St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

MISSING

SEE LOCATION SECTION

The St. Mary’s Chapel

Maryland’s First Brick Church

Photographed by Don Morfe, May 15, 1999

1. The St. Mary’s Chapel Marker

Inscription. The St. Mary’s Chapel, built about 1667, was Maryland’s first major brick building. The structure was built in the form of a cross, 55 feet long and 57 feet wide at the arms of the cross. In frontier Maryland, where most settlers lived in humble wood cottages, this was a remarkable building. All that remains of the chapel is its massive brick foundation, measuring three feet wide and five feet deep.

There are hundreds of unmarked graves in and around the chapel. This site was cemetery for St. Mary’s City the earliest years of settlement. Many of Maryland’s founders lie here in long-forgotten graves. In 1990, three lead coffins were discovered buried in the left arm or transept of the cross-shaped building. These are the first 17th-century lead coffins found by archaeologist in North America.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1667.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 38° 11.234′ N, 76° 26.078′ W. Marker was in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It was on Trinity Church Road. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Saint Marys City MD 20686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Southern Maryland.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Sharing Land and Legacy (a few steps from this marker); Saint Mary's Female Seminary (within shouting distance of this marker); After the Disastrous Fire (within shouting distance of this marker); “…a convenient place for the administration of Justice.” (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Mary's College of Maryland Land Acknowledgement and Pledge (within shouting distance of this marker); The Gift of the Society of the Ark and the Dove (within shouting distance of this marker); Trinity Church, St. Mary’s Parish (within shouting distance of this marker); Leonard Calvert (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Mary's City.

Photographed by Don Morfe, May 15, 1999

2. The St. Mary’s Chapel Marker

Sign at the entrance to St Mary's City image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, May 15, 1999

3. Sign at the entrance to St Mary's City

Credits. This page was last revised on April 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 774 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 29, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.