The slab of metal came out of the ground dirty and corroded after more than 300 years in the soil of rural Maryland.
Maryland
Rare armor unearthed at site of 17th-century fort in Maryland
What they found late last year was a rare piece of 17th-century armor called a tasset, which was designed to hang from a breastplate and protect one of the wearer’s thighs during battle.
It had been brought by the first European colonists who arrived in the mid-1600s to establish one of the earliest settlements in what would become the United States.
“The X-ray, everybody went nuts over that,” said Travis Parno, director of research and collections at Historic St. Mary’s City, this month. “… It really just brought the whole thing to life.”
It was one of a series of recent discoveries to come out of a major archaeological project that in 2021 discovered the outlines of the long-lost palisaded fort erected in Maryland by the first White settlers in 1634.
In March, the project unearthed the skeleton of a teenager with leg fractures who may have been among the first arrivals.
The archaeologists have also dug up, among other things, a pair of 17th-century scissors, a decorative braid made of metal thread that may have been on a glove or a coat, and the outline of a large building the settlers erected shortly after they landed.
The structure outline marks “one of the largest buildings from this early colonial period that we’ve ever found,” Parno said. “And given the time period, that it’s 1630s, absolutely one of the earliest and largest buildings ever built in colonial Maryland.”
“But the question of ‘what is it?’” has been a mystery, he said in a telephone interview. “Was it somebody’s home? Was it a public building? Did it have a religious function? A civic function? A military function?”
Early accounts say the colonists started building the fort’s storehouse and guardhouse while they were still living aboard the Ark and the Dove, the ships that brought them from Britain across the Atlantic Ocean and up the St. Mary’s River in March 1634.
Parno said that early in the dig the archaeologists spotted what looked like the imprint of a cellar, which they think was used for storage and later for refuse.
They started excavating and realized that the cellar was attached to a large building — indicated by the pattern of stains in the earth left by timber posts.
It had several rooms, and because the timbers seemed to have been large and sturdy, it may have been a story and a half in height, he said.
But it had no fireplace, so it probably wasn’t a home or a guardhouse, which would need heat. Musket parts and 1,200 pieces of lead shot were found in two rooms that may have housed armaments.
But most of the shot was buckshot or smaller, for hunting not combat, he said.
There were also numerous glass and stone trade beads from Europe and Asia that were probably used for commerce with local Native Americans.
Parno said all of this suggested a storehouse for the first 150 colonists, who included many English Catholics fleeing Protestant persecution back home.
Its discovery is important, he said: “This is one of the first things the colonists did when they got off the boat.”
The tasset was found in the excavation of the cellar, which became a trash pit later, after the demise of the storehouse.
It was decorated with rivets making the shapes of three hearts and was probably part of a set of armor that included a second tasset — there was one for each leg — a metal breastplate and a helmet, Parno said.
No other pieces have turned up, but a fragment of a tasset was found elsewhere at St. Mary’s about 40 years ago. Metal helmets and breastplates have been found at the 17th-century colonial site of Jamestown, Va.
The colonists brought many things on their journey: food, tools, weapons, armor. As they experienced life in southern Maryland, they adjusted. Archaeologists think tassets may have been items the colonists found were no longer useful.
Finding the tasset “tells us there was body armor here in the colony,” Parno said. “It also tells us [the colonists] were adapting to the environment. The tassets may have been something that were discarded because they were deemed unnecessary.”
“They’re heavy,” he said. “It’s a hot, humid environment. So you get rid of the tassets. … You keep your breastplate, though, because that’s protecting your core.”
As for the other artifacts, the metal braid was probably made with silver thread, a very rare find, he said. “This is incredibly, incredibly fine silver-like thread that has been wound into this kind of braid.”
“We found about six or seven clusters of metallic fiber,” he said. “Somebody at some point threw away at least one, possibly two, articles of clothing” decorated with the braid. It could have been on a pair of gloves or a saddle or a uniform.
St. Mary’s became Maryland’s first capital and was home to the first State House.
But the fort did not last long. It was built in 1634, but after 1642, mentions of it in the records all but vanish, Parno said. “We know at least by [1645] but apparently as early as 1642 the fort’s not there anymore.”
The original settlement at St. Mary’s was later abandoned, too. The capital moved to Annapolis in the 1690s, and the site was left undisturbed and ripe for archaeology.
Parno said there could be a dozen or more structures still to be found within the perimeter of the fort.
“We’re scratching the surface,” he said. “We’ve got years ahead of us to dig into this time period.”
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
Related
Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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