When you read about the founding of Maryland, inevitably you hear of the two ships, the Ark and the Dove, that brought Leonard Calvert and the first colonists to the Chesapeake. If you think about the Biblical story evoked by those names, you won’t be surprised to learn that the Ark was a large ship, carrying the colonists and all their supplies, while the Dove was a much smaller vessel. Both made the Atlantic crossing, but the Dove was specifically designed for service after arrival: sailing up and down local waterways, transporting food and building materials, and trading with other colonists in Virginia and New England.

This relief carving, displayed on the replica ship the Maryland Dove, illustrates the difference. (Photo: Margaret Yocom, 2013)

The Maryland Dove, which you can visit at Historic St. Mary’s City, is not a replica of the Dove, but was built to exemplify a typical 17th c. inter-coastal trading vessel. (Photo: Margaret Yocom, 2013)