ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. — Nearly 400-year-old remains of a teen were found at St. Mary's Fort site. The human remains are thought to be the oldest colonial burial in Maryland.
The Historic St. Mary's City Department of Research and Collections said the remains belong to a European man, believed to have been buried in the late 1630's.
The remains were found about 30 feet outside of what once was St. Mary's Fort.
Estimations show he was 15 or 16-years-old at the time of his death.
The person was buried directly in the ground without a coffin or burial shroud. His lack of burial could speak to not having family or people who cared for him in the colony.
The remains will undergo cleaning and be transported to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for further analysis by Owlsley and Bruwelheide.
The site is currently closed to tours and public access due to the ongoing removal of remains.
There is no word on when the site will reopen at this time.
