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More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     de Packh, Mary,     Copeland, Peter,     Portrait male -- de Sousa, Mathias     Ethnic -- African American     State of Being -- Other     Occupation -- Hunter     Occupation -- Transportation     Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- St. Mary's City     Relief     Sculpture

Mathias de Sousa Memorial, (sculpture). Artist:  de Packh, Mary, sculptor. Copeland, Peter, designer. Title:  Mathias de Sousa Memorial, (sculpture). Dates:  Dedicated Oct. 12, 1987. Medium:  Plaque: bronze; Base: stone. Dimensions:  Overall: approx. 5 ft. 4 in. x 5 ft. 9 in. x 3 ft. 2 in.; Plaque: approx. 2 ft. x 18 in. x 1 in. Inscription:  (On relief plaque, beneath relief:) Mathias de Sousa was the first black Marylander. Of African and Portugese 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. Marys River in 1634. His indenture was finished in 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 freeman. No record remains of de Sousa's activities after 1642 but his legacy of courage and success is regarded with great pride by all citizens of St. Mary's County and Maryland. Placed at St. Mary's City, Maryland, by the St. Mary's County 350th Celebration Committee. October 12, 1987 unsigned Description:  A rectangular commemorative plaque with small bas-relief portrait bust of Mathias de Sousa wearing a cap and pendant. The plaque is mounted on a large, roughed-edged rock. Subject:  Portrait male -- de Sousa, Mathias -- Bust Ethnic -- African American State of Being -- Other -- Enslaved Occupation -- Hunter -- Trapper Occupation -- Transportation -- Sailor Object Type:  Outdoor Sculpture -- Maryland -- St. Mary's City Relief Sculpture Owner:  Administered by Historic St. Mary's City Commission, P. O. Box 39, St. Mary's City, Maryland 20686 Located St. Mary's River waterfront, below Reconstructed State House, St. Mary's City, Maryland 20686 Remarks:  Mathias de Sousa, of African and Portuguese descent, is known as the first black Marylander. He was brought to Maryland as an indentured servant in 1634, and eventually became a mariner and fur trader. While living in St. John's, he served in the 1642 legislative assembly of freemen. The memorial was funded by the Maryland National Humanities Council. It was dedicated as part of the 350th anniversary of St. Mary's County. IAS files contain a 1987 leaflet about the memorial from Historic's St. Mary's City. References:  Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland survey, 1993. Illustration:  Image on file. Note:  The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide. Repository:  Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number:  IAS MD000457   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Sculpture MD000457 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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