St Johns Site Museum

The St. John’s site is among the most significant historic landmarks in Maryland—and arguably in the nation. Built in 1638 for Maryland’s first Provincial Secretary, the home was one of the largest enclosed structures in the colony at the time. It served as a meeting place for colonial legislators, where they crafted policies in support of the Proprietor’s mandate to separate church and state—a groundbreaking concept established more than 150 years before the U.S. Constitution guaranteed religious freedom. Among the English colonies, this site holds particular distinction: it was where a woman first petitioned for the right to vote, and where the first individual of African descent participated in a general assembly, marking early steps toward inclusion and representation in American governance. 

RT 5 St Mary City, MD (301) 994-4370