The recreation was small -- only a few buildings, a handful of re-enactors, and a boat -- but everyone there was eager to talk to us about history and culture. The place wasn't crowded either, so each place we stopped, we had extended conversations. My mom was interested because we have old relatives who lived there; I was interested because culture fascinates me; and my dad was interested because he likes to talk to people. Between the three of us, we talked a lot and my sister got to sit back and listen.
Besides the main settlement, there is a tobacco plantation that, like Williamsburg, takes visitors back in time. We chatted with an indentured servant who was very fluent in her assumed accent and diction, which impressed me, and wandered through the herb garden, increasing my desire to have a beautiful, useful garden of my own.
Some fun facts:
*During their first year, the settlers lived with the Yaocomaco clan, side by side with them in their dwellings. Eventually, each moved on from the area without violence.
*Maryland started with a guarantee of religious freedom, but later Catholicism was outlawed in that colony as well. We never learned that second bit in history class.
*Margaret Brent, who is a distant cousin of mine, was fighting for women to have the vote way back in the 1600s.
Nice. I have been meaning to go back to St. Mary's city for a while now, particularly since so many of the early Chesapeake archaeology centers on St. Mary's and Jamestown. There's a really great exhibit at the Natural History museum, all about Chesapeake bioarchaeology - and they discuss that tidbit about Catholicism, which I believe was outlawed c. 1690. I might try and look into some of the St. Mary's collections to start to ask questions about differences between "Catholic" and "Protestant" material culture as a reflection of daily practices...
ReplyDeleteMy favorite bit of Catholic material culture was the chaplet rosary they found. They make replicas that you can buy at the gift shop :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny the history of Catholicism/religious freedom that you don't get in history class. It's one of the many areas in which I feel lied to from my education.