Historic St

ST. PETERSBURG -- A $180 million shipping infrastructure master plan to revitalize the seaport of this great city, Russia's main outlet to the Baltic Sea, is acting as a magnet for growing investment.Privatization and the decline of the obsolete industries in the former communist-dominated countries around the highly polluted Baltic are already reflected in the slow but significant recovery of the sensitive marine ecosystem.Funds for the harbor extension and privatization scheme are being raised by the port and city authorities, the Russian government and various banks.

There's a lot more to the Maryland Day celebration at Historic St. Mary's City on Sunday than just honoring the 376th anniversary of Maryland's founding. St. Mary's City is a living history museum and has four sites that immerse visitors in 17th-century life. Maryland Day is March 25, commemorating the day the first colonists, who sailed in on the Ark and Dove, landed on St. Clements Island in 1634. However, the museum celebrates it on the Sunday closest to that date, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all exhibits and events free to the public.

ST. MARY'S CITY -- It's a tiff by the standards of battle established in this settlement in the 17th century, when fences were burned, livestock slaughtered and homes pillaged. But two groups dedicated to preserving the history of this place have drawn lines in the earth over a plan to move a house.On one side stands the Historic St. Mary's City Commission, the official, government-funded keeper of the state's oldest Colonial village. The commission has decided to move a 19th-century house because it says the house doesn't fit in a restored 17th-century village.

ST. MARY'S CITY -Henry Miller's assignment might have been hopeless. As research director for Historic St. Mary's City, he was expected to guide the reconstruction of the first Roman Catholic house of worship in English America, for which no drawings or even written descriptions have ever been found. All that was left of the 1667 Brick Chapel in Maryland's first Colonial capital were its huge, 3-foot-thick brick foundation and thousands of fragments of glass, lead, brick and plaster sifted from the soil during 20 years of painstaking archaeology.

More than one visitor has arrived at Historic St. Mary's City and, scanning the horizon with hand to brow, asked, "So, where's the city?" This short question has a long answer. Maryland's first capital perished long ago in a conspiracy of politics, time and nature. But meticulous research and modern archaeology are restoring the city and its tale of 17th-century life in the Chesapeake area. Visitors to the 840-acre site can see Maryland life as it was then. Costumed interpreters, exhibits and living history demonstrations allow you to immerse yourself in the Colonial experience.

"The Pirates of Penzance," the swashbuckling musical by Gilbert and Sullivan, is being performed outdoors on the shores of St. Mary's River in historic St. Mary's City.Performed by InterAct, a professional theater group from Washington, the show (Aug. 1-4) is being produced jointly by St. Mary's College and the Historic St. Mary's City Museum. Audience members are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

Giving Thanks at Historic St. Mary's CityFor a look at how our Colonial ancestors celebrated the end of the harvest season, attend "Giving Thanks: Hearth and Home in Early Maryland" tomorrow and Saturday at Historic St. Mary's City, an outdoor living history museum at the site where Maryland's first settlement and capital were founded in 1634.The museum-wide exploration of 17th-century food-ways includes demonstrations of hearth cooking, pickling meats and vegetables, preserving fruits, dairying, smoking and drying.

In 1695, the biggest and most fashionable private residence in St. Mary's City, and one of the most impressive in all of English America, was mysteriously blown apart by 900 pounds of gunpowder stored in its cellar.The mansion -- called St. Peter's Freehold by its owner, Maryland Chancellor Philip Calvert -- was never rebuilt. Maryland's capital was moved from St. Mary's to Annapolis, the settlement vanished beneath farmers' plows, and the location and appearance of St. Peter's were forgotten.

Old days, old waysIf one day of giving thanks for the holiday season isn't enough, the Historic St. Mary's City outdoor museum will present its post-Thanksgiving event, "Giving Thanks: Hearth and Home in Early Maryland," tomorrow and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.The 17th century exploration day includes hearth cooking demonstrations. Other hands-on opportunities will be given at the Woodland Indian Hamlet and the Spray Tobacco Plantation.The Maryland Dove will set sail to the colonies and the galley will prepare the "ship's fare" with bean pottage, cooked greens and hard tack.

A cappella festival Celebrate the original musical instrument -- the human voice -- and cheer on competitors Saturday at the Mid-Atlantic Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival at George Washington University in Washington. The festival will feature eight singing groups. The host is Minimum Wage, last year's Mid-Atlantic champions and third-place winners at the National Harmony Sweepstakes. The festival starts at 8 p.m. in George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. N.W. Washington.

ST. MARY'S CITY - It is hard to believe today, but 350 years ago - before malaria and shifting political tides ran it into the ground - this tiny settlement was a thriving laboratory for democracy. Now, St. Mary's City, Maryland's first capital, is making a bid to reclaim that status. In an alliance, historic St. Mary's City and adjacent St. Mary's College of Maryland have embarked on a mission to put the Chesapeake Bay village back on the map. The commission that oversees the town's ruins and the college have won state approval for a $65 million expansion that will include new tourist offerings, archaeological offices and college buildings.

Long before Maryland had a State House in Annapolis, its leaders met on a tobacco plantation called St. John's Freehold in the original state capital, St. Mary's City. The owner was John Lewger, a former Anglican priest who became the first provincial secretary for the Maryland colony in 1638. Representing the first Lord Baltimore, Cecil Calvert, Lewger built a manor house that was both a residence for himself and a gathering place for leaders of the fledgling colony. It later was used as the residence of a Dutch merchant, the home of a governor, and a succession of inns.

An Annapolis Chorale performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" showcased historic St. Anne's Episcopal Church's restored look Saturday. In this beautifully refurbished setting that cost more than $1 million, the beginning of Holy Week was celebrated with Bach's majestic oratorio, sung to words of the Gospel describing Christ's betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion and entombment. St. Anne's dates to Bach's era - the original church was built on the site in 1692, seven years after the composer's birth.

Christmas at Longwood Gardens Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, Pa., burst into bloom for the holiday season today, and visitors can marvel at the colorful and sparkling display through Jan. 7. Thousands of brilliant poinsettias, towering trees, fragrant flowers and exotic plants fill four acres of gardens inside Longwood's glass conservatory along with decorated trees and wreaths. And daily concerts, outdoor fountain shows and evening light displays add to the holiday magic. The gardens, off U.S. 1 three miles northeast of Kennett Square, Pa., are open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - the conservatory opens at 10 a.m., including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $12 for adults ($8 Tuesdays)

A cappella festival Celebrate the original musical instrument -- the human voice -- and cheer on competitors Saturday at the Mid-Atlantic Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival at George Washington University in Washington. The festival will feature eight singing groups. The host is Minimum Wage, last year's Mid-Atlantic champions and third-place winners at the National Harmony Sweepstakes. The festival starts at 8 p.m. in George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. N.W. Washington.

More than one visitor has arrived at Historic St. Mary's City and, scanning the horizon with hand to brow, asked, "So, where's the city?" This short question has a long answer. Maryland's first capital perished long ago in a conspiracy of politics, time and nature. But meticulous research and modern archaeology are restoring the city and its tale of 17th-century life in the Chesapeake area. Visitors to the 840-acre site can see Maryland life as it was then. Costumed interpreters, exhibits and living history demonstrations allow you to immerse yourself in the Colonial experience.

Colonial ThanksgivingDiscover how the end of the harvest was celebrated in Colonial times during "Giving Thanks: Hearth and Home in Early Maryland" this weekend at Historic St. Mary's City, an outdoor living history museum. The museum-wide exploration of 17th-century food and cooking includes demonstrations of hearth cooking, pickling meats and vegetables, preserving fruits, dairying and drying. Visitors are encouraged to help by churning butter, shucking beans, grinding corn and more.The program is presented from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday.

Three decades of archaeology at Historic St. Mary's City -- the site of Maryland's vanished 17th-century capital -- have produced some extraordinary glimpses into the lives of Maryland's first settlers. But tourists and their dollars remain scarce.Except for a reconstructed statehouse and tavern, and a small museum, most traces of the Colonial village remain buried in the ground, or in the imagination.In its latest bid to jump-start the state-owned tourist outpost with new money and leadership, the Historic St. Mary's City Commission has hired a museum heavyweight to be its next executive director -- its third in five years.

The remains of St. John's House are crumbling, and with them go the last traces of the 1638 building where a Marylander cast the first votes by a black man in any New World legislature.The 361-year-old archaeological site, on the campus of St. Mary's College in Southern Maryland, has been designated as the first in a series of endangered objects and places nominated to compete for preservation grants under the new "Save Maryland's Treasures" campaign.The effort is sponsored by the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, and a coalition of state agencies, nonprofit organizations and private corporations.

Three decades of archaeology at Historic St. Mary's City -- the site of Maryland's vanished 17th-century capital -- have produced some extraordinary glimpses into the lives of Maryland's first settlers. But tourists and their dollars remain scarce.Except for a reconstructed statehouse and tavern, and a small museum, most traces of the Colonial village remain buried in the ground, or in the imagination.In its latest bid to jump-start the state-owned tourist outpost with new money and leadership, the Historic St. Mary's City Commission has hired a museum heavyweight to be its next executive director -- its third in five years.