MORE ON SHILLING AT MARYLAND COLONIAL FORT

In late 2019, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a key landmark in American history: St. Mary's Fort. A football field–sized plot of land in southern Maryland, the defensive outpost—established by English colonists in 1634—housed the first permanent European settlement in the state and the fourth such settlement in British North America.

Historic St. Mary's City publicly announced the discovery in March 2021 to much fanfare. In the months since, researchers led by Travis Parno have carefully examined additional evidence found at the site in hopes of further solidifying their claims about the fort's historic roots.

Now, Parno and his colleagues have once again struck gold—or, more accurately, silver. In late April, archaeologists announced that they'd found a rare silver coin at the fort. The shilling bears inscriptions indicating that it was minted in London between 1633 and 1634, reports Colleen Grablick for DCist.

As Michael E. Ruane writes for the Washington Post, the coin's discovery allows researchers to confidently date the dig site to 1634, the year that English settlers first arrived in Maryland.

The team also discovered a tinkling cone, or small piece of copper with a leather cord used in trade between Indigenous people and colonists, and a five saints medallion. The religious object is a remnant of early Jesuit missionary efforts in the Maryland colony. Together with the coin, notes DCist, these three diagnostic artifacts give the researchers a high degree of confidence that they have indeed discovered the correct location of St. Mary's Fort.

To read the complete articles, see:
Rare 17th-Century Coin Featuring Charles I's Likeness Found in Maryland (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-silver-coin-minted-king-charles-is-likeness-discovered-maryland-180977760/)
Rare English coin found after almost 400 years at early Maryland settlement (https://www.cnn.com/style/article/maryland-english-coin-archeology-scn-trnd/index.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CHARLES I SHILLING AT MARYLAND COLONIAL FORT (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n19a21.html)

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