It was the first place in Maryland that English settlers stepped foot in 1634. St. Clement’s Island, a true island in the Potomac River, is reachable by water taxi. Soon, a state-of-the-art new museum will show off its important state history more fully.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, Maryland, broke ground on the St. Clement’s Island Museum Project on Tuesday. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of construction on the two-story museum building.
Located on the east shore of the Potomac overlooking St. Clement’s Island itself, the museum has always told the story of the Ark and the Dove, departing from the Isle of Wight in England on the feast day of St. Clement, who is the patron saint of mariners. It details the 16th- and 17th-century religious and political issues that led First Lord Baltimore George Calvert to found a colony in Maryland. Written accounts paint an in-depth picture of the grueling Atlantic crossing, in which the settlers braved pirates and storms, and the landing at St. Clement’s Island.
The new museum will expand on the current offerings, to include a redesigned exhibit space incorporating the voices of the Piscataway Nation, children’s activity room, and a new exhibit on Maryland’s founding developed with the Smithsonian Institution, ahead of the state’s 400th anniversary in 2034. It will also feature a lighthouse-inspired circular staircase, and will retain the 20-foot-wide First Landing mural depicting the colonial settlers.
W.M. Davis, Inc., based locally in St. Mary’s County, will build the new 9,450 square foot, two-story museum on the same footprint as the current museum. Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 26, the existing St. Clement’s Island Museum building will close to the public for the duration of the project. The new museum is estimated to be finished in December 2026.
While the museum is closed, visitors can still ride the seasonally-operated water taxi (open 10am- 2pm through Oct. 31), and the museum store will also be open. To check on the status of annual and regular museum events, which may be relocated or paused, visit the museum website or Facebook.com/SCIMuseum.
“While the building itself will temporarily close, the heart of the museum—its mission to share and preserve our rich history—remains open,” said Karen E. Stone, St. Mary’s County Museum Division Manager.
