Maryland Day

The Ark & the Dove, the two ships that
brought Maryland's first settlers

Today marks the 380th anniversary of the first time that settlers landed on what we now know as Maryland (Terra Mariae). Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria was the wife of Charles I and a devout Catholic. The reason for Maryland's establishment as a colony was freedom for Catholics to practice their religion without persecution. Charles I of England granted the charter in 1632 to George Calvert but his son Cecil Calvert executed it after his father's death.

Maryland Flag Day

Maryland's state flag was officially adopted on March 9, 1904. The black and gold quadrants are the coat of arms for the Calvert family. The red and white quadrants are the coat of arms for George Calvert's maternal family, the Crosslands.

The protocols for the state flag are here.