The nineteenth-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the famous line in his poem “The Rainy Day“….“Into each life a little rain must fall.†Well, if you’re visiting Historic Annapolis and a litle rain falls into your life, why not visit the town’s many fascinating museums that offer a glimpse into the history and culture of this longstanding Colonial capital city.
Make your first stop the Historic Annapolis Museum, located in the St. Clair Wright Center at 99 Main Street near the City Dock area. Here you will find all the information you need to stay out of the rain. (And yes you can take a walking/audio tour with umbrellas and a guide if that be your choice, mate!)
Inside is an ongoing and changing exhibit of the history of Annapolis, including an 1819 scale model of the city, time line and other historic artifacts, life-size cutouts of famous Americans such as George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Mark Twain—along with Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker and other well-known contemporary figures who have visited Annapolis. Why not see how you measure up!
As this is being written, the second and third floors of the museum will be having a grand opening to the public and will house changing exhibits of the history of Annapolis as well as featuring the work of pioneers in Annapolis history; the opening exhibit focuses on Anne Katharine Greene, considered the “First Lady of printing†in the Colonial era, plus exhibits by artisans, craftsman, historic collections, and inventors whose contributions helped to define and relate Annapolis’s storied history over the past 400 years.
Purchase tickets for some of the many historic house tours available, such as the 1763 Georgian-style William Paca House, built for this signatory of the Declaration of Independence and three-time governor of Maryland. View the gardens from the back of the house and plan to return to them another day when the sun is shining…or even better, consider them if you’re planning a wedding!
The Charles Carroll House was the home of another signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The Carroll family was one of the wealthiest in Maryland but their Catholic religion worked against them and they constantly fought for religious freedom.
The Banneker -Douglass Museum is named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, two well know Black activists of the 19th century. The building, which is actually a church, was almost razed and was eventually saved by preservation supporters; it is a wonderful gothic-roofed church and served as the former home of the Mt Moriah AME congregation built by free Blacks in 1874. The free tour of the church museum is dedicated to Maryland’s African-American history and is also the repository of a wealth of African -American information for the state of Maryland.. Brochures and maps are available and a gift shop in the museum offers take-away memorabilia of your visit.
The tour of the Hammond-Harwood House tells an interesting story of family, architecture, and history. The five-part Anglo-Palladian-style home was built for Mathias Hammond a wealthy planter in 1774 who was also an activist for the colonial movement for independence from England. Strangely enough, Hammond never lived in the house and it was eventually rented out to many famous Annapolitans including Charles Pinckney, another signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The architect of the house was William Buckland, who designed many famous colonial homes including Gunston Hall in Virginia, home of George Mason of whom Buckland was an indentured servant! His work is also present in Annapolis at the Chase-Lloyd House.
Generations down the road a descendent of Buckland would marry into the Harwood family, hence the latter part of the house name. Inside are some of the most famous examples of woodcarving and plaster work in America as well as fine arts and furniture. Well worth a rainy day visit!
Check these websites for further information on any of these sites. Take your umbrella and enjoy the day!
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