Skip to Main Content

Water Pitcher, St. Mary’s County

From the USS Maryland Silver Service

Water Pitcher, St. Mary’s County

Maker: Samuel Kirk & Sons (1815-1979)
Objects: Water Pitcher,  St. Mary’s County
Date: 1906
Medium: Sterling Silver
Dimensions: Overall height, 15; Overall width, 7 1/8; Diameter of base, 3 ½”
Accession number(s): MSA SC 1545-0927-1

Saint Mary’s County, Maryland’s first county, is represented by this elaborately decorated water pitcher. The first English settlers landed at St. Clement's Island in the Potomac River on the southwestern side of present-day St. Mary's County on March 25, 1634 to establish Lord Baltimore's Maryland. The passengers had set sail on the Ark and the Dove from the Isle of Wight on November 22, 1633. The County was established in 1637 and named in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Mary’s City served as the capital of Maryland until 1694 when the capital relocated to Annapolis.

The scenes on the water pitcher commemorate the early history of the county, and each scene is framed by festoons of tobacco leaves. The figure of St. George, the only applied figure in the entire service, was chosen to represent religious tolerance. Wreaths of native foliage surround the Great Seal and the Cruiser, while a cornucopia at the base of the handle contains native fruits and vegetables. Oyster shells surround the base.

Scenes

(left to right, top to bottom):
1. Slaves rolling hogsheads of tobacco along “rolling roads” (number 38)
2. First steel pen (number 45)??
3. Great Seal of Maryland
4.  The first telegraph set (number 46)
5. St. George and the Dragon, symbolizing religious toleration (number 43)
6. Site of St. Mary’s (number 39)
7. Settlement at St. Mary’s [landing of the Ark and the Dove] (number 41)

Scenes on the reverse

(left to right, top to bottom):
1. Slave quarters (number 40)
2. First steel pen (number 45)??
3. USS Maryland cruiser
4. Cokesbury Bell [from Cokesbury College; now at Goucher College] (number 44)
5. Leonard Calvert Monument (number 42)

This web site is presented for reference purposes under the doctrine of fair use. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: The site may contain material from other sources which may be under copyright. Rights assessment, and full originating source citation, is the responsibility of the user.
<

© Copyright January 25, 2024 Maryland State Archives