April 2026 CCASM Meeting

April 16, 2026 (7 PM) 

Is It or Isn't It?: In Search of the Early Jesuit Mission at Potopaco

It can be hard to recognize Maryland's earliest English settlements, especially those on the far frontier. Archaeological investigations in 2023 and 2024 at St. Thomas Manor, a Jesuit plantation established ca. 1638 along the Port Tobacco River, revealed a smattering of artifacts from the 17th century. Taking the form of a whodunit, this presentation marshals documentary and archaeological evidence and invites audience participation to solve this compelling mystery: who were the Jesuit priests who left behind these ephemeral traces and what does this tell us about the first decades of life on the colonial frontier?

Dr. Julia King
Professor of Anthropology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

A Zoom link will be sent to CCASM members who can not attend in person.  Non-members will need to email ccasm2010@gmail.com by April 14 to request the link.

Location: La Plata Police Department Community Room, 101 La Grange Ave, La Plata, MD (map)
Parking is on the north side of the building (but not behind where the police cars are), on the street, and in the lot across the street.


Inclement weather policy: If the evening activities of the Charles County Public Schools are canceled due to inclement weather, CCASM meetings and/or activities will also be canceled or else be conducted via Zoom if a link has already been set up.
Call the 24-hour information line [301-934-7410 or 301-932-6656] to hear if there are any closure announcements. If there aren't any closure announcements, then CCASM activities will proceed as planned.