Celebrate Maryland Day on March 25
The public is invited to celebrate the founding of Maryland at the state’s birthplace, St. Clement’s Island, on Maryland Day, March 25, 2025.
St. Clement’s Island Museum will offer a day of fun from 10am to 5pm, including free museum admission, kids’ activities, free water taxi rides (9am to 2pm), lighthouse tours, a food truck, and special exhibits. The event also will include a public ceremony at 2pm on the mainland and a public Mass on the island at 10am commemorating the first Mass said in the English-speaking New World.
Maryland Day commemorates the first landing of English colonists on St. Clement’s Island on March 25, 1634 – a significant part of St. Mary’s County’s and the state of Maryland’s story. The St. Clement’s Island Museum, which sits just a half mile from the island from which it takes its name, interprets the stories of the island and surrounding Colton’s Point from colonial times until the present.
The museum is at 38370 Point Breeze Road.
Celebrating Maryland Day at the Museum
The day will begin at 10am with Mass on St. Clement’s Island, featuring students from Father Andrew White School in Leonardtown, who will serve as the choir and cantors.
At 2pm, the official Maryland Day ceremony will take place on the mainland at the museum. The ceremony will feature an interpreter portraying Father Andrew White, who will make the yearly ceremonial presentation of gifts from the English to the Indigenous Peoples. A small public reception will follow the ceremony.
Back on the mainland, a food truck will be available from 11am to 3pm. Attendees are encouraged to explore the museum, as admission is waived for the day.
Also, starting on Maryland Day, the museum officially kicks off water taxi operation to St. Clement’s Island State Park. Boat rides occur most days through October 31. Visit www.stmaryscountymd.gov/watertaxi for more information.
For more information, call 301-769-2222. For hours of operation, programs, admission prices, and more, visit Facebook.com/SCIMuseum.
