THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY - ALL CRIME, ALL THE TIMEGRAVEROBBERS RETURN THE DEAD REMAINS STOLEN FROM THEIR LEAD COFFINS IN 1992 AT ST. MARY’S CITY

The anxious souvenir seekers peer at the coffins as the sacriligious acts of grave robbing take place with the blessing of the government, and a
rogue bishop.

The Lead Coffin crowd of gruesome grave robbers in 1992, as the remains of Gov. Cecil Calvert are exhumed to fanfare, as a select few can’t wait to check for valuables buried with colonial officials. ST. MARY’S TODAY photo

Graverobbers by any other name. Officials are ready to dig up the grave of the Colonial Governor of Maryland. 1992 John Wright
ST. MARY’S TODAY

THE RINGLEADERS OF THE GRAVEROBBERS

Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, St. Mary’s City Director Burt Kumerow, and Historic St. Mary’s City Chairman Ben Bradlee at the digging up of the lead coffins of Gov. Cecil Calvert and his family to turn them into tourist attractions. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

GRAVEROBBERS RETURN THE DEAD REMAINS STOLEN FROM THEIR LEAD COFFINS IN 1992

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, Historic St. Mary’s City will host the Ceremony of Return: Reinterment at the Brick Chapel.

This solemn and historic event will see the respectful return of individuals once buried at the chapel, including Philip Calvert, Anne Wolsey Calvert, and the infant son of Philip Calvert, alongside more than fifty others who were laid to rest there between 1634 and 1730.

People are encouraged to arrive at the HSMC State House between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. At 10:10 a.m., cannon fire from Maryland Dove will signal the start of the solemn half-mile procession from the State House to the Brick Chapel Exhibit, led by a horse-drawn hearse, heritage societies, and descendants of early Marylanders.

St. Mary’s City brick chapel with crane. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

Please note: Seating will not be available inside the Brick Chapel Exhibit. The full program—including remarks, historical reflections, and the Rite of Reinterment performed by Archbishop William Lori—will be live-streamed in a tent just outside the chapel, where guests are encouraged to gather. A light reception will follow at the Margaret Brent Pavilion.

The event is free, but registration is strongly recommended: https://tinyurl.com/yc7h6evh

The reconstructed brick chapel of the first Roman Catholic Church that was ordered closed by the Royal Governor of Maryland in 1705. The Royal Governor of Maryland banned all Catholic masses, and all services were secretly held in private homes. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

St. Mary’s City became a tourist attraction when the lead coffins were exhumed. Network TV satellite trucks blossomed in the Chapel field. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

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