisturbed. Managed by the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission, the museum combines living history exhibits, reconstructed buildings like the 1676 State House, and active archaeological research to interpret the area’s multilayered past.
Ongoing digs contribute to understanding indigenous-colonial interactions, as the location overlays earlier Native American occupation. Yaocomico people, part of the Piscataway confederacy, originally inhabited the area before selling land to arriving English in 1634. Artifacts like indigenous pottery underscore this long pre-colonial presence.
Visitors can follow updates through the museum’s archaeology Instagram account @dighsmc, featuring additional finds. The department’s highlight series continues, with the next post reflecting on the 30-year Brick Chapel of 1667 project, a reconstructed Jesuit chapel symbolizing early religious freedom.