Nearly 400-Yr.-Old Remains Found at HSMC Dig Site
The Historic St. Mary’s City Department of Research and Collections uncovered the human remains of a young European man, believed to have been buried in the late 1630s. The remains were found approximately 30 feet outside of what once was St. Mary’s Fort. The discovery may be one of the oldest colonial burials found in Maryland.
Douglas Owsley, curator of biological anthropology, and biological anthropologist Kari Bruwelheide, both of the Smithsonian Institution, joined HSMC to begin studying the remains to learn more about the young man. It has been estimated that he was 15 to 16 at the time of his death.
The individual was directly buried in the ground without a coffin or burial shroud. His lack of formal burial could speak to not having family or people who cared for him in the colony. The life, death, and burial of this person can provide valuable insights into the early settlers of Maryland.
“The remarkable discovery of the remains of one of Maryland’s first colonizers is an important opportunity to learn about an individual who probably never appeared in the historical record. Archaeology and forensic anthropology will help us bring life and voice to a young man from the earliest period of the Maryland colony, a time when written records were sparse,” said Travis Parno, acting executive director and director of research and collections.
The remains will undergo cleaning and be transported to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for further analysis by Mr. Owlsley and Ms. Bruwelheide.
The St. Mary’s Fort site is closed to tours and public access due to the ongoing removal of remains. There is no word on when the site will reopen.
The palisaded St. Mary’s Fort was erected in 1634 by the first wave of European settlers who founded Maryland. The site spans an area approximately the size of a football field.
