Annapolis is a very walkable city. This tour can be completed in about one and a half hours, if you are pressed for time. However, you would miss entering the beautiful museums and homes that are open to the public. Wear comfortable shoes as bricks make walking a little more eyecatching.
As a background note, Annapolis was founded as a Protestant city, as England was ruled by King William at that time. Early names for it were Providence, Severn, Procter's Landing, and Anne Arundel Town. The city was laid out in 1696 by Governor Nicholson around State and Church Circles on two hills from which the streets radiate. Today the city sits on three peninsulas, four creeks, the Severn and South Rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.
The tour starts at historic St. Anne's Church on Church Circle. This is the third of three churches built on this site, the first of which was built in 1692. Maryland had originally been given to Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, who dubbed the capital St. Mary's City. It was only after the settlement of Annapolis and the ascension of a Protestant king to the throne that Anglican churches were founded in the colonies. Around the circle are the Post Office, Reynolds Tavern, the County Courthouse, the Maryland Inn, and the Governor's Mansion.
The State Capitol, built in 1697, was first called the Stadt (State) House in deference to the Dutch king William. The building is the oldest continuously used state house in the United States. In 1783, Gen. George Washington tendered his resignation here, and in 1784 the Treaty of Paris formally ending the Revolution was signed here. In 1787 meetings to write the Articles of Confederation began here and later moved to Philadelphia, known as the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention. The Old Senate Chamber with furniture by John Shaw, the USS Maryland Room, the Senate Chamber, Chamber of the House of Delegates, and exhibition rooms are on the main floor. Outside the State House are statues of Roger Brooke Taney, Thurgood Marshall, and Baron De Kalb. On the grounds is the Old Treasury Building.
After going around State Circle, turn right onto Maryland Avenue. Here are some lovely shops, art galleries, and informal restaurants.
Turn left on Prince George or King George Streets and you will end up at St. John's College founded in 1696. Famous people who attended the college were Mrs. Washington's grandson George Washington Parke Custis and Francis Scott Key. Courses are taught around 100 Great Books, all of which must be familiar to each professor so that they can teach from any one. Only 400 students are permitted to study here. The Liberty Tree that once stood on the grounds is over 400 years old. Meetings were held under it during the Revolutionary War, and in 1840, some boys almost destroyed the tree by igniting gunpowder in the trunk.
One of America's foremost architects was William Buckland who moved to Annapolis in 1772 and designed the Chase-Lloyd House, Gov. Sharpe's house, the Senate Chamber and the Hammond-Harwood House (1774). His fine Palladian style set an example for other lovely brick homes located throughout the city, some of which we will pass as we go up Duke of Gloucester Street at the end of our tour. But do look at the fine ones on Maryland Avenue the Hammond-Harwood House and Chase-Lloyd House, and on Prince George Street the William Paca House and Garden and Brice House.
Stay on College Street and turn right on Hanover Street. The Peggy Stewart House on the right was once owned by Anthony Stewart, who in 1774 brought a shipload of tea to Annapolis, but was forced to have his own "Tea Party" by beaching his ship on Spa Creek and then burning her.
You may enter the United States Naval Academy at the end of Maryland Avenue. The U.S. Naval Academy Museum is located in Preble Hall just inside the gate, and should not be missed. The Naval Academy, then called the Naval School, was founded in 1845 on land purchased by the Navy Department on Windmill Point from the Dulany family. Originally it had been Fort Severn, composed of 9 acres (The Yard), now 300 acres. The first Superintendent was Franklin Buchanan. The original class had 50 midshipmen and seven faculty members. Bancroft Hall, a French Renaissance style building of granite, is the largest dormitory in the world, now housing approximately 4,000 students.
The Chapel, designed like several other campus buildings by New York architect Ernest Flagg, opened in 1904 and the nave was added in 1939. The Prayer Book and Bible belonged to David Farrugut. The crypt beneath the chapel contains the body of John Paul Jones who died in Paris and whose remains were brought here. The statue of Tecumseh is decorated for various football games and other occasions, and is "The God of the Passing Grade." If you are visiting around lunchtime, you might be able to watch the Brigade Noon Formation. The Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center has some very interesting exhibits and Navy items for sale.
Walking away from the Academy at Gate 1 on Randall Street, you will come into the center of town, Main Street and the harbor. The City Dock has been in use since the 1600's. A Market House has stood here since 1728. The present Market House was built in 1858 and was restored in 1970. The Historic Annapolis Foundation at 77 Main Street has exhibits and sells items relating to Annapolis. If you're hungry, try one of the many restaurants, outdoor cafes or pick up something from one of the vendors in or near the Market House. Looking around you will see the historic Middleton Tavern, run in the 1700's by Samuel Middleton, and later used as the federal Customs House. Radiating up the hill are Pinckney, Francis and Cornhill Streets, all very charming.
Walk along the harbor on Compromise Street to the Annapolis Yacht Club and the Spa Creek Bridge. You can look across at Eastport, which is a walk in itself. Turn right on Duke of Gloucester Street. On your left you will pass St. Mary's Church with the historic Charles Carroll House overlooking Spa Creek. On the right are the beautiful Ridout Row homes and the Ridout House. The Annapolis Town Hall is also here.
Turning left on Charles Street you will find lovely brick homes and on the left the Jonas Green House, one of the oldest homes in Annapolis and still occupied by Green descendants. Turn right on Cathedral Street and you will return to West Street.
This tour was reprinted with permission from:
Annapolis: The Guidebook (Revised)
By Katie Moose
(Order this book now from Amazon.com!)
©2001