A visit to Maryland’s original capital city

BY SHUAN BUTCHER Special to The News-Post

Maryland Day officially took place this past weekend on March 25, which commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland in 1634. But Maryland Day events are being commemorated across the state from March 31 to April 2. With that in mind, one place worth visiting is St. Mary’s County.

First of all, it is home to Maryland’s first capital. Although Annapolis boasts the fact that it is one of the oldest state capitol buildings in the country (and has quite a history itself), the original state house site, which dates back to 1676, sits in historic St. Mary’s City.

Historic St. Mary’s City is a fantastic place to explore. You can say it is a miniature Williamsburg without the additional tourist traps and absorbent travel costs. This one destination is a microcosm of early Maryland history.

Check out a longhouse, and learn how native people lived at the Woodland Indian Hamlet. To get a sense of life in pre-colonial days, step inside the reconstructed 17th-century chapel, which sits on the foundation of the original structure. The state house was also reconstructed back in 1934 as part of the 300th anniversary of Maryland’s founding.

Other structures, like the Calvert House, paint a picture of an early American town. Don’t miss the Mackall Barn, which is reportedly the oldest standing wooden barn in the state.

Be sure to also walk down to the shore, where you can board the Maryland Dove, a tall ship similar to the one that brought settlers over from England.

You should actually start your tour at the visitor center and museum, not only to get a comprehensive overview of the city’s history but to check out some of the artifacts and exhibits on display inside. Here, you can also get the day’s schedule of events, which includes demonstrations, living history programs, special talks and other activities.

For history buffs, another unique stop in the county is the historic Sotterley Plantation, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. James Bowles started construction of the home in 1703 along the shore of the Patuxent River and is one of a small handful of plantation homes in the state open to the public and one of the largest plantations in the Tidewater region.

Over the course of its 300-plus-year history, the plantation has had a series of interesting owners, including one of the wealthiest women in the Maryland colony, a state governor, a physician who ran a boarding school on premise, a former assistant Secretary of the Navy, and the daughter of one of the nation’s most powerful financiers. During the American Revolution, it was plundered by the British and then again during the War of 1812.

The plantation was primarily known for growing tobacco and other prod- ucts, including lumber and corn, for export. As the word plantation may suggest, slaves were a huge part of the property’s history, and presenters onsite do not shy away from interpreting this shameful part of our past.

While on the property, take a guided tour of the plantation house, which reflects the various families that have called this place home over the centuries. You can also partake in a self-guided audio tour of the grounds (including a number of outbuildings) at your own pace. However, you must walk down to check out the slave cabin, built around 1830. It, too, is one of the few such structures remaining in Maryland that is accessible to the general public. It serves as a reminder that our history is not always pretty.

If you have time, you can enjoy the beauty of the formal garden, walk the various nature trails on the 100-acre property, or venture down to the wharf.

If you want to take a break from history, head over to nearby Leonardtown to go kayaking. You can rent a boat from Patuxent Adventure Center Paddle Sports right at the Port of Leonardtown Park, where you can put in the boat and leisurely ride the waters of Mcintosh Run. Along the journey, expect to see wildlife, including bald eagles, turtles and fish jumping out of the water. It is a wonderful and relaxing experience.

The best part is when you return your kayak, you can literally walk next door to the Port of Leonardtown Winery. The wine tasting and tour we had was a nice way to rest the arms after paddling for a few hours. The tasting room, which is actually an old state highways building, is open seven days a week. When they started out 15 years ago, they were one of two agricultural winery cooperatives in the U.S. Grapes are purchased from the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative, which includes about a dozen farms. many of which are former tobacco farms.

About 15 to 20 wines are produced at the winery, with at least a dozen available at any given time. I am not a wine expert by any means, but I did want to share my impressions of a few we sampled. The Vidal Blanc, which is the easiest white grape to grow in the state, produces a crisp, dry wine with hints of pineapple and honeysuckle that is great during the summertime. The Chambourin, the easiest overall grape to grow in Maryland, produces POLW’s go-to red and is their best-seller. It tastes like drinking a glass of fresh berry jam. The Vidalacato is a unique creation to here and is a Vidal grape done in a Moscato style. It is all-natural with no sugar added. It is more effervescent and not bubbly. Autumn Frost, an iced wine, is created when the grapes are frozen and then pressed frozen. Considered a dessert wine, it is more affordable than most iced wines. And finally, I have to mention McIntosh Run, a wine made from apples, not grapes. It also made from cider apples, not McIntosh apples, as you may insinuate from the name (it is named such for the nearby waterway). This ci-

If You Go

Historic St. Mary’s City

240-895-4990 hsmcdighistory.org

Point Lookout State Park

11175 Point Lookout Road, Scotland

301-872-5688 dnr.maryland.gov

Historic Sotterley Plantation

44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood 301-373-2280 sotterley.org

PAC Adventure

23190 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown 410-394-2770 pacpaddle.com

Port of Leonardtown Winery

23190 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown 301-690-2192 polwinery.com

Generations Vineyard

22715 Wheatleys Content Farm Lane, Leonardtown generationsvineyard.com

The Front Porch

22770 Washington St., Leonardtown 301-997-1009 thefrontporchmd.com der wine is made from apples grown at McCutcheon’s in Frederick County.

Before the day comes to a close, stroll through downtown Leonardtown, where you can pop into a number of galleries and boutique shops. To fully satisfy your shopping desires, head over to Shepherd’s Old Field Market. For dinner, you can’t go wrong at the Front Porch. Located in an old Victorian home, the restaurant specializes in creative Southern Coastal cuisine.

If staying over night, head to Point Lookout State Park the next morning. It one of the most popular recreation sites in Maryland but has quite a storied past. Captain John Smith explored the area in 1612, and it was once owned by Leonard Calvert, the first Governor of the Maryland Colony. During the American Revolution and War of 1812, it served as a lookout and during the Civil War and was as an Army hospital and then a prison camp.

Essentially, the park is a peninsula, with the Chesapeake Bay to the east and the Potomac River to the west. A lighthouse was also built there in 1830, which you can tour during special open houses throughout the year. Civil War buffs can check out the earthen wall fortification with reconstructed barracks. The park is also a great place for those interested in camping swimming, boating, fishing and bird watching (particularly during spring and fall migrations).

To learn more about Maryland Day celebrations, visit marylandday.org.

Shuan Butcher is a writer, nonprofit professional, event planner and avid traveler. He writes from Frederick.