{"id":643,"date":"2018-02-20T20:07:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T20:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/?page_id=643"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:20:05","slug":"seven-wonders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/location\/seven-wonders\/","title":{"rendered":"The Seven Wonders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seven Wonders<\/strong> of St. Mary's<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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The seven wonders of St. Mary\u2019s College of Maryland are important landmarks on campus which are known for their historical significance and link to student traditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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CHURCH<\/strong> POINT<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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One of the oldest of the seven wonders,<\/p>\n

Church Point<\/strong> probably existed long before the Calverts landed in 1634.\u00a0 It\u2019s a popular hub for student recreation and campfire gatherings. Over the years the Point has lost land to shoreline erosion, which is why it serves as a reminder for the community to continue its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.<\/a><\/p>\n

Church Point, Winter 2015<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

THE HIDDEN GRAVE<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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The most mysterious of the seven wonders,<\/p>\n

The \u201cHidden Grave<\/strong>\u201d is meant to be found by first year students. The first mention of the \u201cHidden Grave\u201d appears in 1959 in The Signal News student newspaper, but alumni have mentioned it as far back as 1956. Can you figure out which grave it is?<\/p>\n

Where is the Hidden Grave?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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THE GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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Located near Kent Hall,<\/p>\n

The Garden of Remembrance<\/strong> is a beautiful place to sit, contemplate, and gaze at the St. Mary\u2019s River. The Garden was built and dedicated in 1934 as a showpiece for the Tercentenary celebration marking the 300th anniversary of St. Mary\u2019s City\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n

The Garden of Remembrance, throughout all four seasons<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

THE FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE STATUE<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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The Freedom of Conscience Statue can be seen from the intersection of Route 5 and Trinity Church Road.<\/p>\n

The statue was commissioned by the state for the 300th anniversary celebration. Many a prank has been played on this campus icon over the years, including but not limited to, extra articles of clothing appearing overnight. In the 1960s during \u201cRat Week<\/strong>,\u201d new students had to scrub the statue with toothbrushes. Famous sculptor Hans Schuler, Sr. carved the statue.<\/p>\n

Freedom of Conscience Statue<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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ST. JOHN\u2019S POND<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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Located between the Hilda C. Landers Library and Queen Anne Hall,<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s Pond<\/strong> is a landmark on campus that students pass by every day on their way to the campus center.\u00a0St. John\u2019s Pond was used as a harbor for the colonists in the 17th century and connected to Mill Creek, the swampy area behind Dorchester Hall. Students used it for ice skating as early as the 1930s. In 1970, the tradition of \u201cponding\u201d first entered the historical record. \u201cPonding\u201d is a birthday tradition where students are thrown into the pond. Half-Birthdays are not forgotten if they fall during the warm months.<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s Pond daytime and sunset<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

THE BELL<\/strong> TOWER<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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Located near the fifth wonder, St. John\u2019s Pond,<\/p>\n

The Bell Tower<\/strong> stands as a remembrance of Seahawks who have passed away. It was dedicated in 1980 by the College Foundation. Student use started almost immediately after the tower was built as the starting point for Frisbee golf tournaments and continues to be a golf hole today. Many students have tried to climb to the top of the tower, but few are successful.<\/p>\n

The Bell Tower on a sunny day<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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THE SHOE<\/strong> TREE<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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Standing between Prince George and Dorchester residence halls,<\/p>\n

The Shoe Tree<\/strong> tradition was started around 1983-1986. It originally started as a living legacy for students to celebrate their memorable firsts.The earliest shoes may have been thrown up there in 1977 or 1978 by a Frisbee golfer.<\/p>\n

The Shoe tree in all its glory.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The seven wonders of St. Mary\u2019s College of Maryland are important landmarks on campus which are known for their historical significance and link to student traditions. One of the oldest of the seven wonders, Church Point probably existed long before the Calverts landed in 1634.\u00a0 It\u2019s a popular hub for student recreation and campfire gatherings. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":645,"parent":1019,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"full-width-content","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-643","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/643\/revisions\/1319"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}