Effective on Jan. 31, 2019, the Historic Annapolis Museum and Store located at 99 Main Street will close for renovations and will reopen with a new exhibit in 2020. The museum and store will temporarily relocate to its former home at 77 Main Street, where it will open in early February 2019.
The Historic Annapolis Store will be hosting a Moving Sale in preparation for the relocation. Patrons who visit 99 Main Street before its Jan. 31 closing date will find special markdowns, discounts, and clearance on all sorts of items, including many furniture pieces.
The current exhibit on display at the Historic Annapolis Museum, “Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake,” will also close at the 99 Main Street location on Jan. 31 and will be donated to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore.
The exhibit, developed by Historic Annapolis in 2013, tells the stories of nine servants and slaves who tried to escape from forced servitude between 1728 and 1864. It was always the intention of Historic Annapolis to travel or donate the Freedom Bound exhibit and HA says they are pleased to have found such a wonderful recipient and partner with the Lewis Museum, who anticipates opening the exhibit later this year.
“We are grateful that Historic Annapolis has decided to donate the exhibition to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. It will be an exciting addition to our permanent collection and enable us to tell the true stories of 18th and 19th c. Maryland slaves and servants for our visitors, especially Maryland K-12 students,” said Jackie Copeland, Interim Executive Director of the Lewis Museum.
The historic building at 99 Main Street, built circa 1791, has served as a bakery, a private residence, and a storefront during its existence. In the 1950s, a structural wall was accidentally demolished at 99 Main Street, and the city ordered that the building be razed. A group of Historic Annapolis board members formed Port of Annapolis, Inc. to purchase the property and finance its restoration and adaptive reuse.
The initial restoration, completed in 1960, marked the beginning of the revitalization of the surrounding Annapolis waterfront and allowed the space to serve as a series of retail operations for many years. A second, more comprehensive restoration was completed in 2006 that transformed the building into a museum space for Historic Annapolis.
This next phase of repairs and preservation at 99 Main Street will include upgrades and renovations to the building’s roof, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems, repairs to masonry, and restoration of windows, doors, and interior plaster. These repairs will enhance the building yet again to allow this prominently-located property across from City Dock continue to serve as a community resource for history and heritage tourism exploration.
Cover image from the Historic Annapolis Facebook.
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