What Was it Like to Live in St. Mary's City? The first English settlers learned much from the Native Americans about living in the new world. The English learned what types of crops to grow from the Native Americans, so they grew corn and tobacco. Corn was a very important crop for both the Native Americans and the settlers. Tobacco became so important the English settlers eventually used it as money. Image by Janet W. Connor, courtesy of Historic St. Mary's City Settlers and Native Americans traded for many different things. The English had iron, which was harder than any other thing the Native Americans had ever seen. The English traded iron and other items for beaver furs and for food, such as corn. St. Mary's City was built to be Maryland's first capital city. It was not at all like a city that you would think of today. In fact, it was probably more like a small neighborhood of buildings and houses. In the beginning, the English settlers lived in the homes that the Native Americans had left. Very shortly after they arrived though, the English settlers started to build their own homes. The English settlers built a fort to defend the harbor and their new settlement.