St. Mary's College of Maryland Preservation Master Plan

St. Mary’s College of MarylandPreservation Master PlanHistoric St. Mary’s City February 2008colonists. Excavations were ongoing and yielded muchinformation, resulting in establishment of the first archeologylaboratory (Carr [1984]).Further land acquisition proved more arduous thanexpected; red tape, estate settlements, and a number oflawsuits delayed the process although funding was in place.This was avoided in some cases as a number of smallparcels were donated as gifts. The Nature Conservancyoffered its support and assistance in securing more landbeginning in 1968 (St. Mary’s City Commission AnnualReports 1968:6-9). By 1970, the Commission had securedthe 3.4 acre Governor’s Field site that included Brome’sWharf, 66 acres at Chancellor’s Point, and three smallersites, giving it control of over 80 acres. In 1970, stateOpen Space funds became available to further the landacquisition program (St. Mary’s City Commission AnnualReports 1970:5-6). Acquisitions continued gradually, andby 1976, the Commission had control of 473.9 acres (St.Mary’s City Commission Annual Reports 1976:3). Landsacquired sometimes contained houses and farm buildingswhich were studied and retrofitted for various operations.Although an assertive acquisition program with a “take line”goal of 1,200 acres had been established in 1970, a 1980decision by the General Assembly limited the Commission’stotal acquisitions to 863 acres, with the stipulation that anyfurther parcels would be contiguous to what the Commissionowned (Carr [1984]; King 2007). By 1983, the Commissioncontrolled over 800 acres, with numerous historic andreproduction buildings and a new Visitor’s Center (Carr[1984]).The State House was the original base of operations forthe Commission, and had a number of functions in theearly years, before additional facilities were acquired orbuilt. Along with being the primary architectural exhibit,it served as a bookshop, visitor’s center, exhibit hall, boxoffice for ticketed special events, and, in the first year, theCommission’s office (Carr [1984]). Initially, the Commissionhired a custodian and groundskeeper to care for thebuilding after John Lancaster retired in 1966, and providedtour guides and educational materials to enhance visitorexperiences. Approximately 14,621 visitors came to the StateHouse in the commission’s first fiscal year (St. Mary’s CityCommission Annual Reports 1967:1-2). Within two years,that number had increased by 3,000, despite little publicity(St. Mary’s City Commission Annual Reports 1969:5).Wood rail fencing and a parking lot were built in 1970-1971(St. Mary’s City Commission Annual Reports 1971:6). St.Mary’s College students were trained as guides as part ofa successful docent program. Visitor numbers climbed toPage 2-41