Picture Yourself in History
George Washington slept here. So did four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Thurgood Marshall, too.
But making history takes more than a few big names.
History is made by being there. The weight of that daily job is carried by multitudes of people whose names are forgotten.
How many of Lord Baltimore’s colonists can you name? George and Leonard Calvert? Matthias Sousa? Andrew White, Jesuit? How about James Barefoote, Gentleman. Ann Cox, Gentlewoman, Anne Smithson-Norman or Mary Jennings — the only three women on the passenger list of the Arc and Dove?
Yet 381 years after their arrival on a tiny island in a big river in an unknown world, Maryland Day reminds us to open the book of Maryland history, consider the names, ways and deeds written there and add our own to the continuing list.
In our times, we celebrate Maryland Day as a three-day party to commemorate their March 25, 1643, landing.
Both of Maryland’s capital counties — Anne Arundel and St. Mary’s — join in the fun. Historic sites, businesses and neighborhoods invite you to experience their part of the long story.
“Many of our sites are reopening for the season this weekend and have planned for months to be ready to welcome you,” said Carol Benson, director of the Four Rivers Heritage Area. “There are brand-new exhibits, special performances and lectures, walking tours, hands-on experiences and more, all offered for a dollar or free. It’s a great opportunity to get out and learn something new, and have fun too.”
Maryland Day is affordable family fun. Many activities are free; the top price is $1. Returns are great, in what you experience and what you learn.
Find specials at http://marylandday.org/business-specials.
Get right into history in this year’s Picture Yourself in History Challenge. Snap selfies as you experience history at each stop. Upload photos with the hashtag #MDSelfie. Benson will award prizes for the Best Selfie and Best Photobomb.
Read on for Bay Weekly’s Maryland Day — including the official Maryland Day Celebration, Wednesday, March 25, at St. Clement’s Island, the original landing site. All are free unless otherwise listed, but some require reservations, and some event spaces are small. So plan ahead and arrive early.
–Sandra Olivetti Martin
Anne Arundel Courthouse Museum
Anne Arundel County’s working courthouse has seen nearly two centuries of history. See The Crossroads of the Community exhibit and meet its makers to catch up on the dramas of those years. If you like the shows CSI or Law and Order, this exhibit is for you.
Friday, March 20, 9am-4pm: 7 Church Circle, Annapolis
Oyster Restoration Center
Help restore the native oyster population by constructing concrete reef balls as habitat for oysters, fish, blue crabs and other critters. Dress to work outside; wear gloves, boots and warm clothes that can get wet and dirty. When the job’s done, you’ll tour the Oyster Restoration Center to learn how the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is helping the native oyster population. Children and teens welcome with adult. rsvp: [email protected]; 410-268-8816.
Friday, March 20, 10am-3pm: Discovery Village’s Oyster Restoration Center, 4800 Atwell Rd., Shady Side
Maryland State Archives
Begin your tour of Maryland history at its official preservation site. Pose for a selfie with a life-sized print from the state’s collection. Select historic images from archival photographic collections to compare with their modern day locations downtown. Historic maps on display will guide you.
Friday, March 20, 1-3pm, and Saturday, March 21, 9am-4pm: 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis. Photo ID required.
Maryland State House
George Washington resigned here.
The great events on which my resignation depended having at length taken place; I have now the honor of offering my sincere congratulations to Congress & of presenting myself before them to surrender into their hands the trust committed to me, and to claim the indulgence of retiring from the Service of my Country, he said. The great events are, of course, “the United States of becoming a respectable Nation.”
Today, view through the eyes of Maryland State Archives curators the historic Old Senate Chamber being restored to its appearance on December 23, 1783, the day that General George Washington stood before Congress in this spot to surrender his command of the Continental Army. Hear how Washington’s resignation established the precedent of civilian control of the American military. Read Washington’s personal copy of his resignation speech on exhibit in the State House rotunda.
Self-guided tours show you the old and new faces of the Maryland State House, the nation’s oldest continuous seat of state government.
Friday, March 20, 1-3pm: 100 State Circle, Annapolis. Photo ID required.
Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center
Tour Anne Arundel County’s only high school for African Americans, named for a former slave risen to successful businessman and Annapolis councilman, whose prosperity enriched his community; restored as a community center and senior housing community. Gospel concert 5pm Saturday.
Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, tours 1am-3pm; Gospel in Song 5-7pm: 101 Smithville St., Annapolis.
Get Your Bearings at the Visitors Center
Get expert help planning your Maryland Day adventures.
Friday, March 20, thru Sunday, March 22, 9am-5pm: 26 West St. and City Dock Information Booth, Annapolis
Historic Annapolis Museum & Store
See and hear Freedom Bound, the story of resistance to servitude and slavery in the Chesapeake from the Colonial period through the Civil War. The exhibit is interactive, and guides add insight.
Friday, March 20, thru Sunday, March 22, 10am-5pm: 99 Main St., Annapolis
Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College
Explore a chapter of more modern America here. St. John’s grad Ahmet Ertegün (class of 1944), the son of the Turkish ambassador, fell in love with American art. Three years after his graduation, he founded Atlantic Records, turning the nation and world onto distinctively American sounds from jazz to rhythm and blues, Aretha Franklin to Cher, Otis Redding to the Rolling Stones. In the exhibit An Ear for Music, An Eye for Art, you can compare his taste in music to his taste in art.
Friday, March 20, thru Sunday, March 22, noon-5pm: Mellon Hall, 60 College Ave., Annapolis
St. Anne’s Parish
The only church in Annapolis before the Revolution, St. Anne’s Episcopal is so intertwined with city history that it defined Church Circle, one of the two key circles in Royal Governor Sir Francis Nicholson’s design of the colonial capital. Docents guide you in learning about the glories and history of the Parish, now worshipping in its third church.
Friday, March 20, thru Sunday, March 22, 1-3pm: Church Circle, Annapolis
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is not only the undergraduate college for the Navy. It’s also a living museum of American military history. For Maryland Day, tour the historic campus in a 90-minute guided tour that passes the crypt of John Paul Jones, Revolutionary War naval hero. Visit the USNA Museum to immerse yourself in naval history and to see the original dont give up the ship flag from the War of 1812. $1 with coupon from the Visitor Center webpage at www.usnabsd.com/for-visitors.
On Saturday, kids make paper captain hats, linoleum rubbings and paintings of tattoos and practice knot tying, painting along with take-home activities on the kids’ quarterdeck: noon-3pm at the Visitor Center.
Friday, March 20 thru Sunday, March 22, 9am-5pm with shorter tour hours: USNA Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, 52 King George St., Annapolis
Wimsey Cove Framing & Art
Local historic maps featured here. Get a free copy of A Guide to Historic Maps of the Four Rivers Heritage Area; peruse and purchase high quality local map reproductions.
Friday, March 20, thru Sunday, March 22: 3141 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater
Maryland Avenue 2015 Scavenger Hunt for History
Follow a scavenger hunt map to explore the Annapolis Historic District and the Arts & Entertainment District, including West Street, Church Circle, State Circle, Maryland Avenue and Main Street. Clues lead you to restaurants, art galleries, museums and merchants, many housed in historic structures. Stores open late and offer specials and prizes. Maps at participating stores.
Friday, March 20, 27 and April 3: Along Maryland Ave., Annapolis
Annapolis City Dock
Raise the Flag on Maryland Day with the Annapolis Drum and Bugle Corps and the United States Navy League Cadets of Training Ship Mercedes.
Saturday, March 21, 10am: Susan Campbell Park
Bay Foundation’s State of the Bay
Join CBF Maryland’s senior scientist and staff to hear about the current state of the Chesapeake, the forecast for its future and how you can make a difference in the health of this beautiful, fragile waterway. Tour the environmentally sustainable headquarters and find out why it is one of the world’s most energy-efficient buildings. Get a firsthand look at how natural elements are incorporated into a fully functional workplace with minimal impact on Bay- and creek-front surroundings. Walk the grounds and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery on your own after the formal tour. rsvp: www.cbf.org/calendar under MD Day activity on March 21. Questions? Jennifer Herzog at 443-482-2103.
Saturday, March 21, 10am-noon: Philip Merrill Environmental Center, 6 Herndon Ave., Annapolis
Banneker-Douglass Museum
The Annapolis meeting hall for the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, formed in the 1790s, Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church was a house of worship from 1875 until the 1970s. It is now Maryland’s black history museum, where guides lead you through Maryland’s African American heritage.
Saturday, March 21, 10am-4pm: 84 Franklin St., Annapolis
William Paca House and Garden
The signers of our Declaration of Independence were men of wealth and influence. Annapolis was home to three of the 56. William Paca built his home from 1763-’65 in the style of an English country villa, with expansive working and formal gardens. But by 1965, Paca House faced demolition; It was saved and restored by Historic Annapolis. Today, costumed interpreters help you imagine lives of a wealthy Annapolis family and their slaves in the years leading up to the revolution. $1.
Saturday, March 21, 10am-4:30pm: 186 Prince George St., Annapolis
Annapolis Tour with Watermark
Join the Tricorns and Tennis Shoe Fun Run to see the homes of our Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Colonial merchant homes and other historic sites symbolizing Maryland’s pre-Revolutionary War spirit. You’ll see the Jonas Green House, Charles Carroll House, St. Mary’s meditation garden, the Kunta Kinte sculpture, Brice House, William Paca House, Samuel Chase House, St. John’s Campus, the State House grounds and the Thurgood Marshall Memorial.
Saturday, March 21, 10:30am-11:30pm: Susan Campbell Park, Annapolis City Dock
St. John’s College
Founded in 1696, St. John’s is one of the nation’s oldest colleges. On Maryland Day, tour McDowell Hall, built in 1742, with special guest John Christensen, who’s written the book on the old building (autographed copies $5).
Saturday, March 21, 11am-1pm: 60 College Ave., Annapolis
Goshen Farm
Discover the 1783 Goshen Farm House plus 22 acres of greenspace including open meadows and woodland walking trails and a 62-plot community Sharing Garden. Find family fun in music and old-fashioned games.
Saturday, March 21, 11am-4pm: 1420 Cape St. Claire Rd., Annapolis
James Brice House
Visit a grand house of our Colonial period, a five-part Georgian built by planter-lawyer and public official James Brice, who was acting governor in 1792.
Saturday March 21, noon-4pm: 32 East St., Annapolis
Belvoir: Scott Plantation
Belvoir, once owned by Francis Scott Key’s grandparents, is now under the stewardship of Rockbridge Academy. Join a walking tour of the grounds and historic Manor House. rsvp: [email protected].
Saturday, March 21, 1-2:30pm (weather permitting): 1534 Generals Hwy., Crownsville
Return of the Osprey
Ecology star Greg Kearns prepares you to greet the osprey on their annual return to Chesapeake Country.
Saturday, March 21, 1-3pm: 1418 East West Shady Side Rd., Shady Side
Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church
Learn about local African American history and heritage at the oldest African American church on the Broadneck Peninsula. Visit the site of the church since 1888, see the church’s 175th Anniversary Quilt and tour the final resting place of more than 2,000 people, including the cousin of Frederick Bailey Douglass.
Saturday, March 21, 2-4pm: 657 Broadneck Rd., Annapolis
Chase Lloyd House
Commissioned by Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Chase in 1769 and completed by plantation owner Edward Lloyd, this three-story Georgian mansion — now a private home for retired women — welcomes you to waltz to the music of The Weems Creek Jammers and visit its 21st century Bay-Wise garden. $1.
Saturday, March 21, 2-4:30pm on the half hour: 22 Maryland Ave., Annapolis
Chesapeake Children’s Museum
Created by community effort and sustained for nearly a quarter of a century, Chesapeake Children’s Museum creates an environment of discovery about ourselves and our place in the world. Tour, meet animals and enjoy its exhibits. $1.
Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, 10:30am-1:30pm: 25 Silopanna Rd., Annapolis
Hogshead Living History Site
Visit this 18th century working class tavern to explore the hard-working life of ordinary Annapolitans as illuminated by historic interpreters and hear tales of travel to the time’s not-so-far Western Frontier.
Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, noon-3:45pm: 43 Pinkney St., Annapolis
Charles Carroll House
Built in the early 18th century, this stately home housed three generations of the Charles Carroll family, including his son, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. For Maryland Day, see The Carrolls from Offaly to Maryland, a photographic essay in which Denny Lynch documents the marks the Carrolls left on lands on both sides of the Atlantic. Many of the photographs are castles, landscapes and historical sites from journeys to Ely O’Carroll Country. Lynch interprets his photos both days at 2pm.
Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, noon-4pm: 107 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis
Hammond-Harwood House
In 1906, Hester Harwood placed an advertisement in the local newspaper to help her rent out rooms in her 18th-century home. Follow in the footsteps of the people who responded to her ad, touring the home (now a museum) and viewing the Harwood’s family heirlooms in interactive tours focusing on making connections between people’s lives and the collections in the museum’s period rooms. Children’s activities and garden dress-up follow. 30-minutes tours at 1, 2 and 3 pm; rsvp: 410-263-4683 x12. $1.
Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, 1-4pm: 19 Maryland Ave., Annapolis
South River Farms Park
Explore this rustic county park’s 70 acres of woods and meadow on the South River with a 300-yard sandy beach, two tidal ponds and hiking trails. Walk through the park on your own or join a guided one-hour walk with the Anne Arundel Public Water Access Committee, Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks and South River Federation at 10:30am or 12:30pm.
Sunday, March 22: 10am-2pm: South River Farms Park, Loch Haven Dr., Edgewater
West Annapolis Heritage
Dress in Downton Abbey style to celebrate the era of 1900 to 1920, learn its lessons and get to know a neighborhood where homes combine with shopping, business and a sense of community and history.
That’s the period when Miss Elizabeth Giddings and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. were crafting the lovely community of Wardour with natural landscapes. Learn about Annapolis in that era and how you can create your own beautiful neighborhood in a series of lectures.
Sunday, March 22, 10am-4pm: Annapolis St., Annapolis
Galesville Hot Sox at Wilson Park
Wilson Park, a new Anne Arundel County Park, is home to the Wilson House, a 19th century farmhouse, and the Hot Sox Baseball Field.
At 11am, join the West/Rhode Riverkeeper’s Clean Up of the historic Hot Sox field; meet at home plate (work gloves provided, wear work clothes and rubber boots).
Sunday, March 22, 11am-1pm: Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park, 862 Galesville Rd., Galesville
Captain Salem Avery Museum
A Chesapeake waterman descended from Long Island sea captains, Captain Avery built this Bay-front home for his family in 1865. In the 1920s, it was owned by Jewish Masons, who were excluded by covenant from many communities. In the museum created by the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society, learn about the work and culture of watermen; see a gallery exhibit of art by Southern High School students and teachers; taste historic Maryland dishes, and enjoy music.
Sunday, March 22, noon-4pm: 1418 East West Shady Side Rd., Shady Side
Galesville Heritage Museum
No boat is more closely associated with sailing on the West River than the Chesapeake 20, designed by Captain Dick Hartge of Galesville. Visit this historic home, now a museum of all things local, to learn about the design, history and allure of these legendary boats, see originals and talk with 20 owners about the joy of sailing and racing 20s. Children’s games and activities, too.
Sunday, March 22, 12:20-5pm: 988 Main St., Galesville
Enticement Stables at Obligation Farm
Tour a historical farm begun as a tobacco farm and converted for horses. Meet the horses and ponies and see how the old tobacco barns are reused.
Sunday, March 22, 1-4pm: 4024 Solomons Island Rd., Harwood; 410-798-4980
Franklin United Methodist Church
This year marks the African American congregation’s 150th anniversary, and plans are underway for its preservation and restoration. Volunteers share some of the rich history of the congregation and the surrounding communities, including photos that reflect the history of Churchton, Shady Side and beyond. Learn about the history of the Beneficial Burial Society; view the 100-year-old quilt and other historical artifacts from this historic church and cemetery.
Sunday, March 22, 1-4pm: 5345 Deale-Churchton Rd., Churchton
Galesville Community Center
Walk back in time with Anne Arundel County Cultural Resources to learn what artifacts can tell us about the past and see the restoration of a 19th century farmhouse. Preview Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America, a traveling exhibit coming in July.
At 1:30pm, see the opening and dedication and walk the new wayfaring trail between the Community Center and the soon-to-be-restored Henry Wilson House.
At 2pm, see the unveiling of the Hot Sox quilt and chat with Hot Sox players about a different story of America’s Pastime.
Sunday, March 22, 1-4pm: Galesville Community Center, 916 West Benning Rd., Galesville
Historic Village and Museum
Get in the swing of daily life at this reassembled 19th century historic village. Churn butter and ice cream and enjoy the results; spin yarn, weave fabric, decorate with embroidery or candle wicking; tong for oysters. Attend a Beneficial Society meeting. Take a penmanship class in the one-room school. Refreshments sold by the Deale Area Historical Society.
Sunday, March 22, 1-4pm: Herrington Harbour North Marina, 389 Deale Rd., Tracys Landing
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
The old Annapolis High School is now a center where all ages explore and experience art, drama, dance and music. Today at Arts Fest, you can explore all that Maryland Hall has to offer, from performances to art demonstrations, hands-on projects to gallery events, in an exciting afternoon of fun and creativity for children and adults.