What’s important about St. Mary’s City?

 

St. Mary’s City is one of the most historic locations in the United States. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark since 1969, it is the best preserved founding site of a 17th-century English colony in North America. St. Mary’s was the scene of many notable events in America’s early history. Some of these are listed below:

 

• First successful proprietary colony in English North America
• First Freedom of Conscience policy in America
• First effort to free religion from government in America
• First Catholic chapel in English America
• First woman to petition for the right to vote in English America (Margaret Brent, 1648)
• First legislator of African descent in North America (Mathias de Sousa, 1642)
• First evidence of baroque town planning in America
• First public inn in Maryland
• First government building in Maryland (the Secretaries Office 1664)
• First Protestant (Anglican) church in Maryland
• First official city in Maryland
• First state house in Maryland, The Country’s House
• First monumental public architecture in Maryland, the 1667 Brick Chapel
• First printer in the southern colonies of America