Maryland Day
Maryland Day is a state holiday in Maryland, observed on March 25 each year. It marks the day in 1634 when the first European settlers landed on St. Clement’s Island in the Potomac River, beginning the Maryland Colony. About 150 settlers traveled from Gravesend, England on two ships, The Ark and The Dove. Jesuit priests joined them, and Mass was celebrated by Father Andrew White. The colony was led by Leonard Calvert, under the authority of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.
The landing happened on the Feast of the Annunciation and reflected England’s old calendar, which treated March 25 as the start of the new year. The settlers later moved downriver and founded St. Mary’s City as the colony’s capital near where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland Day was first observed in 1903 to promote history education, and in 1916 the Maryland General Assembly made it an official holiday. Today, celebrations take place mainly in Historic St. Mary’s City in St. Mary’s County and around the Four Rivers Heritage Area, with events at about 20 sites during Maryland’s Birthday weekend. An annual ceremony is held at a statue of Cecil Calvert in Baltimore.
The 2020 Maryland Day celebration was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:04 (CET).