Demonstrations and Tours
**Schedule and exhibit availability subject to change**
Calvert House Tours
2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
($5 fee for the tour)
Experience a behind-the-scenes archaeology tour at the Calvert House dig site located at the Town Center of HSMC. The archaeological work is only the first step with the ultimate goal of creating a cutting-edge interpretive exhibit to be built on and around the Calvert House site.
A costumed interpreter will give an introduction to the site, and then an archaeologist will invite the visitors to see the dig site and what they have discovered.
Every Saturday in March, April, May, and June
Spend your Saturday exploring the stories uncovered across Maryland’s first capital. Spring Saturdays offer guided tours throughout the afternoon, highlighting archaeology, landscapes, and the iconic structures that shape the site. Choose one tour or enjoy more than one during your visit.
$5 per participant (ages 6 and under free) for all tours.
Space is limited. Registration required upon admission purchase.
Ghost Frame Walking Tours
12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. | Approx. 45 minutes
Explore the striking “Ghost Frames” that mark the locations of 17th-century buildings across the landscape. Learn how archaeological discoveries revealed what once stood here and uncover the stories behind these distinctive features.
Meet at Farthing’s Picnic Area.
For all ages.
Changing Landscapes Tour
1:00 p.m. | Approx. 1 hour
This guided tour highlights recent archaeological discoveries at St. Mary’s Fort and sites representing more than 8,000 years of continuous Native presence. Guests will gain an introductory understanding of how Indigenous communities and European settlers interacted during the 1600s, while seeing how the landscape continues to reveal new stories.
Guests should be prepared to walk over uneven terrain, including an active excavation site.
DEMONSTRATIONS:
Demonstrations are 20 – 30 minutes in length
11:30 am BUILDING SHELTERS: the Yacocomico way. At the Woodland Indian Hamlet, explore how the Yacocomico people may have constructed their homes. Through experimental archaeology, interpreters test tools and methods to uncover how these shelters were built and maintained.
12:30 pm PRINTING PRESS. Meet at the Print House to see a movable type printing press in action, and learn about three Maryland women who used this type of machine to change the course of history.
1:30 pm GUNNERY. Learn how sailors would have communicated using ship’s cannons. For those with sound sensitivity, be aware there will be a loud bang heard throughout the museum.
2:30 pm WOODWORKING. Discover how 17th-century craftsmen built homes using basic carpentry skills. Join us for a brief exploration of 1600s Maryland, highlighting the use of essential tools like the froe, adze, and drawknife in constructing a house.