Rebuilding St. Mary's Fort

This summer marked an important and exciting moment for this project: portions of St. Mary's Fort are now visible above ground for the first time in nearly 400 years. Specifically, approximately 300 feet of the palisade wall that formed the fort's western bastion and part of its northwest and southwest walls have been reconstructed in their original location. Visitors to the site will now see the fort's southwest corner and how it anchored the fort onto the landscape. Having delivered a number of recent on-site tours, it is already apparent that this aboveground feature is helpful to visitors' understanding of the position and placement of St. Mary's Fort.

Reconstruction of St. Mary's Fort palisade in progress

To reconstruct the fort, members of the Department of Research and Collections staked out the original path of the palisade at the site, having spent the last year excavating all archaeological features within the reconstruction's path. At the same time, members of HSMC's Department of Facilities and Grounds sourced split locust timbers, chopped at the 'top' end of each timber to give it a hand-hewn look, and treated the opposite end with anti-fungal chemicals to maximize preservation of the wood that would be entering the ground.

Archaeologists Jade Burch (left) and Jess Schott holding palisade timbers in place

When it was time for construction, staff from both departments worked together to excavate the trench and raise the palisade timbers, ensuring the proper placement of members to create a tall, level barricade. While our method of excavation was different (i.e., mechanical vs. hand excavation), the calculus of constructing the palisade was very similar to that which was used in 1634. The palisade walls were bolstered with 2'x4's to give the reconstruction time to settle; the modern materials will soon be removed and replaced with timbers mounted horizontally (called 'stretchers') and secured with period-appropriate wooden pegs.

This work was made possible by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, with matching funds provided by the Historic St. Mary's City Foundation. We remain grateful for their support, support which has dramatically improved our ability to tell the significant story of St. Mary's Fort to the wider world.

With the palisade raised, work continues immediately within the palisade where the crew is excavating the western half of a large circular pit feature to clear the area for the reconstruction of the bastion's firing platform. This work has yielded an abundance of artifacts -- stay tuned to hear more about this phase of the project!