Coffee Pot, Calvert County

From the USS Maryland Silver Service

Maker: Samuel Kirk & Sons (1815-1979)
Object: Coffee Pot, Calvert County
Date: 1906
Medium: Sterling Silver
Dimensions: Overall height, 12 1/4”, Overall width, 8 1/4”, Overall depth, 6”
Accession number(s): MSA SC 1545-0932

The USS Maryland silver service includes a four-piece coffee service that is comprised of Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s counties. The history of Calvert County is represented in the coffee pot. In 1654, Calvert County was established by an Order in Council and called Patuxent County until 1658. Its name derives from the Calvert family.

In addition to the historical scenes engraved on the coffee pot, the additional ornamentation illustrates the varied foliage of the county. The upper portion of the coffee pot is engraved with cherries, peaches, grapes and strawberries, while the scenes on the lower portion are bordered by tobacco leaves. Cornucopias form the handle and spout, while the base is adorned by oyster shells.

Scenes on the front (left to right, top to bottom):

This bell was made in 1699 and was first placed in the first Chapel of Ease, built in 1684. It was then reinstalled in the present church in 1748. It is the oldest bell in continuous use in Maryland.

The inscription of the bell reads: THE GIFT OF JOHN HOLDSWORTH TO MIDDLEHAM CHAPEL ANNO. DO. 1699.

After twelve years of design and development, the first telegraph message in the United States was transmitted on above ground poles between Washington D.C. and Baltimore on May 23, 1844. Samuel F.B. Morse sent the message "What hath God wrought” to his partner Alfred Vail.

The original transmitting and receiving sets are now at the Smithsonian Institute and are also depicted on the pieces from Baltimore City and Baltimore, St. Mary’s, Charles, Somerset, and Wicomico counties.

The historic house, “Preston at Patuxent,” overlooking the Patuxent River, was built c. 1725. The main part of the house is brick, 1 1/2 stories tall, with three dormer windows and chimneys on both ends. It was inaccurately known as the seat of Maryland's government from 1654-1657 when the colony was under control by the Puritans. This claim is attributed to a historical document that states that the Council, the Assembly, and the Provincial Court met "at Patuxent". Architectural evidence however indicates the building was constructed over 60 years later.

Preston-on-the-Patuxent was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Mulberry tree has a deep connection with Maryland’s history. It has been said that Leonard Calvert, Maryland’s first governor, met under a large Mulberry tree on Church Point in St. Mary’s City with the local inhabitants, the Yaocomaco people, to acquire their land.

Despite early initiatives to make silk production profitable, Maryland lagged behind other colonies in developing the industry. The first silk factory in Maryland was not opened until 1829, after the development of a white mulberry tree that could produce two leaf growths a year, providing enough food for the silk worms.

Mulberry sprays and silk cocoons are also portrayed on the Charles County cream pitcher.

The historic Episcopal chapel depicted on the coffee pot was constructed in 1748 and is the second one built on this site. It is one story, built in the-shape of the Greek cross with Flemish bond brick with exposed fieldstone foundations. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is one the earliest religious structures in Southern Maryland.

There is strong evidence that the present chapel was constructed with enslaved labor and that there are also enslaved individuals buried in the cemetery.

© Copyright  August 07, 2024  Maryland State Archives