HSMC Ceremony to Honor Will Gates, Mary Bohanan
UPDATE: Historic St. Mary’s City has made the difficult decision to cancel its Maryland Day ceremony scheduled for Saturday, March 23, due to the heavy rainfall and flooding forecast. This cancellation includes the presentation of the Cross Bottony, Peter Aloysius “Pete” Himmelheber Award, and the flag ceremony.
Historic St. Mary’s City’s Maryland Day ceremony at 1pm March 23 will honor recently retired Maryland Dove Captain Will Gates and longtime HSMC supporter Mary Bohanan.
Captain Gates will receive the museum’s highest honor, the Cross Bottony Award, for his years of service with the institution.
“Will’s knowledge of seafaring in the 17th century, and his ability to convey that expertise with passion and clarity, has transfixed countless visitors to Historic St. Mary’s City. When he engages with you, it’s impossible not to share his excitement. We will miss him deeply, but he leaves a lasting legacy on our waterfront and in the thousands in whom he has ignited a curiosity about the past. There is no one more deserving of this award,” said John L. Seidel, Historic St. Mary’s City executive director.
A new award will be given posthumously to Ms. Bohanan.
Her position as the HSMC events manager highlighted Mary’s natural leadership skills and ability to make everyone feel welcome and included. Mary’s smile and gracious demeanor welcomed many a nervous wedding couple, deftly handling any last-minute complications with ease.
Because of her dedication and devotion to the museum, her family will be given the first Peter Aloysius “Pete” Himmelheber Award for Outstanding Contributions to Historic St. Mary’s City, so named for the longtime volunteer and local historian Pete Himmelheber who passed away in November 2022. Both Mary and Pete had a love for the museum, the grounds, and the history of the land that is HSMC.
The celebration’s highlight will be the annual HSMC Maryland Day ceremony, under the Margaret Brent Pavilion at 47418 Old State House Road, beginning at 1pm.
Beginning the ceremony will be a blessing offered by Francis Gray, Piscataway-Conoy tribal chairman, with additional remarks by Lucille Walker, director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, and other dignitaries.
This year’s featured keynote speaker will be Hess Stinson, descendants coordinator at Catoctin Furnace Historical Society.
HSMC’s living history sites will be open from 10am until 4pm. Plan to visit the Woodland Indian Hamlet and learn about the people and culture that were here on this land now called Maryland; or the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation to see heritage-breed cows, pigs, and chickens; step on board Maryland Dove to imagine the risks taken on the original journey in 1634; or explore the reconstructed Town Center, the place for all government business in the 1600s.
After the awards presentation, the Maryland Day program will close with the Ceremony of the Flags, as children from across Maryland present their county colors.
Historic St. Mary’s City is an outdoor museum of living history and archaeology dedicated to telling the diverse stories of Maryland’s beginnings.
For more information about HSMC, call 301-994-4370, 800-SMC-1634, or email [email protected].
