Programs

RELIGION IN EARLY MARYLAND: AMERICA'S FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Sponsored by The Society of The Ark and The Dove Early Maryland had one of the most religiously diverse populations in the colonies, as the variety of extant churches, meeting houses, and chapels makes evident. This illustrated lecture by Henry Miller reviews the history of religious freedom in Early Maryland, including the circumstances surrounding passage of the famous "Act Concerning Religion." Evidence from the archaeological investigation of the Brick Chapel of ca. 1667 at St. Mary's City is used to better understand the changing nature of America's first experiment with religious freedom. Adult audiences. Requires slide projector and screen; Power Point presentation can be made upon request.

Henry Miller is Director of Research for Maryland's state museum at St. Mary's City, the founding site and seventeenth-century capital of Lord Baltimore's colony. He is an historical archaeologist with over thirty years of experience in the Chesapeake region and work on colonial Maryland. His research interests include colonial architecture, foods, ceramics, the domestic landscape, and city design. Dr. Miller has a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in the field of Anthropology.