MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

CAPITAL

[photo, State House (from Francis St.), Annapolis, Maryland] ANNAPOLIS
Annapolis is the State capital of Maryland. Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, the city also served as capital to the newly forming American nation when the Continental Congress met in Annapolis from November 26, 1783 to June 3, 1784. Here too, on January 14, 1784, the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was ratified by Congress.

State House (from Francis St.), Annapolis, Maryland, February 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, City Dock, Annapolis, Maryland] In September 1786, the Annapolis Convention met to discuss revisions to the Articles of Confederation. The Convention's call for a further meeting led to the assembling of delegates at Philadelphia the following year to draft the U.S. Constitution.

In modern times, Annapolis continues to host important meetings. On November 27, 2007, the Middle East Peace Conference was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. From June 17-18, 2008, the U.S. Naval Academy again hosted an international conference, the U.S. - China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) IV.

City Dock, Annapolis, Maryland, September 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland] Located on the Severn River in Anne Arundel County, Annapolis is not only the center of Maryland government but also home to the U.S. Naval Academy, and St. John's College whose curriculum is based upon the study of the classics.

McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, April 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland] From the founding of Maryland in 1634, however, St. Mary's City was the first seat of Maryland's colonial government, not Annapolis. (In southern Maryland, Historic St. Mary's City can be visited today in St. Mary's County.) As the population of Maryland grew, St. Mary's City, near the southernmost tip of St. Mary's County, proved too distant for most of the colony's inhabitants. Consequently, in 1694, the General Assembly designated Anne Arundel Town, midway up Chesapeake Bay, as the new capital and, in February 1694/5, the government moved there.

U.S. Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland, May 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland] After Queen Mary's death in December 1694, Anne Arundel Town was renamed Annapolis for her sister, the heiress apparent, Princess Anne. As Queen Anne (1665-1714) of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Anne ascended the throne in 1702. In 1707, she became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, which she ruled until her death.

In the name of Queen Anne, Royal Governor John Seymour granted to the City of Annapolis a municipal charter on November 22, 1708. Annapolis celebrated its three centuries of history in 2008.

Centered in Maryland on the Western Shore, Annapolis lies 25 miles south of Baltimore and 30 miles east of Washington, DC.

Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland, October 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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