How a colonial frontier town became the unlikely birthplace of American religious freedom

Science · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Founded in 1634, St. Mary's City served as Maryland's first capital and a radical experiment in tolerance. While other colonies enforced religious conformity, this settlement mandated a haven for both Catholics and Protestants. Today, it stands as a living history site, preserving the complex origins of early American governance.

St. Mary's City was established in March 1634 on a bluff overlooking the St. Mary's River. Envisioned by George Calvert, the First Lord Baltimore, the colony was intended to provide a sanctuary for persecuted Roman Catholics. Although George died before the charter was sealed, his son Cecil Calvert continued the mission, tasking his brother Leonard Calvert with leading the expedition. Upon arrival, the settlers purchased land from the Yaocomico branch of the Piscataway Indian Nation, who sought the newcomers as trading partners for their advanced technology, including metal-working and gunpowder.

The settlement was unique for its early commitment to religious tolerance, a mandate codified in instructions from the Calverts and later reinforced by the 1649 Maryland Toleration Act. This environment fostered unconventional figures like Margaret Brent, a business-savvy woman who successfully defended her right to manage her own estate in court and became the first woman in English North America to stand before a legislative assembly. Similarly, Mathias de Sousa, an indentured servant of African and European heritage, rose to participate in the colony's legislative body, marking a significant, if complex, moment in colonial history.

The town's prosperity was built on tobacco, which became the primary export and eventually drove the expansion of chattel slavery. Religious tensions, exacerbated by the English Civil War, led to periods of conflict, including the 1645 'Plundering Time' when Protestant raiders seized the city. Leonard Calvert eventually retook the town in 1647. By 1694, the capital moved to Annapolis, and the settlement declined. Today, the site functions as an archaeological research center and living history museum, featuring a replica of the original settler ship, The Dove, and ongoing excavations that continue to uncover the realities of life in the 17th-century Province of Maryland.

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