Mathias de Sousa - St Mary's, MD - Maritime Monuments and Memorials on Waymarking.com

Photos taken on 18 December 2021. The relief is located at the top of a bonze plaque and measures roughly 2 inches by 3 inches. It features a relief of what Mathias de Sousa would have likely looked liked in 1634 when he was brought to these shores as a slave. The plaque says, "Mathias de Sousa was the first black Marylander. Of African and Portuguese descent, he was one of nine indentured servants brought to Maryland by Jesuit missionaries and was on The Ark when Lord Baltimore’s expedition arrived in the St. Mary’s River in 1634. His indenture finished by 1638 and he became a mariner and fur trader. In 1641 he commanded a trading voyage north to the Susquehannock Indians and, in 1642, sailed as master of a ketch belonging to the Provincial Secretary John Lewger. De Sousa departed and returned to this river many times. He anchored near here and walked to Lewger’s Manor House at St. John’s. While living there he served in the 1642 legislative assembly of freemen. No record remains of de Sousa’s activities after 1642 but his legacy of courage and success is regarded with great pride by all the citizens of St. Mary’s County and Maryland."

List if there are any visiting hours: 24/7 Entrance fees (if any): Free Date dedicated: 10/12/1984 Sponsor(s): St. Mary's County 350th Celebration Committee Relevent website: Not listed Parking coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Please submit at least one photo taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). Photos of yourself are preferred, but GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background. Old vacation photos are also allowed. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit. Please list anything that has changed since the waymark was created.

When taking photos at the memorials in this category, please keep in mind the nature of the location and do not post "goofy" or disrespectful pictures.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/19/2015 Searcher28 visited it