Where Maryland Began...
the Colonial History of St. Mary's County

What is History? It is very easy to say that history is simply things that happened a long time ago, but how do we know what Maryland was like 100 years ago? What about 350 years ago when Maryland first became a colony? Think about what people who study history will be able to look at 350 years from now to learn about you and your family. There are records like your birth certificate, medical records at your doctor's office, and your school records in the principal's office. There are also photographs and videotapes to show what you looked like and computer records that will last for hundreds of years. How many of these things do you think historians have from 100 years ago? How about 350 years ago? Without all of these things, it can be more difficult to learn about the history of St. Mary's County at its beginning.

To learn the answers to these questions and to find out more about the fascinating history of Colonial St. Mary's County, please select one of the following links.

For an HTML version of the book

For an PDF version of the book (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
The file is rather large, so it will take a while to load. To get the Adobe Acrobat Reader click here to go to their site.