A Storehouse of Architectural Inspirations and Legacies: Examining Structure 101 at St. Mary’s Fort, Maryland

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Archaeological Imaginaries, Regional Realities: 50 Years of Work in the Chesapeake", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Over the past three years, archaeologists at Historic St. Mary’s City have revealed the footprint of a large, timber-framed building—dubbed Structure 101—located within the palisaded walls of St. Mary’s Fort (ca. 1634). Comprised of more than 70 posts and featuring a large cellar on its north end, Structure 101 played an important role in the earliest period of the colonial venture. As perhaps the first major structure erected by the English in Maryland, it is a puzzle to identify its inspirations as well as its intended purpose. This paper compares Structure 101’s architecture with that of medieval precedents in England and 17th-century buildings in St. Mary’s City and throughout the Chesapeake. In doing so, it seeks to locate architectural ancestors and offspring, positioning Structure 101 within the broader architectural conversation taking place in the 17th-century Chesapeake.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Archaeological Imaginaries, Regional Realities: 50 Years of Work in the Chesapeake

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow