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Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Historic St. Mary’s City celebrate partnership

Local and state officials visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s St. Michaels campus Friday, July 7, to celebrate a new partnership between CBMM and the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission. Speakers at the event included Adelaide Eckardt, Maryland state senator; Johnny Mautz, Maryland state delegate; Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio; deputy chief of staff for Governor Larry Hogan; and Father William George, board chairman of the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission.

The two organizations will pool their expertise to design and construct the next iteration of Maryland Dove, a replica of the late 17th century trading ship that brought the first settlers to what is now Maryland.

“This is a unique opportunity, a very historic opportunity as we bring together two of our wonderful highlights, both from the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland,” Edkardt said. “We work together with a lot of initiatives but this is a new pioneering ground where we bring together our deep, rich history, our cultural background, and our trades and crafts. We’re going to be very excited to see how it moves forward and to be a model, to be the template, for where we want go in the future with Maryland.”

Built in a shipyard near Cambridge, Md. in 1978, Maryland Dove is owned by the state of Maryland and operated and maintained by the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission.

“HSMC and CBMM are natural partners in this project,” said Regina Faden, executive director at Historic St. Mary’s City. “It fulfills both our missions and delivers a new Dove to tell the story of (early) Maryland.”

Maryland Dove is Historic St. Mary’s City’s floating ambassador and one of its most popular exhibits. The ship design is based on the original Dove that sailed to the Maryland colony with the Ark in 1634. The Dove was a small ship used in shallow waterways along the coast while the first colony and capital was being established.

“This is a true Maryland project, and one we’re thrilled to be involved with,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway.

Additional photos from the celebration can be found at bit.ly/DoveAnnouncement. To learn more about Maryland Dove, visit bit.ly/marylanddove. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

Historic St. Mary’s City’s floating ambassador, sits docked outside the boatyard of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., on July 7. A replica of the late 17th century trading ship that brought the first settlers to what is now Maryland,