Three petroglyphs arrived at the Havre de Grace museum last week and will remain on loan for the next two years.
"We love having the stones back in the area," Persson said. "You can find rock art all over the world, but it's neat to have a local example from Maryland's own Native American heritage."
The petroglyphs, exhibited in Havre de Grace, were carved into rocks weighing nearly 100 pounds each. Later Native American populations may have refined or deepened the lines but did not alter the drawings, experts theorize.
"We don't know exactly when or who, but most probably these were drawn by ancestors of tribes in the area during the 1600s," Persson said.
The heaviest stone shows a large, flat fish with lines radiating outward. Another depicts the sunburst and the third is filled with concentric circles, one of the most common petroglyphs.
"The stones say different things to different people," Hall said. "To me, they say these people were very human and thought symbolically."
The Bald Friar collection varies significantly from later petroglyphs, dating to about 1600 and found at Safe Harbor, along the river in Pennsylvania, he said. With more specific images of recognizable animals -- wild turkeys, antlered deer and birds -- those drawings are not so enigmatic and open to interpretation, he said.
Sandy Demczak, who stopped by the maritime museum last week, marveled at the stones still in shipping crates. Like Persson, she could not resist tracing the ancient lines.
"It's wild that these drawings are so old," said Demczak, a Pylesville resident. "It must be something people experienced and wanted to tell."
For Persson, whose office overlooks the Susquehanna, the drawings connect past to present.
"We are still living in the same areas, enjoying the same beautiful views of the river," she said.
mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com
Hall's lecture begins at 2 p.m. at the museum, 100 Lafayette St. Information at hdgmaritime museum.org or 410-939-4800. Visitors are asked to make a $2 donation.
